Anyone here own a boat, or know a lot about boats?

[McMXi]

I just placed an order for all of the State and Federal required safety equipment as well as some additional "nice to have" gear. This should be it for a while, but if anyone thinks that I've missed something then please let me know. The boat is rated for eight people hence the eight life vests.

• Seven Type III life vests (for non-paying guests)
  
• One Type I life vest (for me)
• One Type IV throwable PFD
• One ball-type whistle
• One air horn kit
• Two telescoping paddles with integral boat hooks
• Two fenders with fender lines
• Three 25ft x 1/2" dock lines (one for the PFD)
• One Yamaha F150 cowling cover

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

I just placed an order for all of the State and Federal required safety equipment as well as some additional "nice to have" gear. This should be it for a while, but if anyone thinks that I've missed something then please let me know. The boat is rated for eight people hence the eight life vests.

• Seven Type III life vests (for non-paying guests)
  
• One Type I life vest (for me)
• One Type IV throwable PFD
• One ball-type whistle
• One air horn kit
• Two telescoping paddles with integral boat hooks
• Two fenders with fender lines
• Three 25ft x 1/2" dock lines (one for the PFD)
• One Yamaha F150 cowling cover

Only safety equipment that looks like you forgot is a Marine Nickel Magnum (SP 870) .

 

[McMXi]

Only safety equipment that looks like you forgot is a Marine Nickel Magnum (SP 870) .

I think I can rummage around in my gun safes and find something suitable.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

I just placed an order for all of the State and Federal required safety equipment as well as some additional "nice to have" gear. This should be it for a while, but if anyone thinks that I've missed something then please let me know. The boat is rated for eight people hence the eight life vests.

• Seven Type III life vests (for non-paying guests)
  
• One Type I life vest (for me)
• One Type IV throwable PFD
• One ball-type whistle
• One air horn kit
• Two telescoping paddles with integral boat hooks
• Two fenders with fender lines
• Three 25ft x 1/2" dock lines (one for the PFD)
• One Yamaha F150 cowling cover

I assume you have at least one fire extinguisher?

 

[cthomas]

Flare Gun? First aid kit and the floatie thing for keys.

 

[Tarmy]

Put a few rolls of TP and PTs on there. Two anchors, a net to retrieve things that fail overboard, first aid, about 40 bucks for gas if you forget money, couple of sweatshirts, towels, umbrellas and about 50 other misc, things you will figure out.

 

[GeoHorn]

For those things like keys…dropped overboard….(and for simply seeing what’s on the bottom of your favorite swimmin’ hole)…..(but keep it away from your wallet/credit-cards…. don’t ask…)

150 lb. Pull Retrieving Magnet

Amazing deals on this 150Lb Pull Retrieving Magnet at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[radas]

Just read through this, congrats on the boat purchase. Robalo makes a fine boat - my BIL owned a very similar one to yours (may have also been a R200) back in 2018 and we took it 10 miles offshore to fish in northern FL. Handled the waves like a champ.

 

[Russell King]

Water tight box for truck keys and wallet and phones

 

[McMXi]

I assume you have at least one fire extinguisher?

Yes. At first I thought I wouldn't need one since the boat has an outboard and it's open construction design, but then I thought about the space designed for a porta potty option. Better safe than sorry.

From the Montana Boating Laws handbook:

"Exception: motorboats less than 26 feet long that are
propelled by an outboard motor and are completely
open construction (no closed spaces where gasoline
fumes may be trapped) are not required to have a fire
extinguisher."

 

[McMXi]

Thanks to everyone for all of the suggestions re things to have on the boat. It's much appreciated.

 

[skeets]

OHHHH a head is a great thing to have

 

[Tughill Tom]

OHHHH a head is a great thing to have

It does come in handy.

 

[cthomas]

My boat has a head, we call it Folger's.

 

[lugbolt]

For those things like keys…dropped overboard….(and for simply seeing what’s on the bottom of your favorite swimmin’ hole)…..(but keep it away from your wallet/credit-cards…. don’t ask…)

150 lb. Pull Retrieving Magnet

Amazing deals on this 150Lb Pull Retrieving Magnet at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

View attachment 102473

i bought one similar from a local place. Says 200lb but it was more like 50lb. Typical ebay garbage. It weighs about 10 lbs give or take. I dropped some stuff in 40 FOW a couple years ago. I didn't have the magnet with me at the time, so I ran back to the house, got it, and went back to the GPS marked location and started fishing with the magnet. Didn't get my stuff. Lost the magnet too. Started looking at the graph, and realized I was sitting over an old road bed where a bridge was. So either (1) the magnet stuck itself to the bridge or (2) maybe there is an old car or culvert that it stuck to. Either way, it's gone. Had to cut the line and go on with life.

