Professional Mariner Tools

A genuine full-size metal marine sextant at a working-mariner price. The honest pick for celestial fixes and a GPS-failure backup. (Premium instruments like Cassens & Plath cost far more.) From Landfall Navigation, not Amazon.

A durable plastic-frame sextant. Fine for practice and as an emergency backup, not a primary professional instrument.

Brass-edged rolling and arm-type parallel rulers.

Single-hand 7" dividers for stepping off distance.

The professional's protractor triangle for laying off courses and bearings.

Identify and pre-compute stars and planets for your sights.

Quick-reference key for lights, shapes, and maneuvering signals.

The professional benchmark. Mil-spec, individual-focus, compass and reticle, lifetime warranty. What the pros actually carry.

The value sweet spot. Fujinon glass and toughness at a friendlier price, and the most common recommendation on cruising forums.

A capable budget pick. Floating, waterproof, illuminated compass. Fine as a backup or a first pair.

US military-issue field watch. Tritium dial, light, durable, trusted by mariners.

Nearly indestructible, water-resistant, ubiquitous on deck. The default working watch.

Cheap, light, accurate, and water-resistant. A perfectly good backup time source.

Floating handheld GPS with inReach two-way satellite messaging and SOS. The do-it-all pick.

Rugged floating marine handheld with preloaded coastal charts; great everyday backup.

Simple, long battery life, dependable position fix. The budget backup GPS.

The forum favorite. GPS, Class-D DSC, float-and-flash, 6W, big screen, long battery. Hard to beat.

Adds a built-in AIS receiver to GPS and DSC, so you see and are seen. Premium handheld.

Compact, floating, submersible 6W handheld. Simple and tough as a backup radio.

USB AIS receiver that puts live vessel traffic on your laptop over NMEA 0183. Proven marine electronics brand. Add any VHF antenna and you have an independent AIS picture that works when the ship's gear is down.

Vessel EPIRB with built-in AIS and Return Link Service. The gold standard for abandon-ship, and it confirms your distress was received.

Buoyant personal locator beacon with a digital display confirming transmission. Wear it.

One of the smallest PLBs made. Clips to a lifejacket and disappears until you need it.

Full-tang German marine stainless with a locking marlinspike. The knife the pros and the Coast Guard reach for.

The deckhand's everyday carry. Pliers, blades, drivers, saw. Lives on your belt.

Corrosion-resistant fixed blade with marlinspike at a wallet-friendly price for everyday line work.

Fully rustproof H-1 steel folding rescue knife. Serrated SpyderEdge, blunt rescue tip, oversized hole for gloved or wet hands. A marine knife that simply won't corrode.

Purpose-built tote to organize and carry your navigation tools.

Clear, rigid tube. Keeps rolled charts flat, dry, and protected.

Slim passport cover with 4 card slots and Find My tracking, so you never lose your docs in transit.

Rugged from the factory. IP68 waterproof, MIL-STD-810H, no case needed. Runs CHIEFMATE, Navionics, and NMEA apps. The working mariner's tablet.

The app-support and review favorite for marine nav; pair it with a waterproof case. Only knock is sunlight readability on the brightest days.

The shell cold-weather pros reach for. Fully waterproof and breathable for long, wet watches, with 140+ years of marine pedigree behind it.

Practical Sailor "Best Choice" and the all-around offshore favorite of instructors and delivery skippers. The value sweet spot.

Commercial-fishing-grade PVC waterproof at a working price. Bombproof wet-weather protection for deck work.

Lightweight water-resistant ripstop with real cargo and mag pockets. A tough, cheap, comfortable everyday work pant for deck and watch.

Denim shirt-jacket with a fleece lining. Throw it on for a cold bridge watch or a morning on deck without reaching for the foulies.

Offshore Helly Hansen bibs that pair with the Aegir jacket. High back, two way front zipper, Cordura reinforced seat and knees.

The other half of the Practical Sailor best-choice set. Taped seams, fleece-lined chest, adjustable braces.

Heavy commercial-fishing bib that shrugs off everything. The budget workhorse for wet decks.

Originally built as a waterproof insulation layer for sailors. Polartec fleece lining, windproof, packable hood.

A proven boat-ready favorite. Tough, comfortable, quick-drying. Lives on deck.

Water-repellent workwear warmth that takes abuse. The dependable budget layer.

Well-made and easy to recharge, with a built-in harness. A comfortable, reliable everyday auto-inflate.

Auto or manual inflation with a sailing harness and dual tether loops. The All Clear window shows armed status at a glance. 35 lb of buoyancy.

The best-selling inflatable. Inexpensive, compact, and dependable as a backup or a first vest.

