Top 5 last-minute Christmas gift ideas for boaters

While there's no way you can order online today and have the gift delivered, postal delays give you the perfect excuse to say the present is in the mail.

But what sort of gift do you give the boating enthusiast? You know, one that shows you've put a lot of thought into what to get them, even if you did think of it too late to have the gift wrapped and under the Christmas tree?

Here is the boatsales.com.au guide to what we reckon would make a pretty good Christmas gift, even if it arrives well after the occasion. After all, it's the thought that counts, right?

If someone you know has just bought a boat, then helping them fit it out with fishing gear is a good way to start off their adventures.

Frogleys Offshore is an Australian owned and operated business that specialises in fishing, making a range of fishing gear including some of the hottest fishing rods on the market, and all the gear you need including lures.

For Christmas, you can order online, with the Frogleys Offshore Summer Bucket an excellent choice for anyone starting out with fishing.

The bucket includes a sturdy 20-litre bucket with its own lid – ideal for attaching to a lanyard in the boat so it can be used as a bailing bucket.

Inside the bucket, though, is around $140 worth of gear including a 7.0-inch Kershaw filleting knife, packs of different-sized Gamakatsu Octopus hooks, a hat and stickers.

However, buy the pack and you get all this for just $49.95.

Visit https://frogleysoffshore.com.au/

Christmas drinks on the poop deck are no fun if you’re stuck in the marina. That’s why pointing the nose of the boat out to sea to find far-flung anchorages and experiences is a key part of boat ownership.

The problem is knowing where to go, and how to get there. Not to mention what to expect once you’re there. It’s where books such as The Ultimate Boating Guide to NSW: Short Stays and Long Weekends come to the fore.

Author Fiona Harper has scoured the NSW coast to identify some of the choicest anchorages and the facilities on offer at each one so the choice of anchorage for the night can be more considered than accidental.

Boating Guide to NSW: Short Stays and Long Weekends, costs $34.99 and is available from all good book retailers or online via www.newhollandpublishers.com.

Roadside assistance programs are readily available for cars, but out on the water it’s a different story.

One of the biggest things you can do to show a boater how much you appreciate having them around is by ensuring that if they get in trouble out on the water, they won’t be alone.

The Australian Volunteer Coast Guard offers Marine Assist to boaters in Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory that offers them 24 hours per day marine rescue assistance by Coast Guard for all emergency and breakdown situations.

If you’re outside of these regions, you can nominate for the membership fee to be distributed to the coast guard flotilla of your choice.

The $50 subscription is tied in with the coast guard’s TripWatch smartphone app that allows skippers to log on and off electronically, so they don’t have to physically make a call to the local coast guard station each time they head out or in.

You may even get a sticker to put on your vehicle to indicate you’ve tipped in to help keep the Coast Guard on the water.

Visit https://coastguard.com.au/marine-assist/ for more information.

Stormy is a family-owned Tasmanian company that makes marine safety gear including lifejackets.

Late this year it expanded its range with a new-look pink version of its 150N lifejacket. But these are more than just life jackets as they’re integrated into full outer wear so that if the weather goes bad, you don’t need to put a lifejacket on over the top of your wet weather gear.

The Stormy 150N lifejacket will inflate as soon as you hit the water, and at 180N its flotation rating is higher than the standard to which it was built.

The jacket also has add-on features such as a harness, the choice of a built-in personal locator beacon or a more sophisticated one with in-built DCS, and a water-activated strobe light.

You can even personalise it with embroidery.

The Stormy 150N lifejacket is priced from $440 and can be ordered online from https://www.stormylifejackets.com.au/product/stormy-life-jacket-pink-180n/

Smartphones are an important part of boating. Not only are they used to stream music and capture happy snaps, but the devices are used for everything from helping with navigation to calling in for help if you get into trouble out on the water.

ROKK is a brand that makes durable smartphone chargers for marine environments, and one of its products is a tough, waterproof wireless charger.

Boasting a small footprint – mounting it takes up almost no space on the dash – the rig is designed to hold a smartphone tightly in a cradle as the device sucks in electrons to top up its charge.

Its universal mounting means your phone will still work with the system even if it is inside its own protective waterproof casing. If you use your smartphone to integrate with your outboard engine, like with Mercury's VesselView, the convenience of having your phone mounted and charging is invaluable.

Pricing is from $225. For more information visit https://www.mercurymarine.com/en-gb/au/land/anzp---rokk-wireless/