 

[dirtydeed]

Here's a couple more that may come in handy:

Telescoping boat hook
Spare prop and composite prop wrench (and waterproof grease for prop)
Bungee style dock ropes (I think Airhead makes them). much faster that dealing with deck lines
A can of 100% Silicon spray (if your trailer has bunks). makes a huge difference
I would add the fire extinguisher. If not for yourself, but others as well.
...and several transom plugs

two other things worth mentioning-

1) once you get your launch and recovery routine down, don't let anyone "help" you in that process
2) anchor a bit away from the boat launch area and observe others. It's proven to be some of the best "free" entertainment I have ever seen. Enjoy.

 

[Freeheeler]

Cooler for "beverages", hydration is key.
Sunscreen, because randomly rubbing women without it is just creepy.
Pet floatation, because I like my dogs better than most people.
Tow rope, because 9 times out of 9.5 you'll run into someone needing a tow, and you know ... karma and all.
I leave the cell phone at the dock, because I can.
Floaties for your sunglasses, because gravity.

 

[McMXi]

Here's a couple more that may come in handy:

Telescoping boat hook
Spare prop and composite prop wrench (and waterproof grease for prop)
Bungee style dock ropes (I think Airhead makes them). much faster that dealing with deck lines
A can of 100% Silicon spray (if your trailer has bunks). makes a huge difference
I would add the fire extinguisher. If not for yourself, but others as well.
...and several transom plugs

two other things worth mentioning-

1) once you get your launch and recovery routine down, don't let anyone "help" you in that process
2) anchor a bit away from the boat launch area and observe others. It's proven to be some of the best "free" entertainment I have ever seen. Enjoy.

I will confess that I've only put a couple of boats in and out of the water in a previous life so have been watching YouTube videos on "how to launch a boat on your own". My friend has a boat ramp and a dock at his place, but they're not next to each other. I'll have to figure out the process of getting in/out of the boat without having to swim. I don't remember a ladder, steps or similar at the front of the trailer, but did see some of those on the pontoon boats/trailers that I looked at. Maybe my tailgate will help out in some way.

I did order a couple of telescoping paddles/boat hooks but the dock lines are a done deal. I have a fire extinguisher so that's covered. Yamaha recommends silicon spray for the engine to keep it free of corrosion so I'll pick up a couple of cans. A spare prop and prop wrench is a good idea and one that I've heard from a friend with a fair amount of boat experience.

I was out of town on a work trip all last week and assumed I'd come back to a bunch of packages. So far I've only received the life jackets. I scheduled the boat pick up for this coming Friday so getting closer to putting it in the water for the first time. I need to put on the "rock tamer" guards that I made and will show a photo of that set up. I actually saw a Ford SuperDuty with the real Rock Tamer system installed and it looked good.

 

[McMXi]

Cooler for "beverages", hydration is key.
Sunscreen, because randomly rubbing women without it is just creepy.
Pet floatation, because I like my dogs better than most people.
Tow rope, because 9 times out of 9.5 you'll run into someone needing a tow, and you know ... karma and all.
I leave the cell phone at the dock, because I can.
Floaties for your sunglasses, because gravity.

The Robalo comes with a cooler that sits beneath the captain's bench seat. Robalo put some thought into that feature which is nice. A life vest for my Heeler is something I've been looking into. She's not a big fan of swimming and I don't think she'd jump off the boat, but you never know. I do have a tow rope on order but have a lot of tow straps as well so might put them to use.

I'd like to add a ski tower similar to the one shown below, but don't plan on paying $500 for some bolt together kit. I might eventually make something along the lines of the one shown that would act as a handrail to aid in getting up and down the ladder, which is to the right of the engine. Robalo offers these as an option but they're powder coated black or white and cost around $1,300 ... not doing that!

 

[PoTreeBoy]

2) anchor a bit away from the boat launch area and observe others. It's proven to be some of the best "free" entertainment I have ever seen. Enjoy.

So, so true.