Waterproof (IP67), rechargeable, with a genuinely bright red mode. Better than the Spot for deck and sail work in the dark.

Lighter and cheaper, rechargeable, IPX8. Red mode, spot and flood beams. The popular all-rounder.

A flat 6,500-lumen pocket flashlight with USB-C charging. Pocketable throw for a quick look down the deck or over the side.

cETLus, ATEX and IECEx listed for explosive gas and dust atmospheres, above or below deck. The hazardous-area standard.

A trusted intrinsically-safe workhorse. Durable, long runtime, certified for hazardous locations.

Compact Class I Div 1 light with roughly 34 hours of runtime. A dependable, affordable IS pick.

Class I, Div 1 rated penlight that rides in a shirt pocket. 105 lumens, IPX7, hi-viz yellow. The inspection light you can take into a gas-hazard space.

Fully submersible with a YKK AquaSeal waterproof zipper and welded seams. Rated for a meter down for 30 minutes. Made in the USA.

The do-everything crew bag. Burly 900-denier ripstop with a TPU finish, water-resistant and nearly indestructible.

Waterproof main fabric with a big U-opening that converts to a backpack. Keeps your kit dry, and solid value.

The matching weather-resistant daypack. Laptop sleeve, haul handles, takes a beating in transit.

The wheeled option for the long crew change. 126L, water-resistant, tows on big wheels and still carries as a duffel when the dock runs out.

Sturdier sole than the old standard, with siping that bites on wet decks. Comfortable, durable, easy on and off.

The iconic non-skid deck boot with the look and grip everyone knows. Watch sizing and break-in.

The classic lighter-duty boat shoe. Siped non-marking sole, drains and dries. Forum favorite OluKai is a step up if you want it.

NRR 31. Top-tier attenuation for very high noise like an engine room. The serious pick.

NRR 30, dual-cup design, all-day comfort. The trusted classic.

NRR 24, low-profile and light. For moderately high noise and around-the-deck use.

Hearing protection with Bluetooth audio and a mic. Music or calls while the muffs do their job. Not for the highest-noise spaces.

A smooth, precise 0.5mm retractable gel rollerball. A refined everyday pen for the chart table, log, and paperwork.

Pressurized waterproof ink writes upside down, wet, and at any temperature. The indestructible pocket pen.

The smooth everyday chart-table gel pen for dry work. Not waterproof, but a pleasure to write with (Zebra Sarasa is a fine alternative).

Waterproof field notebook that takes notes in a downpour. The companion to a space pen.

A machined metal drafting pen with real weight and a knurled grip. Refillable and built to outlast every plastic pen on the bridge.

Smartgrip suction base grips a wet, heeling table when bumped and releases on a straight lift. Triple-wall insulated. The mug built for a moving deck.

Vacuum-insulated stainless keeps watch coffee hot and shrugs off drops the ceramic mug wouldn't survive.

The classic galley tin mug. Cheap, tough, and it doesn't care if it hits the deck. Buy a few.

App-controlled heated mug that holds coffee at an exact temperature for the whole watch turnover. Set it once and every sip is as hot as the first. Hand-wash only.

Twenty micro suction cups plus built-in magnets keep your can upright through a beam sea. Sticks to any smooth surface, vertical or horizontal. Weatherproof silicone.

Magnetized suction base locks the included insulated tumbler to console or dash, and takes most 12-30 oz tumblers you already own.

The vacuum thermos that outlives its owner. Keeps a full watch's coffee hot and takes any abuse the deck hands out.

Vacuum stainless with a leakproof press-in lid. Hot for hours, comfortable in the hand, a modern favorite.

One-hand, spill-proof lid at a working price. The dependable everyday commuter that happens to be perfect for the bridge.

The sportfishing benchmark. 580 glass lenses cut water glare like nothing else and take a lifetime of salt and sun.

Legendary clarity and color that reduce eye fatigue on a long, bright day. A comfortable step up for all-day wear.

Buoyant frames that won't sink when they go over the side. Cheap enough to keep a spare in the bag.

Strikes ship's bells on the watch, in solid brass built for the bulkhead. The classic officer's clock.

A matched brass clock and barometer pair for the bulkhead. Handsome, and the barometer earns its keep.

A handsome, affordable brass bulkhead clock for the cabin, office, or a mariner's shelf ashore.

Heavyweight virgin-wool cap that holds its warmth even when it's damp. Made to last a career on deck.

The offshore sun hat. UPF 50+, ventilated, floats, and ties on so the wind doesn't take it. The tropics workhorse.

The beanie you see on every deck. Warm, cheap, and easy to replace when it walks off. The default watch cap.