What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

[Bearfan]

I'm putting a list of things to keep in a tool kit/emergency kit on my new pontoon boat and was looking for suggestions. Of course, I'll have the required PFDs and such. So far:

Flashlight
Lighter
Plastic Clamps
Tarp
Mini-Tool Kit (Screw Drivers, Sockets, knife)
Paddle
First Aid Kit
Map
Paper Towels

Any other suggestions

 

[gobbler boat]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

That is a good start. If you have wing nuts on your battery posts, put a couple extra wing nuts in there. On your throwable PFD I like the idea of putting a 100' rope (that wil float) on it. You can pick one up for under $10.

No matter what you put in there, you will for certain be short the very one you need when the situation arises.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

sterno fuel .... pot to boil water, couple cans of beans or boyardee

 

[Silvertip]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

What you carry with you depends on the body of water you frequent the most. If you can see shoreline from wherever you are you need a lot less stuff than if you are on very big water. Some form of communication is then required (a cell phone, marine radio, or even a CB if on inland waters). As for tools, whatever you feel capable of fixing on the water dictates the tools you need. I didn't see a plug wrench and a set of plugs. As for the paddle -- do you really think you can paddle a pontoon? Try it sometime on a windy day. If your boat has fuses, spares are needed. One of the small signalling horns is handy. These are powered by a can of compressed air and are quite loud. Then learn how to send an SOS. (dit-dit-dit, dah-dah-dah, dit-dit-dit). Dits are short blasts - dahs are longer blasts. Even if your boat has a horn, an electrical failure would prevent it's use.

 

[Bearfan]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

I can most definitly see shore from my inland lake location where I'm going to slip. Air horn is a good idea, and I guess paddling a pontoon would be a bit of a challenge.

Good call on the wing nuts as well. Losing those little things would seriously mess up a day.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

A paddle is always better then no paddle and two just makes a whole lot more sense then one.

Of course if it's windy or there is a strong current your not gonna be able to control your pontoon much, but that's not always the case and why would you plan on defeat before you get there.


What if your in a cove or canal and there is no wind or current but your motor won't start, sure would be nice to paddle over to that dock over there or out where someone else might come along and help you.

and a can of inox it has tons of uses and won't taint your bait.

 

[Bearfan]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

What is inox?

 

[capt sam]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

depending on where you boat, focus more on safey than repair. There's very few actual repairs you can do on the water, so a basic set of tools usually covers that part. A cell phone/vhf radio will get you back to the dock more often than not, a big bag of tools not necessairly.

 

[ziggy]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

fwiw. a paddle is required equipment in my state. for whatever good it does, ya just gotta have one onboard...

 

[woosterken]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

i think inox is like WD 40 so says google

woosterken

 

[Bearfan]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

I was kinda figuring it was like WD40, but wasn't sure.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

yep just a whole lot better.

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

The only other thing i would suggest is the one true fix it all Duct Tape.

 

[gobbler boat]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

Wing nuts can sometimes vibrate loose also. If ever you have what seems like an electrical problem, check the battery connection first. Kind of like when my wife years ago when she couldn't get her new work computer to transmit her order so she called the help line. The first thing the guy asked her. . . . is it plugged in? Problem solved.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

Get rid of those wing nuts alltogether and you'll be better off.

 

[rbh]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

It was already said to a point, but it does matter what you have on board for safety gear, according to the size of the boat and how far from land you go.
In canada you are reqiured to have flares if your over 1 mile from land as well a bailing bucket and a manual bailing pump (if over 22 feet?) ETC
check the Canadian or USCG safe boating book depending were your from.

 

[QC]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

My favorite tool on board is a sewing kit. I use the little ones from hotels a lot. You can stop rips from getting bigger, clothing issues etc. I also like a larger needle that I use with fishing line to repair things that need some strength, like bimini straps . . .

Zip ties also work for things that Duct tape or thread might not. I have temporarily repaired a Bimini mount bracket with zip ties

 

[fishrdan]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

I have temporarily repaired a Bimini mount bracket with zip ties

I temporarily repaired a broken water pump belt with zip ties... clickity, clickity, click, click, click

Thank God I had a hand full of them as they would only last a few minutes at low RPM before snapping, no mo clickity, click...

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

I used 1/4" nylon rope for that on a pickup..... skipped pwr stng and alt..... turned off all acc and made it home 40 miles...

 

[Boatist]

Re: What to carry in a tool/emergency kit

Coast Guard 47 foot Motor Life boat does not carry a paddle and niether do I.
I tired to paddle my 21 foot boat 10 feet on a calm day in a very slow moving creek one time only. Then I started the engine and moved the boat.
My 14 foot aluminum boat I have two paddle mounted to the front of each seat.
In my Tool kit I have an extra Drain Pulg.
I have two fuses of every type I have on the boat.
I Have a extra spark plug wire that can replace the longest wire.
I have a extra Coil to Distributer wire high tention lead.
I have a set of points and condensor.
I have a spare spark plug set for the I/O and the Kicker.
I have a quart of oil for the I/O
I have 2 cycle oil for the outboard.

I have a couple of jumper wires that could supply 12 volts to the coil
I have a 12 volt circuit tester.

Tools I have on board is all the tools I use when doing pre season maintenance and end of year maintenance. I put together a few basic tools then when I do my normal maintenance if I need a tool that is not on the boat I get one out of my home tools then buy a new one so I have one on the boat.

I have extra belt for the water pump and alternator and it is pre installed around the motor mount so if the other breaks all I need to do is remove the old then install the new and thghten.

In 2008 was the first time I used any of it.
We were 5 miles North of Port and 2 miles off shore in 5 foot seas and the I/O just shut off like you turned the key off. I started the kicker and put the wife on the wheel headed Back to port.

Pulled the flame arester with a 7/16 inch wrench to see it carb getting fuel and it was. I pulled a spark plug wire to test for spark and no spark.
I pulled the distributer cap to check the points and rotor with a screw driver and saw a bad set of points.
Replaced points and adjusted by eye. Had the wife try it and it fire right up.
put the tools away and went fishing.
Took almost 10 minutes.

All this gear in in a small plastic tackle box.

No need for the big wrenches to pull the head and other work you are not going to do on the water.

Only the second time since 1980 when the boat was new that I changed the points.
Also was the first year that I failed to look at them before our 7 day trip to the ocean.