Camp on your boat? Give me your tips

[TheOtherLine]

I primarily fish my boat. My wife, who doesn't approve of killing fish, will not join me when I go fishing. So, I take her out on intercoastal cruises.

I'd like to try something different. I'm thinking about doing a little onboard camping.

Anyone care to share any tips, tricks, equipment requirements that can help me prepare. I think I have the basics down but am sure I'm missing some good ideas.

I have the 2520, no dinette, sink etc.,

Let's hear it.

 

[BradV]

with the 25 you should be able to pitch a tent in the cockpit. I also have a rod holder mount bbq unless youre just going to eat sandwiches. Lots of bug spray. anchor alarm on your gps. books or games since you cant fish and sitting on a boat might get boring if you arent doing anything.

 

[gray duck]

We haven't had time to do much camping yet - but we did one overnighter with myself, my wife, two kids 7 and 5 and a Jack Russell. We all slept in the cabin - 4 across. No bugs inside with the screens. A little bit sardine like but not bad. Great to wake up on the water. I plan on getting a two man tent which will work in the cabin and thats where the kids will sleep - when they get bigger. I've got a two burner propane stove that will work well in the cockpit. Storage is an issue on the 25. My solution is to use those cheap plastic bins to store all the essentials - stove, pots, plates etc. Bring plenty of ice. Johnson's baby shampoo is the best for saltwater showers - it's one of the few that lathers well in saltwater.
Enjoy!

ps one of the real benefits of doing it is that you'll really appreciate your bed at home that first night back!

 

[Megabyte]

I have one of thos boat BBQ's and traded the rod holder for a 3 legged one.
I could never get the rod holder mount secure enough and wind kept blowing the flame out. :shock:
I exchanged the rod holder mount for the 3-legged mount so I could put the grill on the floor in the corner, protected from the wind.

The grill and all grill supplies go into a plastic tub with a lid for easy transport.

 

[DaleH]

See the bench below? On long trips or overnights, it makes a great place for the crew/Admiral to relax and get the sun. When not in use, I leave it on my boat dock. The slats are cedar and grayed to mimic well seasoned teak. I was going to make it look like 'brightwork' :shock: , but immediately gave up on the idea - haha!

Do EVERYTHING possible to make/keep the Admiral happy - for if the Admiral isn't happy - NO ONE is happy . Let me add, cuddling with the Admiral whilst sharing a glass (plastic ) of her favorite wine, under the magic carpet of the night stars in the heavens, is a sure fire to make sure she enjoys the evening.

 

[MaxOut]

and a Jack Russell. !

never tried Jack Russell..........anything like Jack Daniels ?

Ask Capt Morgan :lol:

 

[gray duck]

It's more like an energy drink.

 

[ppem45]

Back in the days when I was a younger man and had sailboats in my life I did quite a lot of camping on my boats. One of the things we found out soon enough was that we were not eating right. We had the grill and made all the burgers, dogs and sandwiches but after a while they get old and we found ourselves eating out mostly from bordum of the familiar campers diet. What we did was cook up mashed potatoes, roast beef or a turkey, ham or any of the foods that we enjoyed at home. We would take it all cooked with us and we had figured out methods of heating up certain foods different ways such as steaming the already cooked mashed potatoes and such and have some great meals on the boat. It worked very well and got rid of the same old camper food. We even included several different kinds of salad such as tossed, potatoe, macaroni that we would prepare at home and ice down in a large cooler. A good dinner a glass or two of wine and life is much better. Buy extra tooth brushes and deodorant and such and leave them on the boat so your packing is kept to a minimum, nice when its already on the boat. It takes time but is an amazing way to enjoy your boat and then family at the same time. Enjoy!

PS I ahve not seen grouperjim on here in a while, is everything okay with him?

 

[Porkchunker]

I have one of thos boat BBQ's and traded the rod holder for a 3 legged one.
I could never get the rod holder mount secure enough and wind kept blowing the flame out. :shock:
I exchanged the rod holder mount for the 3-legged mount so I could put the grill on the floor in the corner, protected from the wind.

The grill and all grill supplies go into a plastic tub with a lid for easy transport.

