Budget for outfitting new boat

[fishingdad]

Now that you have bought the new boat how much do you budget for outfitting it with your personal items, galley, safety items etc? Seems like its possible to spend a little or a whole lot on this. Also any items you thought you had to have on board and then found out they were not needed?

 

[dbsea]

I just got my 2016 C-30 CB on Tuesday, and I can tell you I’ve already spent well north of $3000 on Amazon… and another $2000 on yachtbedding, and… and…and…. Lol. 🙂

 

[marksandyham]

We have been boating for many years and have learned that each boat needs slightly different outfitting. For example our new to us R27OB has an oven so we need baking sheets. We have a system down where we pack each drawer/locker in a plastic tub at the end of each season and then go through each tub to decide what should stay or go and what needs added.

When we launched our R-27 we only added our inflatable PFD's to the basic safety equipment and a hand held VHF radio. Then added things as the season went on. For example we had 4 standard fenders at the start but had changed to 2 standard and 2 ball fenders by the end. We added one longer dock line (35') and one short (15').

So IMHO I would start with what is on the boat (assuming all needed safety equipment is provided) and make adjustment as you go.

 

[The lyons den]

We took ownership of our new r23 this summer. I was glad that I stopped myself from making any anticipation purchases, as the boat came with many of the items I thought I needed. Amazon deliveries are fast so keep your excitement at bay and save yourself some money. Our boat was delivered with dock lines, flares, bumpers, shore power cable . We threw our SUP’s on the roof rack in lieu of a tender and added a 12”bbq instead of the larger model. It’s fun to sit on your new boat with a measuring tape and order exactly what you need. Pre purchase a bottle of wine and enjoy just sitting on the boat and planning your enhancements.
Curt

 

[Rocky Lou]

I'm sure we all have our priorities. Mine were:
1. Fill the wine fridge
2. Install downriggers
3. Refill wine fridge
4. Set up Internet and AppleTV
5. Refill wine fridge
All the other stuff, like YachtBedding, upgrading transducer, etc. were done after the basics were working. There are ample gadgets to get to know and, sadly, many to learn how to fix that keep you busy even early on. It's a good idea to understand how warranties work on all items. I've spent a lot of time with a Westerbeke generator that I very rarely use.

 

[Rauguthj]

Great question…. We are in the planning phase for purchase of an R-31 CB. I started a spreadsheet that details all we think we will need and the costs: bottom and ceramic coating, galvanic isolator, CB bimini, tools, consumable & spares, safety & cockpit, galley & storage, berth & heads. I’m purchasing the items that do not have a shelf life to reduce the sticker shock at move in. The spreadsheet will transition to an overall boat inventory and location tracker. Estimate for costs at this point is $16,000.

 

[scross]

If you are starting from zero (i.e. not moving stuff from your prior boat) it’s a big and expensive list.
For us:
Galley costs including Magma pots, plates, glasses, flatware, small microwave and Magma propane grill at about $1K
Anchor upgrade to Rocna 10 with S1 swivel, spare Mantus foldable anchor with spare chain and rode plus fenders and dock lines about $1k
Safety equipment including 2 inflatable vests, 2 kids vest, flares, first aid kit, handheld vhf and PLB about $1.8k
Bedding about $500
Winter cabin and bilge heaters $300
Spares, specialty tools and fluids about $3k
Solar panel upgrade for extended cruising $1.5k
Cargo box for sports rack $500
Two inflatable SUPs and Magma rack $1k
Portable freezer $700
Misc. items about $500

That totals just under $12k. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few things….

PS: This doesn’t count any of the $$$ replacements (e.g. reupholstered seats and bolsters) made to our 12 year old boat, just the things we bought for getting it ready to cruise!

 

[FlyMeAway]

If you are starting from zero (i.e. not moving stuff from your prior boat) it’s a big and expensive list.
Galley costs including Magma pots, plates, glasses, flatware, small microwave and Magma propane grill at about $1K
Anchor upgrade to Rocna 10 with S1 swivel, spare Mantus foldable anchor with spare chain and rode plus fenders and dock lines about $1k
...
Bedding about $500

I think these are two excellent examples of YMMV. I bought aluminum Ikea pots and pans for my last sailboat, $40. I got the Magma set as a gift about a year later, ended up returning to Fisheries for a gift credit because comparing them side by side I liked the $40 Ikea option more than the $200 Magma one.

Bedding, you can either buy it custom ($500-2k) or you can shop at Costco (under $200 for everything).

This can be extended to everything on the boat and the level of overkill you want. Like outfitting a home, for any budget (unless you simply don't set a budget) personal preference will dictate on where you want to spend more vs. less money, and for safety gear your level of acceptable risk. I've been boating for 30+ years and consider a PLB overkill for coastal cruising; others find it an essential piece of safety kit. Even within safety kit, some would find a PLB+regular VHF sufficient, others would forego the PLB but insist on a GPS/DSC equipped handheld, others would take a belt-and-suspenders approach and buy a PLB+GPS/DSC VHF for every crew member.

There is also always the option of buying used -- especially for tools, Craigslist and eBay are your friends -- vs. buying new. Though new is pretty cheap these days, too (I say that having recently spent ~$1k on tools for our boat).

So all these things combined means "it varies, a lot."