What should you take for a day on the boat?
Short answer: 24 items, from anchor and enough rope/chain through to waterproof phone pouch. The complete Day on the Boat checklist is written out below — and the exact same 24 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Day on the Boat checklist — all 24 items
- Anchor and enough rope/chain
- Bailer or bilge pump check
- Chilly bin with food and drinks
- Drinking water, more than expected
- Fenders and lines for docking
- First aid kit
- Fuel — filled and a reserve if possible
- Hat that ties on or has a strap
- Ice
- Life jackets for everyone aboard
- Marine forecast checked before leaving
- Registration and safety gear check done before leaving the ramp
- Rubbish bag (nothing goes overboard)
- Seasickness tablets
- Spare kill-cord / lanyard for the motor
- Spare set of keys, not left in the ignition alone
- Sunblock, reapplied not just once
- Sunglasses with a retainer strap
- Tool kit for basic engine fixes
- Torch
- Tow rope
- VHF radio or fully charged phone in a waterproof case
- Warm layer for the trip home when the sun drops
- Waterproof phone pouch
On the water, 'we forgot it' has no fix — no dairy, no borrowing from the neighbours, just a boat full of people and whatever made it aboard at the ramp. Sunscreen, drinking water, the spare kill-cord: small items, day-defining consequences.
This is the full day-boat load-out: safety gear and lifejackets checked, fuel and the pre-launch boat checks, food and water for everyone aboard, sun protection, the waterproof phone pouch, and a warm layer for the trip home. Run the list at the ramp before you back the trailer down — it's the cheapest insurance in boating.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "lifejackets" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should you take for a day on the boat?
You need 24 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from anchor and enough rope/chain through to waterproof phone pouch — and the same 24 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=day%20on%20the%20boat opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Day on the Boat list (24 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.