Top 10 Tuesdays: Top 10 Most Used Items on Our Boat

At least two of our "Top Ten" items are in this photo!

People seem to really enjoy our Top Ten Tuesday segment so I am going to go with it until I run out of Top Ten ideas!  Today we explore the Top Ten items we use on our boat - these are items that we use every. single. day.  Enjoy!

1. Absorber Chamois.  If you have a boat and do not have this product you are missing out.  It is the best product I have found for for sopping up spills, cleaning windows, wiping down the dinghy, drying up the cockpit after a squall and everything in between!  ShamWow, move over - this thing actually CAN absorb a liter of soda (I drank the ShamWow kool aid during one particularly persuasive infomercial and bought some - do not waste your money!)
2. Dry bags.  We have several of these.  One that is perfect for every day use and just large enough to hold a wallet, my camera, sunglasses and a bottle of sunscreen...etc. and two others that are 50 liters each which we use when we go grocery shopping.  Living on a boat is wet - especially if you dinghy to and from shore during a squall or in heavy chop.  Keep your stuff dry with these.  We love them.
3. Cockpit Table.  Our cockpit is like our living room and having a versatile cockpit table has made life just a little more easier.  Not only does it fold up - it can fold out to accomodate four or more.  In addition, it has fiddles (rails along the side so dishes and cups don't slide off) which I would say are essential on a useful cockpit table.  Eating dinner while watching a sunset is much nicer on deck than down below!
4. Simple Green.  I am a bit of a neat freak.  I like my living spaces clean and tidy.  Simple Green is my every day, all purpose cleaner.  Not only does it clean, but it's "green" and smells great to boot!
5. Bungee Chords.  Please do NOT be that boat in the anchorage with the clanging halyards.  Nothing will make you unpopular faster than a halyard banging against your mast all night long.  All you need is a bungee chord and you can pull that halyard off to a shroud and voila, no noise!, yes - it is that simple!  We probably have 50 bungees and use them for everything from lashing our jerry cans to the deck to securing our fishing tackle to the radar arch to holding up our engine compartment doors when we're in there working.
6. Boat Hook(s).  We have two (they are essential enough that we feel a back up was handy).  I use one whenever we pull up anchor to guide the chain into the locker smoothly and to push down chain piles to avoid a jam.  We also use them to get ahold of mooring balls and, of course, to retrieve anything that might fall into the water!
7. Side Swim Ladder.  I was originally hesitant about spending the money on this (since we already have a ladder off the back) and now I am SO thankful we did.  We don't have a swim platform on our boat and when our dinghy is hanging on the davits we cannot get in and out of our boat.  If we are just passing through somewhere and still want to take a swim, we put the ladder over the side and jump in! 
8. Nalgene Water Bottles.  Staying hydrated (especially in the southern Caribbean where it is HOT, HOT, HOT) is key - we use these instead of cups or disposable water bottles.  They are a great size and fit perfectly in our cockpit table drink holders!
9. Bins.  One of the best things we did before we left was empty out all the compartments of our boat and fill each and every one with bins of various sizes.  Not only does it help keep things organized (we have a 'safety' bin, a 'watermaker spares' bin, and 'engine spares' bin and so on) they ensure everything will stay nice and dry if water does find it's way through our deck.  We are, literally, a floating container store.  I love bins!
10. Fans.  Have I mentioned how hot it is down in Grenada right now?  Super hot.  Like, wake up and you are already sweating hot.  Fans are essential to a cruising boat in the Caribbean and we have six.  Two in the v-berth, two in the main salon, and two in the aft cabin.  They are going strong all. day. long.

So there you have it!  There are certainly more items that are very useful - but these are a sampling of our most useful every day items!  What items do you find essential to your every day living?