Need gift suggestions for new boat owner.

[MichelleCarmen]

Someone I know just purchased a boat. His birthday is in a couple weeks and I''m trying to figure out a gift for him that''s boat related and not very expensive. Maybe this is lame to not spend that much, but probably something preferably under $50, but if it''s a bit more, say $75 and it''s the ultimate gift, that would be great.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks.

 

[CJ2008]

Probably really far from being an ultimate gift...and now that I think about it, maybe it doesn''t even make sense...haha But anyway, you do what you want with it.

But when our friends got a boat, and the wife''s birthday came up part of the gift was those "bags" that keeps wine cold, like this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Built-Neoprene-2-Bottle-Wine-Black/dp/B00015COUS

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 10/17/2009 5:06:18 PM
Author: CJ2008
Probably really far from being an ultimate gift...and now that I think about it, maybe it doesn''t even make sense...haha But anyway, you do what you want with it.

But when our friends got a boat, and the wife''s birthday came up part of the gift was those ''bags'' that keeps wine cold, like this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Built-Neoprene-2-Bottle-Wine-Black/dp/B00015COUS

oooh, nice! Actually this suggestion is very helpful. . .the guy is an avid beer fan and maybe I can find something that relates to that

 

[CJ2008]

oh, cool! See, that''s why I gave you the idea even though as I was typing it I thought "she''s going to think this sucks" haahahah

 

[NakedFinger]

MC- do you know what kind of boat it is?

My SO and I have a sailboat, and what we would need/want would be much different that what someone with a motorboat would want (ie: new lines, a winch, etc).

Is is a fishing boat? We have one of those too and my SO could give me a million ideas on stuff he''d like!

Let me know, we should be able to help!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

It''s a 26'' Cabin Cruiser.

 

[Tropicmaster]

As a current and long time boat owner I can tell you what the single most usefull and valuable gift would be. A membership to either Towboat USA, or Seatow. If he ever has a problem on the water and has to call for assistance ( and he will ) it can run THOUSANDS of dollars! But if he is a member of one of these it will be an inexpensive flat fee. Kinda like triple A roadside assistance on your car. A good friend of mine recently ran a battery down while fishing and is not a member of either service. He called the closest marina for help and had to pay $500 by cell phone on a credit card before they would even pull away from the dock to come help him, and got a bill for another $300 when they pulled him back to the dock. The coast guard will not respond unless there is a life threatining condition so without a service you are stuck. Not sure where you are but check both services to see which one offers the best service ( response area ) for your locality. Most places on the east coast one or the other has a better service area than the other one.

 

[NakedFinger]

Date: 10/17/2009 5:24:11 PM
Author: MC
It''s a 26'' Cabin Cruiser.

Ok then I would definitely agree with Tropicmaster on the gift tow membership. One tow and it pays for itself. A sailboat obviously wouldnt need it as much cause you can still get in, but I have been on a motorboat when the engine went and believe its not fun, AND its really expensive.

The company we had is Boat US towing (www.boatus.com). The only thing is I know you said you were looking to spend $50-75 and the memberships are usually more. Are you familiar with his marina and/or where he uses the boat? Unlimited FRESHWATER towing is only $34.00, but if you add saltwater towing it goes up to $116.

My other suggestion would be a gift card to West Marine. They have all your boating needs, and your friend could pick out whatever they want.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

The boat comes with a blow-up dingy and a second (outboard?) engine that works for that. Would a gift tow membership still be recommended since there is technically two engines to rely on?

I''m not familiar with the marina. The boat will be on salt water.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

If he''s named his boat, you can order customized towels, mats, shirts, boarding mats, etc. with his boat''s name on it-- if it''s his first boat, he''d probably *love* this type of stuff to kind of cross-pollinate the occasion, KWIM?

 

[Tropicmaster]

MC the dingy is what saves your life when something really bad happens to the big boat. It will not get him back in if something breaks down on the big boat. The dingy is also used when mooring away from your home marina. Guest slots are usually not alongside the dock, and you have to use your dingy to get back and forth to the dock.

Date: 10/18/2009 2:10:54 PM
Author: MC
The boat comes with a blow-up dingy and a second (outboard?) engine that works for that. Would a gift tow membership still be recommended since there is technically two engines to rely on?

I''m not familiar with the marina. The boat will be on salt water.

Yes the membership would still be needed.

 

[CrownJewel]

I'd suggest getting them something they wouldn't otherwise buy themselves.

I was looking through the west marine website and saw travel game sets. When I went on a sailing vacation, there was a lot of card playing, but we went through like 3 packs because they weren't exactly boat friendly. Here's a cute Scrabble set that I would love if I had a boat: Travel Scrabble

Also useful would be drink holders. We lost many good cocktails out at sea. Drink Holders

 

[KatyWI]

The tow membership is a fabulous practical idea.

Another more frivolous idea... they make small grills that attach to usually the stern of the boat. Instant cookout at sea! My friend has one and it''s one of our favorite things to do on a cruisin'' kinda day!

 

[cnspotts]

One of those little floaty things for the keys to the boat. Nothing says -------OMG------------------ faster than the keys falling into the water. DOWN DOWN DOWN they go.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 10/19/2009 9:19:34 AM
Author: KatyWI
The tow membership is a fabulous practical idea.

We already totally screwed up and on our first voyage. If not known, the new boat is my dh''s. We ran out of gas and our boat floated into a fishing net. There are "fishing rights" for certain tribes who fish on the river we were on and even with our anchor down, we drifted into one of their nets. Two guys came buy and called the net owner. We panicked thinking they didn''t get anyone on the phone, so we called the coast guard and they asked if we''d take "commerical assistance," so out of desperation, we said yes. The guy took my debit card # over the phone and then about five minutes later, the guy who owned the nets (the one who had already been called) showed up and towed us back to the marina *for free*. We did pay him for gas/time. But, the other person, even though I called only five minutes AFTER asking for the commercial assistance said he charges a flat fee and wouldn''t refund our money. I asked for a pro-rated amount but he hasn''t called back to say if they would agree to that.

Yes, screwed! We had our kids with us, too.

Thanks for the advice re: the floating key ring. We''ll get that. Also, the insurance. Instead of that, I got my DH a tackle box.

 

[Dancing Fire]

there are only two happy days being a boat owner...

the day that you bought the boat and the day that you got rid of the boat.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 11/9/2009 7:10:48 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
there are only two happy days being a boat owner...

the day that you bought the boat and the day that you got rid of the boat.

Yep, yep, . . .yep. Surprisingly the couple who sold it to us bought a bigger boat.