Sailboat Upgrades to Consider

Upgrades to consider for a cruising or club-racing sailboat. Start with what keeps people aboard and gets help on the way, then what keeps the boat sailing, then comfort. Have rigging, electrical and through-hull work done or checked by a rigger, marine electrician or surveyor, and test new gear close to home before you rely on it offshore.

Staying Aboard & Getting Help

Jacklines, harnesses and tethers. Run jacklines bow to stern on both sides, clip on from the cockpit, and use a tether short enough to keep you on deck. Inflatable PFDs with a built-in harness are comfortable enough to wear all day.
A fixed VHF radio with DSC and GPS, registered to an MMSI number, plus a waterproof handheld VHF.
AIS. A transponder lets ships see you and you see them; a receiver alone shows you the traffic.
A 406 MHz EPIRB or a personal locator beacon, registered with the Canadian Beacon Registry. On boats over 6 m, carrying one also halves the flares Transport Canada requires.
Man-overboard gear: a Lifesling or horseshoe buoy with a light, a danbuoy or MOB pole, and personal AIS or DSC beacons on crew lifejackets for night and offshore sailing.
A radar reflector, mounted at least 4 m above the water, or an active radar target enhancer.
Lifelines and stanchions checked for corrosion and loose bases, with netting if you sail with children or pets.
A liferaft serviced on schedule, if you sail offshore or far from help.

Rig, Sails & Deck

Standing rigging inspected by a rigger and replaced on age as well as condition; stainless wire is often renewed after about 10 to 15 years, sooner in salt water or after hard use.
Easy reefing. Slab reefing led to the cockpit, lazy jacks, and reef lines left rigged, so you can shorten sail early without going forward.
Roller furling for the headsail, with a sail that still sets well partly furled.
Heavy-weather sails for offshore: a storm jib and a trysail or deep third reef.
Lines led aft through clutches to self-tailing winches.
Anchoring: an oversized modern anchor, chain, a snubber, a windlass on bigger boats, and an anchor-drag alarm.

The Big 7: Marine Electrical Upgrades

The marine version of the 4×4 & RV Big 7. Boats are harder on wiring than vehicles: salt, damp and vibration corrode connections, and a fault can start a fire or sink the boat.

Separate start and house batteries, charged through an automatic charging relay or a DC-to-DC charger, so running lights and the fridge can never leave you unable to start the engine.
Marine-grade wiring. Tinned copper wire, sealed crimp terminals, heat-shrink, a fuse or breaker close to every battery, and a labelled distribution panel.
A lithium (LiFePO4) house bank with a proper battery management system. Protect the alternator with an external regulator or a DC-to-DC charger, because lithium can draw more current than a stock alternator can survive.
Solar with an MPPT controller, plus wind or water generators for longer passages.
A battery monitor with a shunt, so you know your real state of charge before night falls.
LED navigation, anchor and cabin lights. Brighter lights, a fraction of the power, and fewer flat batteries.
Safe shore power. A galvanic isolator, shore-power leakage protection, and an inspected cord and inlet. Never swim near docks with live shore power: leaking current in fresh water causes electric shock drowning.

Navigation & Weather

A chartplotter with current charts, and paper charts as a backup.
Radar for fog and night sailing.
An autopilot, so a short-handed crew can rest, eat and keep watch.
A depth sounder you trust, with a shallow-water alarm.
Weather and messaging beyond cell range: a satellite communicator for forecasts and check-ins.

Engine, Hull & Systems

Better fuel filtration: a primary filter with a vacuum gauge, so you see a clogging filter before the engine stops, and clean fuel from a tank you've had cleaned.
Seacocks you can trust. Replace corroded or gate-valve through-hulls with marine seacocks, and tie a tapered plug beside each one.
A high-capacity electric bilge pump as well as the manual pump, with a high-water alarm you can hear from the cockpit.
Propane safety: a vented locker, a solenoid shut-off and a propane detector; and a carbon monoxide alarm in the cabin.
Fire protection: an automatic extinguisher in the engine space, and extinguishers by the galley and companionway.
A dodger and bimini for shelter from spray and sun, which cuts fatigue and hypothermia on long days.

Winterization & Haul-Out

A Canadian winter can crack an engine block, split hoses and burst a water heater in one cold night. Follow your engine and equipment makers' instructions; these are the usual steps.

Engine

Change the oil and filter while the engine is warm.
Flush the raw-water side and run non-toxic (propylene glycol) antifreeze through it until it comes out the exhaust.
Check the coolant's freeze protection on a freshwater-cooled engine.
Fill the fuel tank and add stabilizer to limit condensation, or follow your maker's advice; change the fuel filters.
Remove the raw-water impeller to store it, and leave yourself a note to refit it in spring.
Outboards: flush with fresh water, drain or stabilize the fuel, fog if recommended, change the gear oil, and store upright.

Water, heads and tanks

Drain the freshwater tanks and the water heater, bypass the heater, and pump non-toxic antifreeze through every tap, shower and the head.
Pump out, flush and antifreeze the holding tank.
Exercise and grease every seacock, and drain any water trapped in strainers and fittings so it can't freeze inside.

Boat and gear

Charge the batteries fully, then disconnect them or keep them on a maintainer; store lithium batteries the way their maker recommends.
Take the sails off, rinse them with fresh water, dry them and store them flat or loosely rolled; send any for repair now.
Take home the cushions, electronics, flares, food and anything that holds water.
Have the mast inspected while it's down, or unstepped.
Check that the cradle or stands are blocked and chained, and that the boat sits evenly.
Cover it with a framed, breathable cover and leave vents open to prevent mildew.
Wintering afloat? Use a bubbler or de-icer, and check the boat after every storm and cold snap.

Spring recommissioning

Refit the impeller, check the belts and hoses, replace the anodes (zincs), and check the steering and rigging.
Check the expiry dates on your flares and the service dates on extinguishers and inflatable PFDs.
Do a full systems check at the dock before your first sail.

Before You Buy

Weigh the extra load against your boat's stability: heavy gear up high, like radar or a solar arch, changes how she sails.
Tell your insurer about major upgrades, and keep receipts and the survey.
Match new gear to Transport Canada's requirements; see the required equipment list.
Learn and practise with it before you depend on it.