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As a Noob -- no eye rolling please -- here goes...

ImTinkerbella

ImTinkerbella

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TL/DR: As Noob boaters, what do we "really" need to make sure we have on board??

We will be picking up our very first boat - a 2018 20SLMX with the Merc 90 ELPT CT - on Thursday.

Primarily, it will be used by just my husband and myself, as we live on a back slough of the upper Mississippi.

That said, family members will certainly be more likely to visit once they become aware we are getting a boat.

While the boat is rated for, ahem, 10 passengers... I realize the sales "spin" expects those 10 passengers are sized from an earlier century.

Realistically, we will probably have 6 or 7 when we have guests.

Okay, now my (personally mortifying) questions...

  1. Other than mandatory required safety gear like the approved USCG PFDs, a throwable USCG approved PFD, anchor, lines, fenders, and (I'm assuming) a fire extinguisher, are there other items I require before bringing my new boat home?
  2. Are required numbers of PFDs based upon capacity of boat (as ambiguous as that is), or the number of actual souls on board?
  3. Does quality of "required" gear that will most of the time just be stored away really matter? (We're buying quality PFDs, for instance, for the few who will most likely be regularly wearing them.)
  4. When starting out, I do not wish to get hoodwinked into purchasing superfluous stuff I really don't need, but want to ensure we have those things which are recommended. I could use some general guidance in this area...
  5. For informational purposes, we don't plan to pull skiers, tubers, or even fish. We just want to enjoy the various sandbars around our area of the Mississippi, and perhaps tote our camping gear during the fringe season (when others aren't around), and enjoy days or evenings out with food and a few libations.
We originally had a nice, used 2016 stern radius 20 footer in mind (which I posted about in another thread), but massive Craigslist confusion between the seller and the person posting his listing resulted in someone else buying the boat before we could.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice... and thank anyone who ventured this far into my rather verbose post.
 
Fire extinguisher will come with the boat. We have 8 of the orange life vests on board but you only need for who's on board. An anchor is needed and there are a couple of "anchor" threads on here. We also have a handheld VHF radio we bring since our lake is quite large. Handheld light is good for night travel.
 
I believe you also must have a whistle or air horn (some way to make a distress signal) usually you can buy the little "all in one" boater safety kits.

There's also been some talk of having a decent knife, because you just never know. Also, even though I had 4 of the best batteries money could buy, I STILL always took my portable booster pack with me. It was a marine one and actually included a red and green light on it so you could set it on the front of your boat for navigation in case yours quit working. I never needed it, but I did boost two other people with it!
 
Also keep a noise producing device (canned air horn or whistle) in case your boats horn dies. We also have a couple orange emergency paddles (visual safety devices) and yes, we can move our 23' G with them ..... not fast, but it moves. We also have a couple emergency ponchos.
 
LOL .... you beat me to the enter button Derrick .... :D
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
Also keep a noise producing device (canned air horn or whistle) in case your boats horn dies. We also have a couple orange emergency paddles (visual safety devices) and yes, we can move our 23' G with them ..... not fast, but it moves. We also have a couple emergency ponchos.
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Hehe, your turbos you mean! :D
 
Thanks, all. Lots of good advice!

I do have a few other emergency gear items (back up light, whistle, horn) that can cross over from our backpacking supplies... at least in the interim until we can supply the new boat with their own dedicated items.

What is the story on flare guns/smoke sticks? Recommended or a requirement? (Or are they regional requirements?)
 
My boat is rated for 13 people, that is if they average 135.384615# each. :D
1760#. Stock with towels. No one brings their own. Also, you need to make rules about certain foods that you may not want on your boat. I've heard that things like Cheetos will not be good for your upholstery.
 
Spoiledrotten said:
My boat is rated for 13 people, that is if they average 135.384615# each. :D
1760#. Stock with towels. No one brings their own. Also, you need to make rules about certain foods that you may not want on your boat. I've heard that things like Cheetos will not be good for your upholstery.
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Cheetos aren't good for anything. :rolleyes:
 
tsbrooks122 said:
A small First Aid kit would probably be a good idea.
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Now, that's something I already have covered... but certainly a good suggestion.

I have my fast response kit clipped onto my home AED... and that will go wherever I am regardless.

At least that's one thing I didn't have to go out to buy today! (The $$ really adds up fast :eek:) I guess there is something to be said for buying used rather than new... many people sell with all the gear ready to go.
 
I think the previous posts hit on all the essentials. Here in Michigan, you only need a life jacket for each person on board, not the capacity. Personally, unless you will be doing water sports, the good old orange Coast Guard approved life vests should work nicely.

You might also want to have a small pouch of simple tools (wrench, screw driver, etc). Then of course, the creature comforts. We carry an extra pair of sunglasses as it seems once a summer (at least) someone comes aboard without their's!

Congratulations on the new Benny and be sure and post some pictures!
 
Michiman said:
I think the previous posts hit on all the essentials. Here in Michigan, you only need a life jacket for each person on board, not the capacity. Personally, unless you will be doing water sports, the good old orange Coast Guard approved life vests should work nicely.

You might also want to have a small pouch of simple tools (wrench, screw driver, etc). Then of course, the creature comforts. We carry an extra pair of sunglasses as it seems once a summer (at least) someone comes aboard without their's!

Congratulations on the new Benny and be sure and post some pictures!
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I will certainly do that once she arrives!

Walmart had the orange USCG Stearns on clearance for $4.50 a piece, so I bought 6 to stow away, and another 4 offshore for those in my family (think mother-in-law age) who don't know how to swim.

My husband and I have both type V Onyx A/M self-inflating (which I'm more likely to wear when it's warm out, and I already know that in order for them to be legally counted they must be worn while underway), but also have higher quality PFDs for kayaking (we have an awesome, tandem expedition kayak) and for PWD usage already.

Okay, another question about stuff like docklines and anchor lines...

I'm not sailing a sailboat here, so do I really need anything more than nylon for docking? Braided or twisted? (Our Benny isn't going to see more than casual, recreational use on sandbars.) How long?

Which also brings up my next question... for a 20 footer, what is recommended for anchoring? (I don't need high end for a low budget boat, but I'd also like to make certain it "works.") I did read the earlier post about anchors, but I'm not educated enough in this area to really understand what is important to know...

Thanks for everyone's great tips and ideas! I'm so thankful a place like this exists for someone just starting out.
 
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SEMPERFI8387 said:
I'd check here to verify regulations concerning your boating on the Mississippi.
https://www.mdwfp.com/law-enforcement/boating-rules-regs/
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Okay, this website points me to regulations for the state of Mississippi. Does everything here still apply if I'm located on the Mississippi River in Wisconsin?

My husband and I did complete (voluntarily) a boater's ed class for our state, and I have sitting right next to me the "Handbook of Wisconsin Boating Laws and Responsibilities."

Is there more I should know?

Thanks!
 
Hahaha ..... sorry, I should have verified which state you were in .... :confused: I forgot that river ain't just in Mississippi.. :D
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
Hahaha ..... sorry, I should have verified which state you were in .... :confused: I forgot that river ain't just in Mississippi.. :D
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And you know, the state and the river aren't spelled the same! :D
 
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