Updated on November 21st, 2022
Making your first trip on the Intracoastal Waterway can be a bit overwhelming, especially when it comes to knowing what you might need to bring with you to make it a successful trip. You could certainly outfit your boat with all the latest gadgets and gizmos but it would cost a pretty penny, so we’ve boiled our Intracoastal Waterway gear list down to essential, nice to have, and splurges.
Disclaimer: In the interest of transparency, please be aware that this post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links may result in a small commission for us at no cost to you.
Essential Intracoastal Waterway Gear
Binoculars
A good set of binoculars is a must on the Intracoastal Waterway. Being able to spot aids to navigation, potential hazards and other boats is important for both safety and peace of mind. We have this Steiner model and they are great, but there are plenty of other options.
Polarized Sunglasses
The glare off the water can make it really challenging to see, especially if you are southbound in the fall. The sun is always in your eyes and protecting them with polarized sunglasses is important. Andy sports a pair of prescription sunglasses while Gwen rocks cheap Knockaround polarized sunglasses because she loses a pair about once a month.
Bug Spray
There is nothing that can ruin a cruise quite like itchy bug bites. Gwen is especially prone to being eaten by these annoying pests. Mosquitos and no-see-ums are very common on the ICW, especially in the salt marsh areas of South Carolina and Georgia, and the swamps of North Carolina. We carry two types of bug spray onboard:
- No Natz: This is a great DEET-free option that isn’t super stinky and doesn’t leave you feeling sticky. The only problem is it doesn’t last very long. You’ll need to re-apply every 1-2 hours for it to be really effective. We use this mostly for travel days where we will have the breeze helping to combat the bugs.
- Bens Bug Spray: Bens is very effective but it smells awful and will legit peel the finish off your sunglasses and the screen printing off your shirt but the bugs won’t come anywhere near you. We use this only on days that we spend hiking in the woods or in areas with a lot of ticks. On the ICW, this means Cumberland Island and the other Georgia Barrier Islands.
Depth Sounder
A depth sounder probably won’t keep you from running aground, but it does let you know which way depths are trending and when you are getting close! On the ICW we primarily use our depth sounder to let us know when we should slow down to avoid a hard grounding. When we see less than 7 feet of water we slow down, and less than 6 feet means we are idling. The slower you go the less damage you are likely to do if you are to run aground.
Head Lamps
Travel on the Intracoastal Water can mean super early mornings and late evenings. A good, rechargeable headlamp that has a red light function is super helpful. We have been abusing these Black Diamond Revolt headlamps for over two years and while the bands are a little stretched out they still function perfectly and I love that they have a “memory” of their last setting, so you can set them for red light ahead of time and not be blinded!
Aquamap with USACE Survey Data
We consider the Aquamap App with the US Army Corp of Engineers Survey Data upgrade an essential piece of gear for the ICW. The surveys are some of the most up-to-date data on depths available and to be able to overlay them on the charts makes navigation on the ICW a breeze. The app is also very easy to load the Bob423 tracks onto for those trickier shoaling areas. We talk more about the Aquamap features we like in our ICW Navigation and Weather Video on Youtube.
Engine Maintenance Spares
You’ll be doing a lot of motoring on the Intracoastal Waterway which means that you will need to be doing the routine maintenance that keeps an engine in tip-top shape. Oil Changes, impeller changes, and fuel filter changes all require specific parts to be completed. Keeping a few of each type of filter as well as the fluids required should be high on your must-have list.
Weather App(s)
Finding a weather app you like can be a bit of a process, but we have found several that are great for Intracoastal Waterway travel.
- Windy.app: Great for point forecasts and comparing multiple models.
- Predict Wind: Great wind visuals and the higher subscriptions include tools for planning offshore hops. Also great for comparing multiple models.
- NOAA Forecasts: These regional forecasts are a great tool, and also give good information about wave heights and storm predictions.
- MyRadar: This is our favorite radar app and we love all the layers you can add to see severe storm predictions and alerts. It also does a good job of warning when rain is a few minutes away if you turn on notifications.
Convertible Gloves
Even if you aren’t planning on leaving as late in the fall as we seem to every year, mornings on the ICW can be chilly. Add to that wind chill and fingers can get downright frozen. A pair of gloves that allow you to keep warm and have nimble fingers when necessary is essential. Gwen loves these Convertible C9 Champion ones, and Andy prefers a pair of fingerless work gloves.
Foul and Cold Weather Gear
In the Fall it can be pretty cold on the Intracoastal Waterway and in the Spring there can be a lot of pop-up showers. Having rain and cold weather gear is a must. Not just jackets. Waterproof pants will make a rainy day a lot more comfortable when you aren’t having to sit in a puddle in the cockpit. Some of you may be thinking that you have interior helm stations so why worry? You (or potential someone you love) will still need to go outside to anchor or dock!
Snacks
Days can be long and sometimes stressful. Stressful situations are always made worse by being hungry and we know here on Acadia that being hangry is a real problem on a boat! Make sure you have lunch and snacks available during the day. For us, many a “miscommunication” probably could have been avoided with a granola bar.
