Too many spares?!?

[slowgoesit]

So when does the normal stock of replacement parts become an unhealthy obsession?

We are departing the PNW this Fall, heading down the West Coast of the United States, to the Sea of Cortez, and then next year, through the Panama Canal, over to the Bahamas, and East Coast.

Our itinerary and schedule is pretty fluid as we're planning on loitering/cruising pretty much as the fancy takes us. Certain items have the potential of being show stoppers in remote areas, and even in other areas, it's nice to be able to immediately replace a failed component, while awaiting the replacement item at your leisure.

My wife seems to think we have enough on board to open a Chandlery.

Aside from the normal supply of filters for mechanical items like transmissions, engine(s), breathers, watermaker and such, we carry:

• spare macerator pumps (for offshore use)
• spare fresh water pumps, (in addition to the two installed in parallel)
• spare bilge pumps
• spare shower pumps
• spare fuel/water/black tank deck plugs
• spare isolation transformer
• spare Victron Quattro Inverter Charger
• spare 24v charger (start battery bank)
• spare IR Temp gun
• spare 4/0 battery wire, terminal ends, and crimper
• large quantity of smaller ga wiring and connectors
• large assortment of zip ties, wire bundle ties, clamps, etc
• spare plumbing parts, fittings, tubing, glue, hangers etc.
• multiple soldering irons
• spare dinghy fuel tank, fuel hoses, and filters
• spare dinghy air pump and patch kit
• spare bulbs galore including Nav lights, interior lights etc, both LED and incandescent
• extra light fixtures of various types
• spare windshield wiper arms and blades
• spare anchors, chain, and rode (5 total)
• spare anchor swivel
• spare anchor chain bridle, all set up for use
• spare anchor windlass (the one that was removed when the current one was installed), inspected and serviced to ensure proper operation.
• spare foot switches for windlass
• large assortment of shackles, swivels, etc
• large assortment of various hardware
• spare wash down pump for deck/anchor chain
• spare paravane fish, as well as one complete set of cable/chain rigging
• spare coffee maker (2) and spare coffee grinders (2) Heaven forbid we can't make coffee!
• spare reverse cycle heating/air raw water pumps (2)
• spare watermaker low pressure raw water pump (1)
• spare shop vac filters (2)
• spare hydronic heater radiator
• distilled water in jugs, as well as an onboard distiller (for CPAP, and FLA start batteries and auxiliary (get home) engine start battery)
• extra shore power cords (2), and spare ends as well.
• multiple adapters/Y's etc for shore power
• spare shore power insert into boat
• backup small freezer in the event the 10cu ft freezer fails
• spare pair(s) of reading glasses, multiple, as I keep misplacing the damn things!
• spare CPAP along with associated spare hoses, masks, water trays, filters, etc
• Both Passports, and Passport Cards
• spare (backup) credit cards (several)
• spare Kindle
• spare tablet loaded with Navionics
• Two installed VHF radios, along with 3 handheld VHF's
• We have a Sat Phone, but with Starlink, I don't know if we'll enroll in the service or not.
• our two older I-phones in case we accidentally drop one in the water, will new new SIM card though.
• multiple PFD's, 4 offshore w/ plb's and 20+ others, offshore, and near shore. All serviceable, we can give them to people who may have theirs lost/stolen
• Extra foul WX gear for people who fly in to visit
• more scuba gear than any sane individual could possibly need (says my wife!)
• spare boat poles, total of 4
• spare fenders, too many to count . . . the darned things keep floating by our marina, and we keep the good ones!
• spare blade for the Hundested CPP (came with the boat)
• spare hydaulic fluid, enough for total replacement of system oil
• enough engine oil for 4 oil changes (along with containers for used oil)
• spare engine oil removal pump
• spare torque wrench, as well as multiple tool duplicates
• complete set (8) rebuilt injectors, along with tooling required to install
• spare impellers for auxiliary engine cooling system (main engine raw water and fresh water cooling pumps are bronze, gear driven)
• spare engine driven bilge pump impellers
• spare belts/hoses
• spare boarding ladder
• fiberglass mat/roving/resin etc for projects, or repairs
• Sailrite sewing machine and misc canvas, etc for projects/repairs

I know I've missed some items, but for the most part that covers it.

Anything I've missed? Suggestions?

