So we finally have our new boat. Now What?

[LagunaRed]

Our new Lagoon 52 has finally made it across the ocean and should be in Ft. Lauderdale on Friday. She is named "Summer Kai" after our two daughters. As this is our first boat purchase, I'm curious what you think we immediately need for the new boat and what things you would get for the boat but later. We plan to weekend sail in the Chesapeake this summer and next year (2017) we'll take off for a year or so in the Caribbean (homeschooling the kids).. Our early list is principally focused on safety equipment like: Coast Guard mandated items, EPIRB for the boat and personal EPIRB's for each of us, Netting for the lifelines (2 children 4&12), SAT phone, etc... We bought the boat pretty well loaded so it's got AIS, Radar, WIFI attenna and such but would love to hear what items you think are must have's right out of the gate... Thank you!

Best,
Christian
s/v Summer Kai

[44'cruisingcat]

Congrats on your new boat!


Pretty hard to say what you'll need, since we don't know what you already have.


A decent dinghy would be a good start though.

[ranchero76]

Congratulations! I hope we'll see video tour of your new boat. It also might lead to some advise from experts here.

[valhalla360]

Get your basic safety gear and what you feel you absolutely need...then wait on the rest for 6-12month.
Once you have used her for a while, the things you miss will rise to the top and some of the things you think you need will fall off the list.

[Time2Go]

With a 4 and 12 year old on board
I'd be looking at a MOB system
The personal epirbs will let the world know
But you want to know immediately when and if somebody goes over
and have a position indicated on your displays so that you can quickly
recover them. There are many available and you might find a system that
integrates with your suite of electronics.
Cheers
Neil

[stacy]

Congrats on your new boat.
As one who has taken delivery of a new boat that was built in a distant country and delivered on it's own bottom over a long distance, I would recommend a boat survey. Do not take the dealers word that everything has been checked out and the boat is good to go. Good luck.

[rancher44]

Congrats on the new boat.
I travel to the Keys (Ft Jefferson)a lot and it is easy trip. A series of short trips on your boat would allow you to see what you really need.
Your needs will change as you sail.]
Happy Sailing

[krafthaus]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Get your basic safety gear and what you feel you absolutely need...then wait on the rest for 6-12month.

I agree with what Valhalla wrote here. We found some things we thought we would need we crossed off the list & added other things we didn't consider before we were onboard.

Keep it as simple as you can though.

But get a good BBQ. We love cooking outside.


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[CampDavid]

A big Rocna anchor is number 1 and number 2 is a lot of 3/8 chain.

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[PuttingDoctor]

Stacy hit the nail on the head right ahead of me. Do get an independent survey.


The list will become apparent as you begin to sail. This is a lot of boat for a first purchase! Have you been taking sailing education courses? Have you been crew at your local club.....?


Take your time getting to know your new boat. Congratulations. See you down in the islands.

[Steve_C]

A really good video setup so you can post some footage for the rest of us



Did you get the Fly bridge or the Sportop?

Congrats and enjoy!

[Greg4cocokai]

Congrats on your new boat!

We named our boat "Cocokai" after our daughter Coco so she would sail around the world with us. It worked!!!


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[akprb]

I'm in the "do nothing for a year camp". Cruise it, enjoy it, the important things will become apparent.

That being said a 12'AB with 25hp Yamaha a good start ��

[singlespeed]

1. You haven't indicated if the kids can swim, so swim lessons are a must.
2. Board games to keep boredom at bay on your passages.
3. Harnesses and safetylines for all aboard.
4. A Stand Up Paddle (SUP) big enough for you and your older child. Great water toy for the kids and currently a very good resale value if you find it doesn't meet your needs.
5. A good unlocked dongle, as the wifi airwaves in the Caribbean are getting very cluttered. Easy to pick up SIM cards as you move between the independent islands. Wifi antennas work well in many places, but the more popular anchorages have had an increase in competing signals that is detrimental to the speed and access.
6. A fairly large volume watermaker - having to go to a dock weekly or jerry jugging it gets tiresome and can be expensive. Some "potable" water may be marginal. Training the kids, before you get on tbe boat full time, to not run the water continuously while showering or brushing teeth will be beneficial.
7. A large solar panel array. Running your engines and/genset daily is a pain.
While on your shakedown cruise, stay off any shoreside power and note your power consumption habits.
8. Buy a selection of shoreside power cords. You'll find 120VAC 30 & 50 Amp in both 50 & 60 HZ as well as 240VAC 50 HZ in a variety of plug configurations.

[cenicero]

Congrats, that's a lot of boat. Pole with a line grab for dropping mooring lines over dock cleats (you won't want to get too close to the dock at first, and not a good idea for the missus to be jumping from swim steps), good hinged passerelle, and a really good, lightweight trolley with large diameter wheels for restocking the supplies.