"Support Gear-Tools etc"
 

I plan to be new at boating (watersports) this spring.

Regarding tools / spare parts / or other day savers. What should I have in my Truck or on the boat. For example I understand some folks will bring a spare prop and the associated tools to change it out. That's is on my list of "extras"

Any suggestions?

Socket Set, Screwdrivers, Pliers, Strippers, Electrical Tape, small 2x4, prop puller. I have a small toolcase in my boat with all this stuff. Has saved us many times.

all that ^^^^ plus a quart or two of oil for engine and v drive and a new impeller plus the tools to change it!

Duct tape......
Oh and don't forget toilet paper... ha ha.. comes in handy though.

Steve Miller Band Greatest Hits CD. This alone has saved more days than I care to remember.
Spare nav light bulb (1), assorted fuses.
A decent first aid kit with good tape and butterfly bandages.
Meat tenderizer if you ride in coastal waters (jellyfish) Its better than being peed on.

1. spare/ used serpentine belt and tool for tensioner.
2. zip ties of various lengths
3. amalgamation tape
4. spare drain plug
5. Allen wrench set to fit tower hardware
5. plus the other items mentioned above

Swim goggles and stainless knife in case you need to dive under and inspect or free something from your prop (tow rope, etc.). The above stuff is a great list.

Good lists above, I need to improve my set up a bit to include an impeller and the Steve Miller CD. One thing I do always keep on the boat is a portable jump start\ air compressor. I bought it at Costco (less than $100) a few years back after stranding myself when my stereo killed the batteries. I felt like the coolest guy on the lake that day.... I haven't needed the jump start function personally since purchasing but it has saved several trips towing other stranded boaters back to the dock and/ or the pain of trying to use jumper cables from boat to boat. Works great around the house to for filling, footballs, basketballs, bike tires etc. instead of firing up the big shop compressor.

^ a good one. I have jumper cables on board but have never needed/used them yet.

^
Make sure you have seperate battery for stereo and starting...lol..thats a good one!

This is high on the list.

Extra ballast pump if you are filling sacks in the boat and not built in. It is a day killer if one accidentally goes over the side or it fails.
At the very minimum carry an extra hose that connects to your sacks so you can start a siphoning action and have it drain most of the way. You don't want to get stuck with full sacks. This wouldn't help if you're still needing to fill, but will help you drain them to a point you can pour them over the side and not be SOL.

Not for on the water but make sure you have a wrench for the trailer spare tier. And a jack that will lift the trailer.

Also, under water epoxy is always handy. It also works above water.

Didn't see it mentioned but a spare set of bearings for your trailer and the tools to change them. A bad bearing in the trailer can ruin a trip to the lake pretty fast.

In my boat:
Tool bag - Full Standard and Metric socket set. Standard and Metric Allen sockets. Needle nose, Vise Grips, Channel locks, wire spripper/butt crimper. Ratcheting screwdriver with full assortment of bits.

McGyver box- Prop remover, impeller, belt, fuses, elec. tape, duct tape, UW epoxy, super glue, tie straps, razor blades and utility knife, spare bulbs, butt connectors, assorted screws and fasteners, multi-meter, test light, spare bilge pump, fuses, rubber hose, hose clamps, gloves and hand cleaner. Quart of oil, ATF and SAE50.

McGyver box 2 - Can of food, can opener, Scuba mask, sun screen, bottled water, batteries, fishing line, dish soap, scissors, and other random spare items.

Truck box - Trailer bearings, seal, oil (oilbath hubs). Wheel chock, tire iron, small bucket (catch oil), paper towels, rubber gloves, cotter pin, hack saw ( in case bearing seizes to spindle).

Oh ***** Box (water proof box)- Fully loaded first aid kit, flares, boat manuals, boat registration, snap lights, spare keys.

Spare prop, box anchor, small 20 pound fluted anchor, 2 paddles, 8 spare orange vests, lighters, trash bags. I keep an air horn near my driver seat and a Fox40 whistle on a spiral braclet slung over the throttle, roll of paper towels, canned Window cleaner.

Think thats it. I went over the whole engine to make sure I had all the allen sockets I might need.

I can't believe no one has mentioned this, but if you don't have a drain plug that is attached to the boat, I'd recommend keeping a couple spares in your truck. We always kept ours in the rear transom storage boxes on our RZ4 last year, but after a long road trip we discovered that it somehow mysteriously went missing even though I specifically remember putting the plug away in the box. Don't think the doors flopped open running down the road considering they are pretty decent weight, and didn't figure it'd be able to bounce out of a 8-10" deep storage well, but amazingly it did. We got loaded up and drove to the boat ramp only to discover the plug wasn't where I had left it when we got ready to put in. Ended up having to drive to the other side of the lake to the marina to by one and lost almost 2 hours of riding time, plus it put a pretty big damper on the mood of all our guests that day too. I carry jumper cables as well, but also carry a jump pack too. You never know when you might be the last person anchored out in a cove and can't get cranked, and there's no one close by that you can flag down for a jump start.

I vote for the jump box again. This has saved myself and other boaters coutless times. The one i have has a cigarette lighter and usb hookups for charging peoples phones and makes it easy to plug into for powering 12v devices.


First aid kits are a must. A bad cut from throwing beer cans can end your day pretty fast.

Flippers,zigzags,paddle board oar(the best),I always have a extension cord just in case too,of coarse extra rope

Whats a zigzag

A zigzag is a special piece of paper that can hold this plant that does amazing things... Like get off the couch and go to the fridge.


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It's a special kind of salt water anchor

Lol, wow culture shocked right now. Ya from the couch to the fridge that's it!hold time for a California break!!

What's a dirty Sanchez???

Mmmmmmm!

#fauxhawksaregay!

about cigarette lighter use
 

Cigarette lighter is very useful kit. i also use it.but i never use it for charging mobile phone. so let me do that..........

I'll add baby wipes. They will take just about anything off of anything. They truly kickass.

I always keep some zigzags onboard. Just in case.

This is a great thread. Let's see what I can add to the already great list.

I carry a small volt meter with a continutity tester function. It's fantastic for diagnosing electrical issues.

Can anyone post a pic of this zigzag? I am curious what they look like.

Yip

Beer, vodka, whiskey, ice, cups and mixer...maybe some sunscreen.

I carry a Boat US card and drink beer while I wait for assistance...seriously. Now to keep from losing the entire weekend, because this stuff only fails when you have invited guests, a spare impeller and hose repair kit. Now remember that hoses usually fail at he fitting so you can usually cut them short and reattach. The pressure side may blow out.

Been there so many times over the years that I carry a spare impeller and complete hoses. The hoses sit on the floor under my pile of cheap "keep it legal" orange life vests to provide some air movement/venting. You also need to know how to jump the starter solenoid with a screwdriver, hot wire the ignition when the key fails, flood he bilge and use a fat sac pump when the impeller fails, and where to tap the starter with a hammer when the throw out gear get stuck.

Next we need to cover trailer bearings and tires....

I hate this thread makes me feel unprepaired. Now I gotta carry hoses and zig zags! Maybe ican make a pipe out of a hose and leave the zags at home

By the end of the thread you will need a bigger boat for all the unnecessary junk your hauling around. The good news; if you are only a wakeboarder its just additional ballast.

Lol