How do you know your boat details?
One of the previous owners of Que Tal (our previous boat) was absolutely brilliant and created a master list of every single piece of equipment aboard the boat, together with whatever was the most recent bit of info about it — new (installed), rebuilt, tuned, whatever.
Part numbers, serial numbers and as many details as possible were all included. Now, this didn’t eliminate our maintenance log for more detailed info on installations and maintenance procedures, I want to be clear on that.
Rather, this gave us a reference list of absolutely everything. Instead of having to pull out owner’s manuals whenever we needed basic information about gear, we could just refer to the sheet.
We kept a printed copy next to our log, and hand wrote updates as needed. Periodically I’d update the electronic version and reprint it. Obviously, the electronic version was on the computer, which was with us whenever we traveled back to the US — and this was invaluable for making sure we got the right parts when it suddenly hit us that we needed something more.
With Barefoot Gal, I save the document as a PDF and keep a copy on a smartphone, too — knowing that I’ll have it with me whenever I went to any store in case there were questions.
In addition to being extremely helpful while we owned her, this document was an important selling factor of the boat both when we bought her and when we sold her. Brokers spend a lot of time writing up the specs of a boat for the online listing . . . and still frequently miss gear or get things wrong (we could tell you about some doozies we encountered in buying Barefoot Gal).
With this, the broker could email the “Details” document to prospective purchasers who requested it, giving them a much more detailed list than just “Batteries: yes” as we saw on some listings. We felt that we really knew the boat before spending the time and money to see her (important when you’re looking at a boat that’s at a distance). I believe it was important to the purchaser when we sold it too.
Creating a similar document was one of the first things we did aboard Barefoot Gal. And I do mean “we” — doing it together helped both of us know our new boat a lot better. Some info will come from the owner’s manuals and some will come from examining the equipment itself. I’m going to add another column to the sheet, too — whether we do have the owner’s manual (for those that we don’t, I’ll try to find it online and download it).
We used the list from Que Tal as an outline for what all to include, sort of as a memory jogger. And yes, it was a huge job, and we are still adding to it. And creating the list caused us to create a second list of spares we needed to buy.
There are two ways to create a document like this. You can get a free copy of my Boat Details Document to look at, along with an Excel template for creating your own. Or you can buy The Boat Galley’s Comprehensive Ship’s Log and simply fill in the blanks.
- Comprehensive Ship’s Log
- Boat Details Document and Excel template (both part of Documents for Boat Buyers and Owners)
Knowing your boat is a huge stress reducer. I’ve written before about learning the boat systems with a new-to-you boat; inventorying the equipment is equally important in my opinion. It’s really tempting with a new boat to want to just get out and start using it, but taking a little time to learn it first can save a lot of stress on those shakedown trips.
If you don’t have a similar list for your boat, I encourage you to create one, whether using my Excel template template or the one in the Ship’s Log. It’s a great rainy day project and you’ll be surprised at how the time flies and at how much better you feel you know the boat as you do it.
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
John Ahern says
I have one (1) spare of everything with a spreadsheet of everything….Best time spent….
Amy says
I use Evernote and journal everything for the boat – packing lists, manuals, insurance policies, EVERYTHING. We started with a copy of the survey and went from there.
Glenn Stephen says
please do you mind helping me out with the list
Relinda Ted Broom says
We have a hand written log including diagrams of how we rewired including the color codes. We have used it several times.
June Stein Kelly says
Terrific idea but a bit daunting, to start from scratch!
The Boat Galley says
Start with the big stuff, and every time you work on something, add it to that list. The one that came with Que Tal only had about half as much on it, and we just added as we went along.
Julie Sandler Lambert says
We have a spreadsheet in Google docs with most of this info included. Not quite as extensive though. We keep a downloaded copy on the laptop for reference when we don’t have internet, but the online copy is great when we are out and need to remember just which kind of oil we need or other piece of pertinent info.
John Huddleston says
I have a spreadsheet on google docs and a flash drive. Also ICE numbers. General personal info can be useful too.
The Boat Galley says
Good idea on including the personal info . . . hadn’t thought of that!
Jen Jackson says
I 2nd the GoogleDocs vote. I’ve been keeping a log of all of my maintenance/upgrades, but now going to add more details on what is already here and product info.
