Spares inventory

Having been asked "what spares do you carry then" several times, thought we should share our list with you. This is far from exhaustive and is constantly being added to. The basic premise is that we can service all the motorised thingies on board and fix likely issues without needing more parts or tools.

We also want to carry obvious spares that might be hard to locate in "off the beaten track" places That stock is slowly being built upon.

We started by using the combined wisdom of many Nordhavn owners via the internet "owners group". This is a great resource (restricted to owners only, sorry) and several folks who have been serious cruisers have shared their spares lists / spreadsheets etc.

So, what do we typically carry then. Well, all the obvious things that any motorboater ought to have starting with loads of fuel filters. If we can feed our big Lugger engine clean fuel, there is a really good chance it will keep running.  Typical dayboaters or people who have a couple of weeks on board for vacations might carry a spare oil filter too, just in case they had a problem. we carry several as during a season, we will go through oil change intervals on the genset and maybe the main engine too. We also carry a drum of engine oil to allow us to change it no matter where we might be (and an empty drum too so we can drain the old stuff out first!) like most people, we carry water pump impellers for the wing/genset too as they tend to shred at the most inopportune moments and drive belts.

What else over and above "normal" stuff then? Well lots of hydraulic oil for the stabilisers in case a hose split and one spare hose. Enough straight SAE 30 oil to change the main gearbox oil together with the associated filter. These are very expensive ZF items but using a "rip-off" or pattern part is a very bad move. They work at gearbox operating pressures and if one blows apart (as non ZF replacements have been known to do) they spray oil all around the engine room and if you are unlucky and don't catch it in time, trash your main gearbox too just for fun.

The stuff that normal weekend boaters might not carry is targeted at keeping the engine going if the worst happens. This includes a spare fuel lift pump and gasket for the main engine (and one for the genset / wing - as they have identical base engines, nearly all spares are shared), a solenoid for the main engine starter, seawater pump for the wing / genset, relays for the genset, injector and fuel line seals for the main engine (including the special tools needed to remove them), thermostats and gaskets, pressure caps etc etc.

Based on advice from the Lugger / John Deere folks who have many hours of experience with the engine, we also carry some seals (eg O rings for the gearbox oil cooler) and a couple of hoses that have been known to leak. Even better, we have their repair instructions containing all those invaluable little tips on how to do the job whilst afloat, not in a well equipped dealer workshop!

Our list continues to expand, as does the cost of stocking all the stuff of course. Luckily we inherited a "cruise kit" of spares when we bought the boat and that had many items included - even a gasket kit to allow us to do a top end overhaul on the wing / genset if we felt inclined!! Again, the thinking is that the machinery isn't terribly high tech and so getting the parts is usually harder than performing the repair. If you cannot do it yourself, then a good mechanic who isn't a Lugger / John Deere expert could do so as long as you have the bits available.