The majority of our summer is spent cruising and anchoring around Georgian Bay and like most boaters we are always on the lookout for ways to improve and/or extend our onboard living.

Here is a list of our top 10 additions from the 2024 season that made our boating life better! From the bridge to the galley, anchoring and prop protection, these are what made our life on board a little easier and in some cases helped us sleep better at night:

1. Omni Max USB Rechargeable fan from Home Hardware $30 (in 2024): this was a winner, especially for the bedroom when those hot summer nights set in! With 3 speeds, bendable legs and a hook, this fan is easily positioned anywhere and when charged will run on low for about 16 hours, and quietly! We keep one on the bridge and one in the cabin. Added bonus: on high it keeps those pesky ankle biters away during the day!

2. Underwater Camera and Extension stick: For solving underwater dilemmas like this: last June while anchored at Franklin Island we returned from a long dinghy trip to find our boat had walked over the anchor ball and caught the line in her props! In order to assess and remedy this we would have to swim down in the 65 degree water with a knife and try to cut away the line. However using our underwater camera on an extension stick I was able to film the props and we could see exactly what was going on. My husband went down into the engine room and manually turned one of the props enough to release some of the line so I could grab and remove it with the pike pole, alleviating worries of a cold water heart attack! These cameras come in very useful when investigating the most common underwater issues and are also great to have when visiting some of the shipwrecks around the Bay.

3. Prop Guard for the dinghy: we take George (our dinghy) into some very strange and uncharted places, often the water can get so dark it becomes hard to see obstacles before it’s too late. And so we decided to give this a try although we were a little concerned about its effect on our operation. However it’s been an amazing addition and has better stabilized our ride as George is a little over powered for his size. Also a safety factor here – less chance for the prop to come in contact with any human limbs.

4. Anchoring: between our anchor and chain we installed 5 chain links and a swivel head. This helps prevent the chain from twisting and also alleviates some tension on the anchor as we swing.

5. Starlink with Inverter: yes, we finally made the move and couldn’t be happier. We have mounted the dish inside our bridge and have had phenomenal internet everywhere on the Bay and while underway. As I work remotely and need reliable service this was a great addition. And some days it’s nice to have the option of streaming a movie as we are on our boat pretty much 24/7 from June until October.

6. Solar System: we now have 4 panels attached to our bimini top. The system comes with an easy to use app plus we decided to increase the standard 4 earth magnets to 6 per panel as we like to travel at 28 knots when crossing the Bay.

Onboard we have a fridge/freezer plus bar fridge to power and have been extremely happy with the results – we are able to make ice in our freezer on day 5 at anchor and have eliminated hours of generator time! If you love to stay at anchor and are considering a solar system, I highly recommend it!

7. HD Swiffer Dusters with the Extendable Handle: I found these are perfect for picking up pollen and dust from inside the bridge and boat – they trap the pollen, rather than spread it. Once a duster gets old, I use it to brush away the spiders at night.

8. Herb and Lettuce Gardens : For a few seasons now I have had great success with my gardens – the plants thrive on a diet of Georgian Bay sweet water and sunshine, but then who could blame them! The herbs add flavour to all dishes, especially fish, and the lettuce comes in very handy when reaching week 3 of an extended cruise and when fresh produce is hard to find. And let’s not forget the cocktails! Muddled rosemary, sprigs of mint, or a leaf of basil will take your cocktail hour to the next level!

9. Toastwave: We replaced our built-in Carousel microwave with a Galanz Toastwave which can microwave, convection bake, air fry and broil plus is quite user friendly! When it’s pouring rain and we don’t wish to barbecue, this comes in very handy!

10. Marriage Saver Headset (“My Team Talks”): It took me a while to get the hang of these, in fact for the first little while I called these the “Marriage Enders”! You definitely need to set boundaries on the amount and levels of communication with your spouse when using these as every word said or mumbled is heard. But after a few weeks of practice we found them to be a big help when docking and anchoring. Yes, we still trade the occasional “F bomb” but those are becoming less and less (sort of…LOL!).

Hopefully you picked up a new idea or two from my list. When it comes to transforming our boats into comfortable spaces I find us boaters tend to be quite innovative and creative. It’s always best to keep things simple but the right equipment and keeping it properly maintained goes a long way towards making for an enjoyable boating season!

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