With a lot of the items, I think it's more likely we end up using spares to help out fellow boaters than actually end up using them ourselves, but that's okay too. They're there to be used.
So regarding spares what say you? Am I crazy or what?

Note: Please keep comments as to whether I'm crazy or not relevant to the question of spares, after all, the larger question has already been answered as we own a boat.

 

[mvweebles]

Asking "Do I have too many spares" on TF is like going to a bar and asking if you drink too much. Your wife married a male of the species, and this is what males do.

I don't see spare woodworking stuff, but maybe you only have the basics like one lathe, one drill press, and one band saw.

Seriously, one item I don't see are spare cartridges for your faucets.

When are you headed south? I don't have room for 10% of what you have on board. I'd sure feel a lot better about being within VHF range of a floating chandlery.....

Peter

 

[SteveK]

nice list of spares. Awesome voyage ahead.

You may have a basic items list which includes Canadian rolls of duct tape with Red Green instruction videos.

 

[porman]

Rescue Tape? Can't have too much Rescue Tape. In assorted colors.

 

[ksanders]

without over analyzing your extensive spares list...

Just think about every system on your boat, and imagine life if it failed.

Then take measures to mitigate those failures.

 

[AlaskaProf]

I can assure you, whatever you delete from that list, you will need one next week.

 

[mvweebles]

I think it was Nigel Calder who had a very good list of spares and triage approach. I forget exactly but categorized across two axises - critical and difficult to get. For critical, he had it categorized into whether there was a work-around; and/or how likely would there be an unexpected catestrophic failure. For availability, he also had a scale that included whether it could be shipped within a reasonable amount of time. He then balances with how easy it is to carry - injectors are a good example of something that's small enough to carry so might as well take along, but if they were bigger, would leave them and ship if needed.

For example, an exhaust elbow is obviously critical, but will almost never faily catestrohpically without notice. No reason to carry a spare. With a boat with solar and generator, not really necessary to carry a spare alternator and regulator - could be shipped, albeit at expense if you're in a foreign port.

For me and my small boat, I might leave a bunch of Slowgoesit's spares in storage and have an item shipped if I need it.

• spare fuel/water/black tank deck plugs
• spare isolation transformer
• spare Victron Quattro Inverter Charger
• spare 24v charger (start battery bank)
• spare paravane fish, as well as one complete set of cable/chain rigging
• spare coffee maker (I'd leave one of the two spares home)
• extra shore power cords (2), and spare ends as well (personally, with solar, I'm not even sure I need one shore power cord except for A/C in a marina)
• multiple adapters/Y's etc for shore power
• spare shore power insert into boat
• backup small freezer in the event the 10cu ft freezer fails (freezers don't normally faily all at once and they are pretty easy to get in Mexico and byond)
• spare anchor windlass (the one that was removed when the current one was installed), inspected and serviced to ensure proper operation.
• Leave two of the five anchors (I carry three - Vulcan on the bow, Mantus M2 disassembled, and a Fortress disassembled; plust two spare rodes, one of which is would be used for a drogue)

You get the idea. But hey, if you have the room, and the stuff has to be stored anyway, might as well bring it along.

Peter

 

[Hippocampus]

Think it’s a good list for a cruising boat. Think particular list is dependent upon availability of shipping like UPS, fedex and USPS. Also chandleries, marinas, age of boat and nature of voyages.

What you need to carry if in the middle of an ocean is quite different than if coastal and a day or three from getting it on your boat coastally. Even when coastal quite different to be within cellphone range and being able to use a marina as a shipping address.

Same with tools. If voyaging or remote coastal you need the “right” tool for every contingency. That’s probably unnecessary in common coastal settings.

We buy spares in threes. Fo some things like racor or watermaker filters by the dozen if voyaging. That unnecessary if coastal. Same with stores. When voyaging there’s enough food and water for a month between standard stores and storm stores. In spite of having a RO unit still carried flats of water. Totally unnecessary coastal to go to that extreme.

 

[Simi 60]

Everything on your boat is broken - you just don't know it yet.

 

[slowgoesit]

See below:

Asking "Do I have too many spares" on TF is like going to a bar and asking if you drink too much. Your wife married a male of the species, and this is what males do.