Lupari Sue says
Sometbing for us to do when we get back to the boat and go through everything before we take off again
Cathy Sauve says
We use an app on the iPad called eStorage by KiWi Objects. We keep an inventory of everything from spare parts to items in the freezer, equipment, and systems. You can take a picture of the item, make notes by date, set shortage limits, and much more. It’s invaluable on our boat, and we take it everywhere with us, cause it’s all on the iPad and backed up to iCloud. You can even have more than one database, say for a land based home inventory. It’s very easy to use and you can import lists you may already have in a spreadsheet.
B. Charles Reynolds says
There’s a whole crate full of product manuals aboard the tall ship I worked on this last winter. The cover of each binder contains a document very similar to this.
Maje Brennan says
This is absolutely brilliant, Carolyn! Thank you!
Nathan Van Meter says
Ana
Here’s the Boat Galley page I told you about. 🙂
Marty Crichlow, sv Brigadoon says
You never cease to amaze me with all the useful information that you publish. We are now looking at the boat detail listing. We have several spreadsheets listing pieces of the information you have combined into one useful listing.
A question came up regarding your detail: what do you use for your “mold inhibiting liners” in lockers? That would be most useful here in the wet PNW!
Thank you for all your hard work in publishing this website!
Carolyn Shearlock says
Thanks! Unfortunately, I don’t know what the material is called — previous owners installed it. It looks very much like burlap, only in a cream color. They installed it with spray-on glue. I’ve looked online several times and can’t find any fabric that says it inhibits mold, so I’m pretty clueless (I’ve been looking recently, since our new boat is in FL and there is lots of mildew here, too).
Carolyn Shearlock says
Thanks Maje!
Behan Gifford says
This is awesome. We have something we made like this, but it’s not nearly as comprehensive… (adds to to-do list)
Maje Brennan says
I love your posts, Carolyn!
Marcia Kress says
We have just purchased our first boat and are living aboard in sunny CA. We are currently creating our detail list in Google Docs with info from the survey, and manuals that the previous owner has given us. This will prove to be an invaluable tool. Thanks so much for the suggestion!
John D Young says
I got a 404 error on the pdf link.
The Boat Galley says
I really apologize. It’s fixed now.
Joe Sprouse says
error 404 not found
Kirsten Schweizer Roos says
Try clicking on the image instead of the text link… that worked for me : )
The Boat Galley says
Sorry about that, I got it fixed!
Lester Griffith says
Looks like a great winter project.
Frances Liz Fernandez says
It downloaded fine for me. We kept a detailed maintenance and repair log for our previous boat (Over the Edge) which was like an added bonus to buyer eliminating a lot of guess work.
Patricia Pucher says
Can’t download document. Could it be emailed? TY
The Boat Galley says
I fixed it now — sorry about that. It worked fine first thing this morning, then somehow it was “lost” and I had to re-upload it. Let me know if you still need it emailed.
Patricia Pucher says
Great. It worked. Thank you.
Kirsten Schweizer Roos says
Awesome! Thanks yet again!!
Donna says
Google spreadsheets work great for us, don’t forget to use google drive so you have access to your work when you don’t have internet access.
Candy Ann Williams says
Wow! This is great… Made my ‘attempt’ look anemic! You have given us another get form idea.. Thanks!
Carolyn Shearlock says
I didn’t come up with it — previous owners of Que Tal did.
Pat Berry says
Beverley Lillian Davidge – like this post, if you haven’t already, and you will get all their posts.
The Boat Galley says
Glad you find the site worth recommending! Thanks much!
Cory Nickerson says
Best site for day to day boat life that there is!
The Boat Galley says
Thanks Cory! I’ve come by your boat a couple times, but no one’s been there.
Cory Nickerson says
Two people working full time we sadly miss a lot if the community aspects of the life here. We just keep plugging away at the kitty until next spring! Then yoi can come by and visit is in rum cay or long island anytime and we’ll be home!
The Boat Galley says
Oh, I’m sure we’ll catch up with each other some time here.
Cory Nickerson says
Me too.
Beverley Lillian Davidge says
Thanks Pat Berry
Charles Reynolds says
I rent my apartment and keep a similar document, detailing valuables, with org-mode. I keep this synced to a private repository at GitLab.com, along with some other important docs like doctor’s and lawyer’s phone numbers. I share it with my emergency contact people, attorney, and insurance agent. Because org-mode files are just text, I use very little data (and it’s fast!) when I sync while tethered via my phone __and__ it’s readable in any text editor, though I sometimes render it to HTML or PDF and keep those in the same repository.
Melody Cook says
Great info
Fine Yachts Palma de Mallorca says
It´s also super useful when you come to sell you boat.