The Christmas holidays are here, and with them the question millions of us ask ourselves: "What gift should I give?".
Fortunately, Bateaux.com helps you in the selection of these gifts, for the one who sails and whom you know. Friend of the port as well as friend of the shipyard, the whole editorial staff has concocted the best choice for you. And why not, just for you too?
Multifunction knife
It has become the ideal tool on board. Whether you need to remove the shackle from the anchor's rod or to open a bottle of soda, it must be reliable, corrosion resistant and be sold with a pouch. Ideally, it will be equipped with a ring to attach a strap to avoid losing it.
As in all things, you will find Asian products at 10 euros as well as professional equipment at 500 euros. Each need defines its budget, and each budget its quality.
Wichard Marine offers us a versatile and practical knife. It includes a shredder, a splicer and a bottle opener. Its color makes it visible effectively by day. And the phosphorescent coating of this knife makes it almost visible at night. The quality of Wichard blades is well known, and this knife will be very useful on board. The stainless steel blade is 8 cm long. With quality at the rendezvous!
Any regrets? Why didn't you make it a floating knife?
Price : 40 to 50 euros to order here
- Leatherman SURGE Multifunction Pliers 21 tools
Without question, Leatherman is THE reference in multi-tool pliers. Although not strictly speaking designed for boating, this multi-tool combo will meet most of our needs with the quality we know from the brand. Equipped with 21 tools, from pliers to saws.
One regret? No corkscrew
Price: 164.90 euros, including case on sale here
Portable VHF
We hesitated. Is the portable VHF a tool on board or a safety equipment? Concretely, both, but a choice had to be made. To be eligible for this page, this radio must be buoyant and waterproof, have a good standby time, be equipped with a belt clip and, ideally, be able to be attached with a strap. Finally, it must be as discreet as possible. This portable VHF could even be very useful when you want to communicate from outside the boat with the wardroom without having to shout.
- Navicom RT411 in pack
Navicom offers us, for a minimal price, a pack that includes all the necessary elements to equip yourself with a portable VHF. Sold with a strap, a 12V cigarette lighter power supply, a micro-headset and a 220V charger. The RT411 remains one of the best-sellers of the brand. This portable VHF has 8 hours of autonomy, weighs 580 grams. It is equipped with a flash that triggers automatically in case of immersion. Finally, it is waterproof IPX6 and floating. On the side of the functionalities, we will note the double and triple watch (channel 16 included) and the possibility of low power emission (1 W).
One regret? The battery cannot be replaced by batteries in case of complete discharge.
Price : 150 euros on sale here
- ICOM ICM93D
Is it necessary to present Icom? The reference brand in radio communication equipment offers us, this time again, a portable VHF that has everything of a fixed! With 9 hours of autonomy, this radio will find its place on your belt to maneuver and work safely. In case of a fall in the water, it has a MOB button that will trigger an eponymous alert to the rescue services. Because this equipment also embeds a GPS and DSC functions that will allow the rescue services to know your precise position in case of a fall in the water while solo. Obviously, this VHF is equipped with a flashing light that will be triggered once it has been submerged, to find it and, above all, as an additional safety element for the boater who has fallen overboard.
A regret? The battery can not be replaced by batteries in case of complete discharge, as it was the case in previous models of the brand, such as the IC-M35
Price : 380 euros
Headlamp
Hands busy pulling up fenders, curling a tip or nose under the engine hood. Move around the deck using both hands to keep your balance. Just like a portable VHF, the headlamp could be part of the mandatory safety equipment. For us, the ideal headlamp should have at least 2 levels of luminosity, be rechargeable or run on batteries, and not weigh too much. Of course, it must be bright enough to move safely.
- Decathlon TREK 900 USB
Don't be put off by the image of the Decathlon brand. The lamp that we propose here has what it takes to compete with the best. It offers no less than 6 lighting modes, a 1800mA h Lithium-ion battery rechargeable via USB. The battery can be replaced by batteries to extend its life if necessary. Ultra light, the Trek 900 lamp weighs only 99 grams. Supplied with a battery and a recharge cable, this lamp has an autonomy of 20 hours in economic mode!
One regret? No float on the headband.
- Petzl REACTIK +
Petzl is the reference brand in outdoor equipment. So it's not surprising to find the brand in the register of headlamps. For our water activities. The Reactik + offers a multitude of possibilities. This headlamp provides 300 Lumens of illumination (theoretical range of 110 m). It allows a modulation of the lighting according to 4 modes and 1 red led. With an autonomy of 10 hours, the Reactik + will be forgotten, thanks to its weight (115 g only) and the comfort of the headband. It is supplied with a Lithium battery and can work with batteries. Finally, for the recharge, this lamp is delivered with a 30 cm USB cable.
One regret? No float on the headband to easily retrieve the lamp in case of a fall in the water
Price: 99,90 euros on sale here
Binoculars
Binoculars are the ideal complementary accessory at sea. Whether you want to observe cetaceans at play or a fire at sea, it is important that these binoculars are waterproof, resistant to the severe treatments that will be inflicted on them on board and easy to use so that they are a reliable and indispensable tool in everyday life. If the binoculars are stabilized, it's even better. Indeed, on a boat, movements can make observation complicated, which limits the possible magnification on board.
- Orangemarine 7 x 50 with compass
Economical, these binoculars will be a good first accessory. These binoculars are anti-fog treated (inert gas). Equipped with a magnetic compass with liquid damping. Of course, these binoculars are waterproof.
One regret? The mechanical design of these binoculars gives them a delicate appearance.
Price: 99,99 euros on sale here
- Steiner Navigator Pro 7X50 Compass
Steiner, the must have binoculars. This model includes a bearing compass, an essential accessory for locating you at sea in relation to a sea wall. Waterproof to 5 meters, these binoculars are filled with nitrogen to eliminate the risk of fogging. The compass on board these optics is stabilized for easy reading. Last but not least, they are guaranteed for 10 years.
One regret? The floating belt is optional.
MOB Bracelet
M O B. These 3 letters alone mean an immediate emergency. A Man Over Board is the most critical situation at sea. Until now, at best a crew member would notice the fall, at worst, the boat would slip away and it was only later, too late most of the time, that the accident was known. Today, technology makes it possible to warn of the fall of a crew member or the pilot. To be effective and useful, such a bracelet must not require any action to signal the fall. It must send back a signal when its batteries are exhausted.
- The Seatags MOB
The reference model without doubt. It works simultaneously by losing connectivity between the bracelet and the control device (your mobile or tablet), and in case of immersion of the bracelet. In both cases, it triggers an alarm on the phone while the time and position of the event are recorded in the "SeaTags" application. Two operating modes are available, "Crew" which does not require GSM network coverage and will contain alerts only to devices on board the boat. The "Solo" mode will alert, by SMS, a person on land of the incident. Note that Seatags uses the Bluetooth protocol to maintain and test the connectivity between the elements, so it will not work on steel or carbon boats. In terms of size, it is limited, for these protocol reasons, to boats measuring less than 15 meters in length.
A regret? You have to consult the application to be informed of the discharge of the battery of a bracelet.
Out of competition
Out of this list of bracelets, the MOB + which couples a fall overboard alert bracelet to a circuit breaker. Thus, in case the wearer of the "master" bracelet falls into the water, not only will all the crew on board be alerted, but also the boat's motorization will be stopped. Ideal for solo or crewed sailing on a motorboat. Indeed, what attracts more attention than a boat that suddenly cuts the propulsion?
One regret? The need to add an equipment, our modern boats would deserve to be proposed in series of such a system.
