What items can/should I stockpile?

[Teknishn]

Yeah, What everyone else here (mostly) have already said....save/invest your cash. Go sailing as much as you can. Invest in your knowledge and skills of boat systems.

I work in boat and yacht repair and have watched new owners with seemingly unlimited pocketbooks buy a boat and immediately invest in all the latest bells, buzzers, and whistles in entertainment systems, navigation electronics, and deck equipment...only to be disappointed when their boat is finally finished a year or so later that all of their new equipment is nearing obsolescence or no longer meets their needs, or has rotted away in storage somewhere.

From an installer's point of view this becomes a nightmare as well, when, all of a sudden the owner wants to upgrade everything and wants old cables removed and replaced, modifying consoles to accommodate new equipment, modifying interiors for mechanical installations, etc.

I've literally been given navigation electronics, mostly Garmin and Raymarine, that have been installed...but never used other than testing after installation. That, and pumps that were purchased early on, but are no longer available locally. How about a Kohler 40-KW Gen-Set with 9-hours that was to big for the boat? Bought off the owner for $5K, including removal, and re-sold it for $15K (although I know it was worth much more than that).

DON'T buy gear in advance. Buy your boat, plan logically, and save yourself a lot of headaches.

If you want to buy something now, buy a paper chart and a set of Navigation tools. Take a course and learn how to use them....and keep practicing. Buys the tools and learn to splice, sew sails, repair diesels, learn and understand how electricity works, learn weather-guessing.

I ain't no expert, and Lord knows that I've learned more things by doing them the wrong way than by doing them the right way...because I usually didn't heed good advice when it was given...and there's lots of good advice given here on CF. (If only the internet and CF were around when I was first learning....I'd probably be a wealthier man with a nicer boat! )

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by goat

I'd suggest you go the other way. How much stuff can you get rid of (turn into cash) before then? Keep lightening your load until you have the boat. You don't know what size anchor you need, the size of the gypsy on your windlass or what new products will make your stored items obsolete in a decade from now. Can't go wrong with a pile of cash in the bank though.

Good advice!

I am still in the process of reducing my load to a minimum, and it can be hard to part with some things, which will not store well (or cost a lot to store) or are irreplaceable....it takes time and will power. Of course this is IF you intend to travel for years on a boat, or live aboard it.

[thomm225]

You may want to go back and rethink step one: the sailing thing

It's probably best to start sailing some sort of boat now and learning so you'll have a clue as to what it's all about when you do buy your ultimate cruising cat.

Some real world sailing/cruising experience wins out over all the planning a non-experienced cruiser/sailor might do

[cgrabens]

Start saving all of your silica packets

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by powsmias

If I were waiting 7-10 yrs I'd put it in physical silver. good luck

Bitcoin, bro.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by haiqu

Bitcoin, bro.

Bitcoin and silver are speculative. Not an investment

Below is the silver chart for 5 years. Which way is it going? Down.

Bitcoin is basically an unauthorised currency that can't be converted and can be outlawed at any time. Its basically a construct. More probably it's a fraudulent bubble.

[MNGator]

Once again, thanks for all the great replies and advice. A little background on why I asked the question. One of my hobbies is woodworking, even though I don't have a lot of time to pursue it now, I still pick up high quality hardwoods or specialty tools when I can. These went home sailing, but they won't be discarded either. I have a plan, hopefully a good one, that will enable me to both get the boat, sail for 5-10 years and then return to a land based life. My plan is probably different than most, but it is one that will work for me.

So far in this thread, sounds like only a few items worth purchasing now (binoculars, chronograph) other than things I will use on my weekend sailing excursions. And yes I find short term investments in a bit of gear help keep,the dream alive, not at the expense of gaining experience, it's not a zero sum game.

[Cheechako]

NONE. Don't get premature. Get some kind of small cheap sailboat and stockpile knowledge...