Handy gear on the salt?

[Aridhol]

I just recently went over all the boat gear to make sure I had everything I needed safety wise after a courtesy stop by the RCMP on cowichan lake which I passed with one warning (no transport canada docs) and I obviously have my general fishing gear organized and complete but I was wondering if there is anything I'm missing out on that all you experienced people would never leave the dock without.

What are the essential, handy and just plain cool stuff you have in your boat?

 

[Ringo]

Basic safety gear, life jacket, manual bailing device, life line, waterproof flash light, whistle, stuff that you obviously had on your boat when you got checked by the cops

My documentation; registration; PCOC card, VHF operator card, fishing license and a picture ID In caseI get checked

A tow line with proper lenght and bow hook

Basic first aid kit

Small tool box for quick repairs; rench set, screw drivers, a couple of extra spark plugs and a small pack of marine grease, a pair of pliers for pinching those barbs

Couple of pens for marking down my license

Small line snipper hooked to the side of my gunnel for easy and quick access, extra downrigger clip 48” or 60”

And most importantly; a 6-pack from my local brewery sitting deep in ice pack in my cooler for those hot summer afternoons when fishing is super slow

 

[TenMile]

I'd break this down into inshore vs offshore. By inshore, I mean fishing in an area where there could be a reasonable chance of being saved or being able to swim ashore quickly.

Offshore is more serious. You have to concern yourself with Fog, Wind/waves/weather, breakdowns, collisions, sinking and being alone with no chance of immediate help. The offshore list certainly makes you safer inshore. The more remote/further away from help you are, the more serious this list gets.

Expanded kit for offshore: (much of these items can be packed into a waterproof "Grab Bag".
- Radar reflector (mandatory now anyhow) - be seen - without one the majority of sport boats are virtually invisible
- Flares (also mandatory)
- Fire extinguishers (mandatory)
- Redundancy (2nd engine e.g. twins or kicker, chart plotter/charts/compass, starter batteries, bilge pumps)
- Hand held backup VHF -- charged and within easy reach (consider packing an emergency grab bag)
- Radar and AIS - be able to see where the other guy is - AIS transponder is now mandatory for commercial boats and many recreational have them too
- Handheld bilge pump
- EPIRB
- Emergency knife
- Dry clothing or emergency blanket (something to keep you warm if you happen to go in)
- Comprehensive first aid kit (and hopefully someone who has completed a first aid course)
- Life raft & immersion suit - I'd say mandatory if you're going well offshore beyond the popular fishing grounds (e.g. 50 miles after tuna)

 

[kingblazer84]

along with BCRingo and Ten Mile I like to carry a Bright AF LED Flashlight big enough to use a signal device just as a backup.

 

[Foxsea]

It's essential to have 2 well maintained batteries. All bilge pumps, electronics, etc. are useless when batteries fail.

 

[Aridhol]

Thanks all.
I do have a small toolbag with everything I need to do basic motor maintenance and a spare bottle of oil and 4 plugs. I will need to pick up some marine grease.
I do have a manual bilge, flares, fire ext and a dry bag with survival gear (blanket, clothes, water, knife, etc...)
First aid kit is a smaller "marine" one but would anyone recommend something different or more "comprehensive" like TenMile said?
2 batteries in good working order of course.

I don't have radar as there is no place I can think to mount it (I have a soft top) but in a year or two I'll be getting an arch made so one will go on there.
Similarly I don't think a life raft would fit anywhere on the boat.

I don't usually go more than a couple miles off sooke or the waterfront so I always am around company.

 

[TenMile]

I carry a First Aid kit like this one. Something to major and minor cuts, scrapes and falls. Immobilize a joint or broken bone with a mask for CPR. My wife and 2 girls and I all took the 2 day Red Cross first aid course last fall and we all got the certificates. Now I feel way more comfortable having a heart attack on the boat!!!

I sort of mentally grade the level of risk I'm taking based on the area I am fishing. Inshore by Oak Bay is like a Level 1, Sooke inshore - Level 2, Sooke Offshore (shipping lanes, weather etc...) Level 3, Swiftsure Level 4, Rat's Nose (30mi offshore from Bamfield) Level 5 etc.... The higher the risk level, the longer the list of safety gear gets. Once I'm headed into the shipping lanes with potential for fog and poor weather, things like radar and redundant ways of finding/getting home become mandatory for me.

 

[staying alive]

I carry a spare racor fuel water seperator filter with the clear plastic bowl already attached
Unless you carry 2 filter wrenches they can be a ***** to change on the water