Your favorite sailing stuff...

[CAN DRAC]

There's nothing better than learning from others' experiences! Tell us about your favorite sailing stuff here!

[PCarrico]

Those look like polycarbonite window material. Very nice.

[CommodoreSwab]

The laptops Im currently putting together. CMap charts for almost the entire world on a military spec laptop so rain/shock/abuse become not an option. Being a little on the heavy side she stays where she is placed. My personal one is hooked up to a wireless GPS receiver which places you on the detailed charts in seconds. I use a universal power supply, 110V, 220V, 12V, 24V frequency doesnt matter it does it all. And for navigating on the screen all you need to do is touch it. With this handy gadget I can toss it in a bag and pull the entire thing out in one piece open it up and bang I know exactly where I am. Ive been able to check my position flying over ice floes in Alaska, around Phuket in Thailand, Mennorca in Spain, all over the caribean, and even navigate bayside in the FL keys with 5.5 feet of draft at night working betwen markers.

[Jeremy]

New Glass 2. This product is a great alternative to wax; it is a liquid you just wipe onto the hull with a chamois. I have found that it lasts longer than wax and gives a better shine. Check it out at www.newglass2.com.

[Richard]

In my opinion you should never leave the dock without several tubes of epoxy sticks. You know the kind where you tear off a hunk of playdoh-like stuff and knead it together. The stuff will fix almost anything and it cures underwater. I've used it to repair a broken part on a windvane self steering system and a broken goose neck on my boom. I've shoved it in between the cracks of a wooden hull when the caulking fell out (fortunately not MY boat) below the water line. Don't leave home without it.

[Mike Malone]

A topless women and a cold beer!

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~~_/)~~

[Richard]

Mike...hear, hear...I'm for that!

[___/)ances With Sails]

Ditto!

[Charlotte Radford]

I was looking for a portable speaker for my ipod that I could just take with me so I didn't have to use headphones all the time. I found this little hard cover box speaker called an iMainGo off amazon.com. You just put your ipod inside [it can be used for any type ipod, there are plastic inserts you can use that come with it specific to your ipod] and there's a little window so you can use the ipod menu. I use it all the time on EW and it's got a little strap that makes it easy to just hang anywhere. The sound is GREAT. It is extremely durable too. I have beat this thing up and it still keeps going. It uses 4 AAA batteries which last a fair amount of time. Well worth the 40 dollars I paid for it.

[PCarrico]

My tool kit.
Start with some good wire brushes and the inventory of lubricants. Multitude of Vice Grip tools, colbalt drill bits in Metric, Standard and lettered. Metric & standard wrenches, sockets, Allen keys. Sharpening stones, mill files, Dremmel tools, tubing flange & bender tools. The plier department is extensive also with dykes, twisters, channel locks, slip joint and some specialty types used in canvas work. Then there's the rigging tools with fids by all the manufacturers. Quality tools are a great investment. Volt meter, crimping tools & electrical spares. Propane & MAPP gas torches.
Tools, HAZMAT & DC (damage control) and spares probably take up a significant portion of everybody's kit that when everhting goes right, you don't need them, but can't live without them because you'll eventually need them. You'll also be a savior to somebody in a clinch when you've got the tool for the job.

[Mike Brown]

While looking for an alternative to teak oil I stumbled across a product called Teak Gueard. It's water based so it doesn;t attract dirt. Applies easily with a foam brush. During application wipes off with a damp rag. Cleans up easily when you wash the boat or in spring time. Best of all it leaves the teak a natural, golden color. If you decide you dont like it you can let it fade with a residue. Just don't allow it to freeze or it will gel up and be unusable. I highly recommend trying it.

http://www.teak-guard.com/

[Dave Skolnick]

I have lots of favorites on the boat, but worth mentioning is a Standard Horizon 850S handheld VHF - it has built-in GPS and DSC so makes a wonderful dinghy radio and a splendid cockpit radio to backup my fixed VHF.

[John Shasteen]

My favorite isn't sailing, it's for parking in the slip. My MarineAire 12K BTU AC unit that I installed about 10 years ago - in the brutally hot, South Texas summers, it's a godsend.