VHF at the Helm (Handheld or RAM Mic)
You’ll likely spend a lot more time on the VHF than you are used to on the Intracoastal Waterway. If you have a sailboat there is only a 50/50 chance that you have a mounted VHF in your cockpit. When we bought Acadia, the only radio was at the nav station and we thought “we can totally use a handheld VHF on the ICW!” Flashforward to 200 miles of ICW later and we picked up our RAM mic setup while in Beaufort, NC. Handhelds are notoriously unreliable. Batteries die quickly, and the broadcast and receiving power is abysmal. It only took the battery dying and the exact wrong moment in Norfolk when a navy patrol boat was hailing us for us to realize we needed something more reliable. That being said, handhelds will do the trick if you’re on a budget but just be aware of their pitfalls
Sunscreen and UV Protection
It’s easy to forget on overcast or chilly days that the sun is still out there and can be causing serious damage to your skin! Be sure you are covering up with good sunscreen or UV-protecting clothing. Wide-brim hats are also a great way to keep the sun off your face and neck. Please consider using reef-safe sunscreen even if you are not swimming, when we shower on our boats, everything we use goes into the ocean!
Knowing Your “Rules of the Road”
This isn’t so much gear as it is knowledge but if you still have to think about which boat is the stand-on vessel, or what sound signal means a port pass, we would highly recommend a refresher of the rules of the road. There are also these quick reference cards available!
A Way to Plan Your Days
While traveling on the ICW, you are gathering information from multiple sources and we’ve found it’s nice to have a single reference point for the day where we can see bridge information, shoaling, tide information, and more! So we created an ICW planning workbook that allows you to plan each day on a single page and use it as a reference at the helm!
Nice to Have Intracoastal Waterway Gear
iPad or Tablet for Secondary Chart Plotter
We use iPads as our primary navigation on Acadia, but if you currently have a built-in chart plotter, we would highly recommend an iPad or Tablet for secondary navigation while on the Intracoastal Waterway. This is because of the Aquamap app (see above) and the USACE surveys. You could use a smartphone to access that resource but a tablet will make it much easier to see.
Navionics with Sonar Charts
We use Navionics with the Sonar Charts as our secondary navigation software on the ICW. The sonar charts give you a really good idea of depths, and we find them especially helpful for getting in and out of anchorages where the USACE Surveys may not be available. These sonar charts are crowd-sourced depth information from Garmin/Navionics depth sounders and fish finders. They aren’t necessarily the most accurate in fast-shoaling situations because it takes people going over a spot to update, but they are really great for those areas off the beaten path.
Bug Nets or Screens for Hatches and Ports
Airflow on a boat is important for comfort and for keeping mildew and condensation at bay. Being able to open hatches and ports is a great way to keep air flowing but can let bugs in. We use a companionway bug net and two hatch bug nets to keep the bugs out of the boat at night.
Dinghy Navigation Lights
Dinghy navigation lights are the law in many states, but they also just make good sense. In the fall and winter, the sun sets very early, and getting back to the boat after dark is a pretty common occurrence. Make sure you are visible to other boaters with dinghy navigation lights!
Bob423 Cruising Guide and Tracks
Robert Sherer, AKA Bob423, has become the expert on safe navigation of the ICW in recent years. His efforts have allowed many cruisers to transit the waterways with minimal effort and he has advocated for dredging, ATON movements, and more with the USCG and USACE. Bravo Bob! The resource he is most known for is his tracks. Which he updates at least twice a year to show the route with the deepest water through shoals. His tracks can be downloaded onto Aquamap, Navionics, and many chart plotters. Bob also puts out a yearly cruising guide that explains in detail the areas of most concern for the year, and he runs a Facebook group where cruisers share up-to-date information on shoaling, bridge heights/closures, and other potential hazards while traveling the ICW.
Skipper Bob Atlantic ICW Anchorage Guide
As cruisers who primarily anchor and have a dog, we love the Skipper Bob Anchorage guide! The anchorage rating system makes it easy to decide if an anchorage will work for the expected weather conditions, and also gives us great info about local amenities.
Waterway Guides Intracoastal Waterway Cruising Guide
Waterway Guides Cruising guides and the online resources on their website are full of great information about anchorages and trouble spots. They have a team that updates their online navigation alerts in an effort to keep them as up-to-date as possible. If you use the Aquamap app, you can see those alerts and information icons directly on the chart!
Splurge Gear for the Intracoastal Waterway
AIS
Automatic Identification System or AIS, allows boaters to broadcast their name, speed, and course to other boaters and see that information for boats around them using the system. It can be extremely helpful in areas with high commercial traffic (Norfolk, Savannah, Charleston, Fort Lauderdale etc) to see the large boats moving around you, and can also be very helpful in finding names of vessels in order to hail them on VHF. AIS is certainly not necessary for an ICW cruise, but it is helpful and increases your visibility to other boaters!
Ram Mount Tablet Holder
We’ve tried a lot of tablet mount systems over the years and none compare to the Ram Mount system. It is beefy, easy to use, easy to adjust, and holds up to so much abuse. For our helm navigation set-up on our Tartan 37, we have the Ram Tablet Mount and Phone mounts attached to the binnacle with Mantus Marines Stainless clamps. This setup is basically bullet-proof. On our Alberg 30, we had the tablet set up and a Ram Deck mount.
Forward Facing Sonar
If money (and space) is no object forward-facing sonar may help you keep from running aground. As with most tools on a boat, they are only as good as their user, so understanding what you are looking at when using the sonar system is important!
Radar
Traveling on the ICW, especially in the fall can mean encountering fog. If you don’t already have radar on your boat, we wouldn’t splurge to purchase it for the ICW, but just be aware that not having it may mean you have a few shorter days or “no-go” days due to fog. If you already have radar, we recommend familiarizing yourself with its use before you need it, especially since near-shore use of radar can be particularly challenging.
The Intracoastal Waterway can be done with very little in the way of special gear, and it can also be done with thousands of additional dollars worth of gear. No matter how much you decide to spend we hope you have a stress-free and successful trip on the ICW.
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