What's in your emergency/back-up boat box?

[M_D]

I'm with you....I can barely get my chain saw started anymore let alone yanking on my outboard to start it. You were lucky to have a friend with you. I've had a couple WTF moments while refamiliarizing myself with my boat these past several months....considered selling or shooting it a couple times.

 

[SuSpence]

A useful hack a saw on another forum was to vacuum seal tools or other stuff that can get rusty. If you ever need them you just cut open the bag(s). The vacuum seal will keep them from rusting in our super-steel-friendly marine environment. I keep a small socket set, crescent wrench, pliers, screwdrivers, etc, vacuum sealed under the seat of the boat for emergencies. They look as new as when I sealed them.

 

[rattlesnake]

WW was with me when we launched my boat to discover a dead battery. He stayed with the boat while I drove to town to get a new battery. Of coarse it was early on a Sunday and the auto parts store wasn’t open yet.

The engine has a pull rope tucked up in the cowl but I wasn’t into pull starting a 60 hp motor all day. We thought of jumping it off the truck but there was concern the old battery might not charge enough to keep working all day.

After getting 2 flats (one blown trailer tire and the other was a truck tire that I ran over rebar driving to the put in) on one trip to the river, and not being able to shake the rust from the lock for my truck spare, I bought a portable jumper pack and air compressor.

Have yet to use it on the boat battery but it’s nice secondary reason to have it.

 

[EmergingFisher]

Also a 12' aluminum, with 15hp Evinrude. Fairly bare bones right now: adjustable wrench, socket wrench with sockets that fits something...I think the trailer light housings, cheap multi-tool, spare bulb for the trailer, a small roll of gorilla tape. There's more I should probably have but that can get me through most things.

 

[Greg Armstrong]

Outboards can be cantankerous…I like to stow aboard a nice size sledge hammer for when nothing else seems to work.
Like this one;

 

[Matt B]

Outboards can be cantankerous…I like to stow aboard a nice size sledge hammer for when nothing else seems to work.
Like this one;

View attachment 40530

Maybe a bottle of medicinal whiskey to go with that thing. All the important last resort stuff.

 

[Chris Bellows]

Outboards can be cantankerous…I like to stow aboard a nice size sledge hammer for when nothing else seems to work.
Like this one;

View attachment 40530

Gallagher?

 

[Chris Bellows]

I carried an extra belt for the outboard as well as a lot of what’s been mentioned. Still don’t understand the multiple mentions of pee bottles, don’t y’all just pee in the water?

 

[Jake Watrous]

VHF radio and air horn in addition to above-mentioned safety gear.

 

[Matt B]

I carried an extra belt for the outboard as well as a lot of what’s been mentioned. Still don’t understand the multiple mentions of pee bottles, don’t y’all just pee in the water?

Only when I’m on a friend’s boat and don’t have a bailing bucket of some kind to pee into. Depending on the height of any rails or whatever, peeing off the side is a good way to accidentally fall in.

I have a pitcher which also holds a sponge and a super soaker kinda thing that’s a good cheap bilge pump.

 

[onefish]

Use premium high octane gas with no ethanol. I run 93 octane. Do your spring maintenance with new plugs and filters and oil change. I have a 20hp 4stroke Honda. It always starts easily and runs smoothly. I have no toolkit whatsoever in my boat and have no plans of putting a toolkit in my boat. I do keep some tools and spare parts in the camper but they never get used.

 

[Greg Armstrong]

If you have a bigger boat)or even a small one) membership in this outfit can save your hide if things go bad.
I had a fly bridge sedan cruiser that developed an overheat problem out in the booniies that we couldn’t resolve and after getting safely anchored up we called these guys on the VHF and got a tow into port to identify and cure the problem (a plastic bag got sucked into the intake). It was money well spent.

Boat Towing

On the water towing services backed by the largest nationwide fleet, TowBoatUS, offering the lowest price freshwater and saltwater boat towing memberships.

www.boatus.com

 

[PhilR]

A guy could have a fun Saturday night with what you keep in your emergency kits.

 

[ffb]

If you have a bigger boat)or even a small one) membership in this outfit can save your hide if things go bad.
I had a fly bridge sedan cruiser that developed an overheat problem out in the booniies that we couldn’t resolve and after getting safely anchored up we called these guys on the VHF and got a tow into port to identify and cure the problem (a plastic bag got sucked into the intake). It was money well spent.

Boat Towing

On the water towing services backed by the largest nationwide fleet, TowBoatUS, offering the lowest price freshwater and saltwater boat towing memberships.

www.boatus.com

Alternatively, if you get your boat insurance through Progressive you can add their Sign & Glide coverage which is the same type of service. My understanding is if you call for service they dispatch through either Seatow or BoatUS depending on who is available. I have a small boat but it only added about $20 a year to my insurance coverage. No brainer.

 

[Nick Clayton]

A spare prop,/hub, prop wrench, and a cotter pin can be a complete day saver

 

[Peyton00]

If a few of you get together....there will be enough parts for 2 vessels.

 

[Matt B]

If a few of you get together....there will be enough parts for 2 vessels.

And food and drink for a party!