I don't see spare woodworking stuff, but maybe you only have the basics like one lathe, one drill press, and one band saw. Peter, forgive me, but we only have hand tools, corded and cordless drills, corded oscillating tool w/ sanding pads, hand sanding blocks, sawzall, jig saw, circular saw,

Seriously, one item I don't see are spare cartridges for your faucets. Actually, we have those, just forgot to list!

When are you headed south? I don't have room for 10% of what you have on board. I'd sure feel a lot better about being within VHF range of a floating chandlery.....

Peter

 

[slowgoesit]

We do have tape, rescue, duct, masking, painter's, scotch, etc!

We do have the room for everything, but the foc'cle isn't habitable right now as it is full of projects we hope to complete prior to leaving. We still have the bunkroom w/ two bunks.

Some of the items were on the boat when we purchased her, others we have bought since.
Some of the items like:

• spare isolation transformer
• spare Victron Quattro Inverter Charger
• spare 24v charger (start battery bank)

are big ticket ($$) items that would be be expensive to ship to say, Mexico, because of the duty/taxes accessed, and they would be very inconvenient if they were to fail.

Oh, I forgot to mention:

• spare Victron Cerbo GX,
• spare hydraulic coupling to hydraulic pump, which failed on our trip to Alaska.

We have 2,880 watts of rated solar panels. No spare controllers, but since each solar panel has it's own controller, in the event we had a controller fail, we'd only lose one panel, which we thought was an acceptable risk.

It's a foregone conclusion that if we have the spares, we won't need them, and what fails will not be what we have in stores, but hopefully someone else will have what we need, and we can trade something we have for what we need!

 

[Senojev]

Your list is not that unreasonable considering the distance you plan to cover and the locations, especially as you have the space. Maybe cut back on an anchor or two. Do you have spare thermostats for the engines?

 

[Mac2]

You mentioned the impellers and raw water pump. Do you have the spare fresh/coolant water pump for the engine? Shaft seal, cutless berring etc. I try to have a spare for any moving part. I’m learning my engine fuel system/pump as Ive heard numerous stories on this forum of fuel pumps going down.

 

[RedRascal]

When you get into warmer temps you may be using your bilge fans more along with cabin fans. I'd want a second back up fan on hand for the master cabin. Maybe you can rob one from the guest cabin if needed and call that a good enough back up plan.

Along with the rescue tape theme already mentioned here are a couple more items, JB weld and Splash Zone under water epoxy.

 

[fgarriso]

So when does the normal stock of replacement parts become an unhealthy obsession?

We are departing the PNW this Fall, heading down the West Coast of the United States, to the Sea of Cortez, and then next year, through the Panama Canal, over to the Bahamas, and East Coast.

Our itinerary and schedule is pretty fluid as we're planning on loitering/cruising pretty much as the fancy takes us. Certain items have the potential of being show stoppers in remote areas, and even in other areas, it's nice to be able to immediately replace a failed component, while awaiting the replacement item at your leisure.

My wife seems to think we have enough on board to open a Chandlery.

Aside from the normal supply of filters for mechanical items like transmissions, engine(s), breathers, watermaker and such, we carry:

• spare macerator pumps (for offshore use)
• spare fresh water pumps, (in addition to the two installed in parallel)
• spare bilge pumps
• spare shower pumps
• spare fuel/water/black tank deck plugs
• spare isolation transformer
• spare Victron Quattro Inverter Charger
• spare 24v charger (start battery bank)
• spare IR Temp gun
• spare 4/0 battery wire, terminal ends, and crimper
• large quantity of smaller ga wiring and connectors
• large assortment of zip ties, wire bundle ties, clamps, etc
• spare plumbing parts, fittings, tubing, glue, hangers etc.
• multiple soldering irons
• spare dinghy fuel tank, fuel hoses, and filters
• spare dinghy air pump and patch kit
• spare bulbs galore including Nav lights, interior lights etc, both LED and incandescent
• extra light fixtures of various types
• spare windshield wiper arms and blades
• spare anchors, chain, and rode (5 total)
• spare anchor swivel
• spare anchor chain bridle, all set up for use
• spare anchor windlass (the one that was removed when the current one was installed), inspected and serviced to ensure proper operation.
• spare foot switches for windlass
• large assortment of shackles, swivels, etc
• large assortment of various hardware
• spare wash down pump for deck/anchor chain
• spare paravane fish, as well as one complete set of cable/chain rigging
• spare coffee maker (2) and spare coffee grinders (2) Heaven forbid we can't make coffee!
• spare reverse cycle heating/air raw water pumps (2)
• spare watermaker low pressure raw water pump (1)
• spare shop vac filters (2)
• spare hydronic heater radiator
• distilled water in jugs, as well as an onboard distiller (for CPAP, and FLA start batteries and auxiliary (get home) engine start battery)
• extra shore power cords (2), and spare ends as well.
• multiple adapters/Y's etc for shore power
• spare shore power insert into boat
• backup small freezer in the event the 10cu ft freezer fails
• spare pair(s) of reading glasses, multiple, as I keep misplacing the damn things!
• spare CPAP along with associated spare hoses, masks, water trays, filters, etc
• Both Passports, and Passport Cards
• spare (backup) credit cards (several)
• spare Kindle
• spare tablet loaded with Navionics
• Two installed VHF radios, along with 3 handheld VHF's
• We have a Sat Phone, but with Starlink, I don't know if we'll enroll in the service or not.
• our two older I-phones in case we accidentally drop one in the water, will new new SIM card though.
• multiple PFD's, 4 offshore w/ plb's and 20+ others, offshore, and near shore. All serviceable, we can give them to people who may have theirs lost/stolen
• Extra foul WX gear for people who fly in to visit
• more scuba gear than any sane individual could possibly need (says my wife!)
• spare boat poles, total of 4
• spare fenders, too many to count . . . the darned things keep floating by our marina, and we keep the good ones!
• spare blade for the Hundested CPP (came with the boat)
• spare hydaulic fluid, enough for total replacement of system oil
• enough engine oil for 4 oil changes (along with containers for used oil)
• spare engine oil removal pump
• spare torque wrench, as well as multiple tool duplicates
• complete set (8) rebuilt injectors, along with tooling required to install
• spare impellers for auxiliary engine cooling system (main engine raw water and fresh water cooling pumps are bronze, gear driven)
• spare engine driven bilge pump impellers
• spare belts/hoses
• spare boarding ladder
• fiberglass mat/roving/resin etc for projects, or repairs
• Sailrite sewing machine and misc canvas, etc for projects/repairs

I know I've missed some items, but for the most part that covers it.

Anything I've missed? Suggestions?

With a lot of the items, I think it's more likely we end up using spares to help out fellow boaters than actually end up using them ourselves, but that's okay too. They're there to be used.
So regarding spares what say you? Am I crazy or what?

Note: Please keep comments as to whether I'm crazy or not relevant to the question of spares, after all, the larger question has already been answered as we own a boat.

Looks like a good start!

 

[KnotYet]

I had upgraded my alternator so I carried the original as a spare. They do fail.
Depending on how rare or 'different' the Gardner's is, maybe have it rebuilt
prior to departure.

 

[fryedaze]

I have a bunch of spares. I just don't remember what they are or where I put them. After 13 years it's time to do an inventory and make a list. I have had several instances of buying a part only to find later it was packed back in the laz.
You don't have too many spares.

 

[SoWhat]

You didn't mention it but I am sure you have a set of blade fuses and spare circuit breakers in your electrical kit. Maybe a spare windlass solenoid?

My screws and bolts collection take up way too much room. I should just stock a few 1/4, 3/8, 7/16 hex bolts in 2" length and cut to fit.

If I travel I store a set of hoses of every diameter used on engine or fuel system. I can cut to length if needed.

My biggest concern is engine so I will carry spare starter, solenoid, and fuel pump. Alternator maybe but you appear to have enough solar to charge batteries.

Spare set of gaskets for any removable part on engines. I have various RTV concoctions but gaskets are cheap.

Anything that comes onto the boat stays on the boat so I have to make a list of non-essentials to remove before a trip. My wife insists that she needs more than 1 pair of shoes for a months trip and my spare parts take up all the storage. C'mon. It's a boat!

 

[BruceK]

Quote slowgoesit: "Anything I've missed? Suggestions?"


A spare boat?

 

[Delta Riverat]

I've got diesel oil, impellers, trans oil and racors. Yeah, I'm inland -

Oh yeah and the old still working bilge pump when I replaced it and the defective switch.

