Holiday time is upon us and gift ideas are like gold. If there’s a boater on your gift list, we’ve polled our staff and vendors for gifts that he or she will love!
Kelvin K36 Multi Tool
Billed as an urban tool kit, we think the Kelvin 36 is a perfect on-board accessory for quick fixes without dragging out the complete tool kit. Kelvin managed to pack 36 of the most commonly used tools and features into a compact, rugged, and stylish design that fits in the palm of your hand. The cast aluminum body, and rubber touch handle are ergonomically integrated to act tough and feel good. $66 at Amazon.
Blenders Floating Sunglasses
How many times does a boater lose sunglasses into the water? If you know the answer, then here’s a perfect gift! Check out the Blenders Floating Sunglasses lineup. They’re stylish, lightweight and, most importantly, they float, so lost shades are a thing of the past. Available in a variety of polarized colors and styles. $49 at Blenders.
Your Favorite Harbor in 3D
3D nautical wood maps make the perfect home and office décor. These bathymetric, wood-carved maps are cut to show both an artistic and accurate depiction of a wide variety of locations and terrains. From the east coast to the west coast and beyond, you can find framed, high quality topographic wall maps by Carved Lake Art from $168.
Coastal 400C 7 x 50 Waterproof Binoculars
Rubber-armored and nitrogen-filled to stop internal fogging and designed with the ideal optical dimensions for marine use, these binocs should be at every helm. A lighted compass and range markings enable easy directions and distance to targets, like approaching boats or dangerous snags. $399.99 at West Marine or [email protected] (shop local)
Aqua Lily Pads
Buoyant, rugged foam, on-water portable floating islands where you can rest, kick-back, tan or use for staging a countless number of your favorite water activities. Various models are able to float 900 – 1,600 pounds of distributed weight. When you’re done for the day, just roll-up your pad into a compact tube and secure with the handy hook and loop straps. From $336 at Aqua Lilly Pad
Garmin InReach GPS/Satellite Communicator
Give your favorite boater some added safety for the next excursion. This handheld GPS is pre-loaded with maps and a satellite subscription capable of sending brief messages or an SOS to a 24/7 rescue center to call in the troops in case of an emergency. Link it to your phone to download U.S. NOAA charts or aerial maps. $540 at Amazon.
The 2020 Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book
The yellow Eldridge book has been “the most trusted guide for East Coast waters since 1875.” Filled with information about tides, currents, navigation and nautical history, this is both an on-board resource and a good read. $19.95 from [email protected] (shop local)
Aqua-Vu Micro Stealth 4.3 Camera
Call it your eyes underwater. Did you drop something overboard? Lower this into the water to find it—or fish. Three infrared illuminators reveal fish, gear or anything else you want to see in the darkest water without getting wet. The camera image is displayed on the compact 4.3-inch LCD screen, and the camera cable is marked in 1-foot increments to 50 feet. It runs for six hours on a charge. $279 at Amazon and many other sporting goods retailers.
Your Boat as a Work of Art
How about turning your favorite boat photo into a work of canvas art? From 8X10″ to 36X36″, framed or gallery wrapped. Simply upload your image and watch the magic happen all online. Previewing your canvas is quick and easy. Once you’re finished, place your order and wait for it to arrive at your door step. At GreatBigCanvas from about $45.
Boaters’ Lifting Magnet
Drop your keys, glasses or other items overboard and you might be able to retrieve them with this powerful magnet from Allied. Also fun to use for magnet-fishing, where you never know what you will “catch,” it lifts up to 110 pounds of ferrous metals. It’s PVC-coated to resist chips and corrosion. The bright yellow color makes it easy to keep an eye on, even in murky water. $26.99 at West Marine or [email protected] (shop local)
Icom Handheld VHF Radio
The M37 marine VHF handheld delivers a powerful 6 watts RF output power, has 700 mW loud audio output, AquaQuake which uses vibration to clear water from the speaker, IP57 dust-protection and submersible waterproof rating, 2350mAh li-ion battery pack which will provide longer-lasting operation, Float n’ Flash technology to help locate if radio is dropped in water, plus channel history function which stores the last five channels used for quick and easy recall.
$200 at West Marine or [email protected] (shop local)
Weego Jump Starter 44S Portable Charger
Never be stuck offshore with a dead battery again. This Weego portable charger jump-starts gas engines up to 7L, as well as 3.5L diesel engines. No bigger than most cell phones, you can also use it to charge all your portable electronics devices. $93 at myweego.com.
