Of the gifts that you can get sailors, there are some gifts that are great because of their utility. Others are just nice to have and so I will just make light recommendations without respect to brands. I am writing this Christmas Eve, but you can imagine these could be good for birthdays or other holidays. Also, some ofthese gifts can be given multiple times because they either wear out, fall into the ocean, or maybe doubling up provides a back up or stuff useful to the partner of your favorite sailor, like a wife, husband, kid, crewmember, etc.
Here are some items that are great gifts. I am going to assume that your sailboat(or motorboat for that matter) is less than 7 meters (just shy of 23 feet) and is typically used for a Day Sail. Now keep in mind, these gifts are also great for larger boats too. Larger boats that have a place to sleep, a stove for cooking can benefit from additional things.
Ok, here is my list
Small Boats 7m (23 ft) or less – no engine, Day Sails
USCG Required Equipment – see the USCG site for more details
- Airhorn, Mini or Full sized – check prices
- Whistle – Amazon sells these for under $10
- PFD – USCG approved and worn for compliance – here you can get a cheap orange type 1 for about $100. The foam ones for rafting or paddle-boarding may be sufficient for people who are sailing close to shore. If you want something more fancy like a type 5 ($200-$300) that has the more compact but inflatable canister that self-inflates when submerged in water. Extra PFDs are good for guests. These can get moldy depending on storage and use so replacing them can be good. Also consider getting OFFSHORE D Rings because they can help secure the skipper with a tether. PFDs are specific for body weight and size, so make sure the fit is good before someone starts using it. Kid sizes are available too. See above USGC site for more on PFDs. If this sounds too complicated…get a gift card.
- Type 4 – Floating square
- Orange Distress Flag (Black Square over Black Circle)
- Flashlight (known as a torch by some) – the ones that focus the beam and change to spread out the beam are the best – see if it floats and if it’s waterproof
- Sailing classes – they provide the boat and instructor
Not USCG Required but definitely nice to have!
- Waterproof Backpack or sailing bag – See Skog-A-Kust
- Plastimo hand bearing compass – not cheap, but durable and easy to read
- VHF Handheld Radio (Mine is a Standard Horizon HX890 DSC) – expensive but lots of features for navigation, panic button to summon Coast Guard, Navigation too!
- Rope – 50 feet of 3/8″ polyester is good for most situations – throw line, dock line, spare halyard, MOB recovery, lots of uses
- Knife – bosun knife – folding or nonfolding for cutting things loose in an emergency
- Multitool like a Leatherman
- Thermal Coffee mug
- Water bottle – reusable – 750ml to 1 Liter is good , buy more if you like!
- Gloves ($15-$20 at Home Depot) – fingerless gloves for bring in lines
- Gift cards – Home Depot for gloves, flashlights, rope, cleaning supplies (you could make a cleaning kit with a small sturdy bucket that doubles as a bailer), Weems and Plath for navigation stuff, ASA for books, cups and other merch, Amazon.com – lots there
- Books on Sailing: www.asa.com, Annapolis Book of Seamanship,
- Audiobooks – Sailing a Serious Ocean by John Kretchmer, or Joshua Slocum, o
- Snack bars
- Anti- nausea meds – either go old school dramamine or you can splurge and go for a wrist watch device that stimulates the vagus nerve
- Shoes – docksiders or
- Light windbreaker
- Coat – waterproof jacket for cold weather
- a warm hat
- a wide brim hat
- sun protection – i recommend Zinc Oxide or
- a Buff for protecting your neck
- Shackles – Stainless steel shackles (extras in case stuff breaks)
- Cotter pins and cotter rings (same – breakage happens)
- electrical tape – blocks pointy things, and good for wires if you have navigation lights or other lights onboard
- first aid kit – you can make a nice one yourself – but bandaids, antibiotic cream, surgical tape, large square patches, and large bandaid strips,
- Duct tape
- NiteIze Carabiner S hooks that are Stainless Steel – remember metal rusts fast on boats so go with stainless steel
- Anchor* – can be a small mushroom anchor or like this one which has a great design and light weight. This could be overkill for people who are just going for a day sail. For 20′ depth, you will need chain(the same length of the boat) and then about 80-100′ of rope(maybe nylon braided) to give you the correct amount of rode for a good hold.
- Emergency throw rope and bag – in case you need to throw a line a long distance
- Boat hook – oh man, rescue an MOB or COB, grab something out of the water
- Paddles in case the wind dies
- Binoculars – small but powerful
- Sunglasses
- Watch – waterproof and shock proof
- Membership to BoatUS or SEATOW. I have BoatUS Gold membership and these guys have been great to me.
- Fenders – rubber bumpers to protect the boat sides from damage – these are expensive too! But maybe you can find them with a durable foam instead of the rubber cylinders which are more traditional but more expensive.
- Printed Maps of the areas they like sailing or want to sail (can be as low as $20 if you plan ahead – the Mapshop has cheap maps for around $25 if you just go for the basic variety – splurge and get some mechanical pencils too so they can write on the maps and plot their next adventure! Maybe get a cool map of Hawaii or Bora Bora to stimulate the imagination!
- Marine Sanitation Device(MSD – aka toilet aka “the head”)
- MSD Placard
- Toilet Chemicals
- Marine Grade Toilet Paper
- Rubber Gloves
Outboard Motor?
- Giftcard for gas or oil
- Torquedo – electric motor
- Killswitch key (extras are helpful)
- Spill kit – Absorbant fuel diapers, gloves, garbage bags
- USCG placards (Oil Pollution and Garbage to be in compliance – see the USCG site for more details
- Fire extinguisher – see the USCG site for more details
Bigger Boats? All of the above could be good and since you probably have a kitchen and births for sleeping, you can consider some other good things to have
- Other USCG Required stuff: Navigation Rules, Placards fro Oil or Garbage, MSD Marine Sanitation Device(if installed), Fire Extinguisher
- Flares (these expire and need to be replaced once in a while)
- Tool box and tools – probably can’t get stainless steel if you can so the tools don’t rust
- Camping Gas – Green Containers – good backup
- Distance estimator
- Anchor and Rode replacement (things rust and need replacement)