 

[slowgoesit]

Your list is not that unreasonable considering the distance you plan to cover and the locations, especially as you have the space. Maybe cut back on an anchor or two. Do you have spare thermostats for the engines?

Hmmmm, no, good thought, I'll need to check into that. Thanks! Scot

 

[slowgoesit]

You mentioned the impellers and raw water pump. Do you have the spare fresh/coolant water pump for the engine? Shaft seal, cutless berring etc. I try to have a spare for any moving part. I’m learning my engine fuel system/pump as Ive heard numerous stories on this forum of fuel pumps going down.

Mac, the raw water and fresh water cooling for our Gardner engine are both bronze impeller pumps, gear driven off of the main engine. Both are pretty bullet proof. The raw water pump only recommends greasing every 3,500 engine hours! The fresh water pump has grease cap, I turn it about 1 rotation every 100 hours or so. To date, I've never heard of one failing, but good thoughts!

On the fuel pump, the Gardner 8LXB has two independent high pressure fuel pump assemblies. If one fails, and continued engine operation is necessary, the manual says unload (using the compression levers) the cylinders with the failed fuel pressure pump, shut off the fuel to those cylinders (using readily operated levers) and the engine will run quite nicely on 4 cylinders, although at reduced output. The Gardner is a pretty incredible beast!

No cutlass bearing with the Hundested CPP (controllable pitch propeller).

Oh, and on a related subject, the rudder post is external to the the transom, so no packing required there either.


Thanks for the suggestions! Scot

 

[slowgoesit]

When you get into warmer temps you may be using your bilge fans more along with cabin fans. I'd want a second back up fan on hand for the master cabin. Maybe you can rob one from the guest cabin if needed and call that a good enough back up plan.

Along with the rescue tape theme already mentioned here are a couple more items, JB weld and Splash Zone under water epoxy.

We have two bulkhead mounted Sirocco II fans in the master, and a double fan portable unit. Good suggestion to pick up a few others though.

 

[rslifkin]

On smaller boats, as Peter pointed out, there's only so much room for spares. And on some boats, only so much weight capacity. So I try to focus on things I'm likely to need on short notice, or that I may not be able to get quickly / easily if needed.

Certain big things like the spare props (and tools to install them) stay at home. I'm not a diver, so I'll require some form of outside assistance if I need those (with resulting delay). At that point, it's not a big deal to get someone to pull them out of the garage and ship them to us (assuming damage is beyond what a local prop shop can quickly repair). The space they consume on the boat can be put to better use.

I do carry lots of small stuff. Spare pumps, impeller kits, belts for the engines and generator, spare shaft packing, supplies for oil changes, spare fuel filters, lots of tools, assorted hardware, hose clamps, and other misc stuff. And periodically when buying something I think "I should probably have some of this on the boat" and buy some extra to put aboard as spare.

There are certain things I don't carry, like spare fuel pumps and coolant circulating pumps. They last long enough in-service that a spare is likely to be quite old by the time it's needed and may have seals not in much better shape than the failed part. Those are just monitored for condition, and if there's any evidence of an issue, it'll be replaced. Worst case, we shut down an engine and limp to the nearest source of parts.


The further from home we travel on a given trip or the more remote the area we're traveling to, the more likely I am to grab some extra tools and materials from the garage to bring aboard for the trip (considering that tools normally kept at home just won't get used if we're away on the boat and don't bring them with us).

 

[mvweebles]

To be brutally frank, subject of tools and spares is really daunting to me. Sky is the limit. When I was young, I traveled via Motorcycle My first non-dirt bike was a Honda Goldwing with a fairing and stereo. I quickly found it diminished the austere experience I felt was essential to traveling the American West via an iron horse. So I decided on an older BMW. Amazingly, when I advertised my Goldwing in the classifieds, a guy stopped by who said he had to sell his motorcycle first.......he had an R75/5 BMW which, at the time, was worth several hundred dollars less than my Goldwing so we swapped and I got cash in my pocket (time has definitely flipped that value).

40-years later, I still like a somewhat austere experience; and I still like to travel off the beaten path. How to do so safely and reliably, especially with the inherent risk of a single engine?

Top of list is anything needed to keep the engine running. Seems easy enough, but if you're not careful, I could easily have a spare Perkins scattered around Weebles. I thought about carrying a starter motor, but honestly, Mexico probably has almost as many places to re-wind a starter as they have taco stands. I suspect every other country I might visit will too.