What Megabyte said...I do exactly the same thing.

Dave

aka

 

[Ranger Tim]

Get on e of those black plastic Sunshowers and fill it with freshwater before you leave home. Tie it on top of the cabin and let the sun heat it. Drape the nozzle over the edge and enjoy! Takes the salt spray out of your hair.

At night slide the porta pottie over to the doorway for unimpeded access. A small reading light in the v-berth is nice.

Overnighting with an anchor that resets itself easily is a load off your mind. Otherwise, your first night's sleep will be fitful because you'll wake every hour to see if the boat has moved.

 

[ppem45]

Just a thought Rangerjim, I have an alarm on my GPS that has anchor drag alarm on it and that may give you a better nights sleep

 

[Megabyte]

Will the change in tide or a wind shift cause your alarm to sound, thinking you are dragging when you are only swinging on your rode?

I ask, because I've never used my alarm thinking I would be getting false alarms for this very reason. Nothing worse than being awakened in the dark of night thinking you are in peril, when it's only the tide changing.

 

[Bryan 2530]

Kev - you can usually set the radius.

 

[Megabyte]

Good to know.
I might actually have to play with it a bit.

 

[DaleH]

Kev - you can usually set the radius.

Yup, that is how it works, so here is what I do. Once the anchor is set, I'll slowly motor to be directly ABOVE it and that is where I set my anchor alarm position from. My GPS uses scales of 0.1, 0.2 ... and so on as a 'radius' alarm. She draws < 1-amp per hour.

 

[TheOtherLine]

anchor alarm on your gps.

books or games since you cant fish and sitting on a boat might get boring if you arent doing anything.

Anchor alarm - Great idea

Books or Games... - I think we'll have that covered :wink:

 

[TheOtherLine]

PS I have not seen grouperjim on here in a while, is everything okay with him?

You would have to ask him directly but I think he got caught up in a "discussion" with one of the mods that didn't sit well with him.

Too bad cuz he was a great contributor, usually only posting if what he had to say would add value to the thread.

 

[jeffnick]

I've spent over 1,000 nights on the hook.
In worst cases, I'll set a shallow and deep alarm on the DS and an anchor watch on the GPS (I set the anchor alarm to about 2 1/2 X the scope after we're fetched up).

I also keep a cheap GPS below. When we drop the hook I set a MOB (Man Overboard) on it. It now keeps track of the distance and direction to where it was set, also the SOG (speed over ground). It's on a 'tether' which consists of the power cord and remote antenna cable. I can hold the unit up to my face while still horizontal to satisfy myself that we're not moving.

It also drops breadcrumbs so it's easy to tell if any movement is within the scope swing.

You fellas with the sport cabins don't have to worry about being outside to monitor your position but the inside GPS gives me real time info from the comfort of the cuddy. When things really kick up I can watch the distance to the MOB as the boat fetches up on the rode and settles back in. I can tell immediately if we're dragging.

 

[Megabyte]

I also keep a cheap GPS below. When we drop the hook I set a MOB (Man Overboard) on it. It now keeps track of the distance and direction to where it was set, also the SOG (speed over ground). It's on a 'tether' which consists of the power cord and remote antenna cable. I can hold the unit up to my face while still horizontal to satisfy myself that we're not moving.

It also drops breadcrumbs so it's easy to tell if any movement is within the scope swing.

You fellas with the sport cabins don't have to worry about being outside to monitor your position but the inside GPS gives me real time info from the comfort of the cuddy. When things really kick up I can watch the distance to the MOB as the boat fetches up on the rode and settles back in. I can tell immediately if we're dragging.

Awesome! :shock:

You just can't that sort of information anywhere else but at ClassicParker! 8)

 

[TheOtherLine]

Sunshower - I like!

Small reading light - good idea

Speaking of which, do you guys use lanterns to light up the deck or interior? I would think the LED's would be too bright and the draw on batteries for interior lights would be significant. If you do use lanterns, do you use propane or battery powered?

Plastic Glasses - check
Grill - Got it
Pre prepared meals - Great idea. How did you reheat? Just put pan over hot grill?
Bug Spray

Anyone else?