But not so much the various pumps - raw water, fresh water, and lift-pump. These are pretty cheap for my engine - under $500 for all three - so will carry them. Part of my thinking is I had a raw water pump shaft break many years ago so I carry a bit of mental baggage.

Transmission? This is more fragile than the engine, but do I carry a spare? Prop shaft? Prop? Like Rlifkin, I have a spare prop, but do I really need to carry it, especialy since Weebles is a full-keel boat with an extremely well-protected prop? Given water depths on the Pacific, I would not bring it except it's already aboard and I have no reasonable way to get it home except stowage. What about the hi-pressure lines from Injection Pump to the Injectors? A couple years ago, a Diesel Duck on way from China to Hawaii (I think) had one crack that put him dead in the water (he scavanged some tubing to get going).

BTW, before I forget, definitely carrying a spare autopilot pump. Would be great to have it installed and ready to go with flip of valves but not sure that will happen.

But in the end, I will have to rely on some luck. Risk mitigation will be whatever McGuyver skills I can muster when/if needed and plan for raw materials. Example, instead of hi-pressure injection lines, carry copper tubing and flare tool. 10-feet each of 3-4 sizes of tubing and some flare connectors could go a long way.

Occasional TF poster "Thataway" was a sail-cruiser from the 1970's or so (one of my TF role models). He carried a small stick welding machine. I have zero knowledge of how to weld, but for someone with even modest skills, would certainy underpin a lot of McGuyver repairs.

Tough decisions. In the end, I'll depend on some luck. Hopefully, will be in shouting distance of Slowgoesit and his floating chandlery.

Peter

 

[luna]

Personally, I think you may have in your stores way too many pairs of reading glasses. You could gain some additional freeboard by lightening up a bit. I would think Mexico has an ample supply in the dollar stores.

If it is such that your raw & jacket water pumps are made by the UK. firm Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon, I can attest to the fact that like all things mechanical, they do develop defects. I've replaced the bearings and seals on one of mine at 3500 Hrs. on my Cats. I likely ought to have replaced the impeller, but didn't. That may be the next failure.

Should you have a problem, Gilkes operates a pump reman. facility in Kemah (Houston) Texas which would likely provide you a reman pump for a princely sum (mine are about $9k) less the credit for your core. Details can be found here.

https://www.gilkes.com/cooling-lubrication-pump-systems/pump-refurbishment

Otherwise you may have to get them from Gardner.

Have a great adventure.

 

[diver dave]

I think a spare iso xfmr is over the top; plus they are easy to remove out of the system electrically. Highly reliable, maybe lightning will destroy. True, expensive to ship.

We lost a shower pump on last cruise; seized bearing. Also lost a drip coffee maker which doesnt even have moving parts!
Not spares, per se, but have a waste oil plan. My last try at island recycling resulted in the tossing in the trash by the largest auto service shop in the bahamas.

 

[rslifkin]

Not spares, per se, but have a waste oil plan. My last try at island recycling resulted in the tossing in the trash by the largest auto service shop in the bahamas.

Good point. We keep a case of empty antifreeze bottles aboard in case we need to hold on to waste oil for later disposal (beyond what can go back into empty oil gallons).

 

[Tator]

One thing I haven't noticed in the previous posts was sheets of different gasket materials. We carry paper, rubber, cork and some other black hard material. All were purchased from NAPA and all have come in handy over the years.

Tator

 

[Hippocampus]

Look at spares like safety equipment. If you’re any good at playing “what if……” you can spend your whole cruising kitty on them. So the skill is to develop a realistic attitude. What is a key system for the type of boating I do? For those systems what’s the likelihood something will break that I can fix? What things i can’t fix but parts are hard to get? How much space do I have for spares? Then you prioritize most important spares first and on down the list until you run out of space. Same with tools.
His list is excellent for the type of boating he does. Tempered by good judgment and experience. That experience teaches you. I didn’t have spare shear pins for the bow thruster. I now have 6. With the sailboat having the thruster fail would be a minor inconvenience. With the powerboat I truly miss it. Over the years you are developing experience with your particular boat teaches you which spares to have. This thread is excellent in laying out a good list for a long distance done up like his is done up. Beyond categories it may or may not apply to a different boat.