10 good things to have onboard in an emergency

When it comes to safety, having more options at hand is always better than having too few.

In a panic situation out on the water, having the right gear on hand can make a big difference to how well you react.

It's also about having choices; where one thing performs its given task well, something else may work better.

Here are 10 items that we reckon will greatly help boaters, and give them the peace of mind that the safety gear they carry will do what it needs to do, when it needs to do it.

Emergency beacons can come in two types: an EPIRB – which you’ll need if you plan on going more than two nautical miles offshore – or a personal locator beacon (PLB).

EPIRBs are quite large and are usually fixed to a bracket somewhere on the boat, while PLBs are small enough to be clipped onto a lifejacket.

EPIRBs are registered to boats, so if the boat gets into trouble and the EPIRB is activated, emergency services can pinpoint the EPIRB’s location.

As the name suggests, a PLB is linked to the person wearing it. That means while an EPIRB may stay with the boat, a PLB will stay with the person, alerting rescue services to the person’s location even if they are separated from the boat.

PLBs are not required to be carried on a boat, nor are they a substitute for an EPIRB. However, having that extra layer of assurance that rescuers know where you and your boat are is well worth the outlay.

Modern inflatable lifejackets are comfortable and easy to wear, but they still have one major risk factor – they could fail to inflate properly. It’s why regular maintenance and even regular replacement is important.

One type of lifejacket that is not prone to failure is the more traditional foam-filled variety. These have flotation built into them, so in an emergency situation there’s no need to think about where or when to activate them like you would with an inflatable lifejacket.

A good practice would be to wear an inflatable lifejacket when there’s no high level of risk, and a foam-filled jacket when things get a bit tense.

Mistakes also happen on boats, and someone may catch their lifejacket’s inflation tab on something and accidentally inflate it. Having a foam-filled lifejacket packed away on board means you still have the right number of serviceable lifejackets as there are people onboard.

An inshore flare kit comprises four flares. Two of them are orange smoke flares meant for daylight use that send up a big plume of orange smoke that can be seen over big distances, while the other two will be incandescent flares for nighttime use. They glow with a brilliant red light that again can be seen over a long distance.

Flares need regular replacement, so it’s important to keep track of when they need to be replaced. Add a note to your phone diary a couple of months before your current set expires, as your local boating accessory shop may need to order in a new batch if they do not have any stock on hand.

Some retailers supply kits that take all of the guesswork out of what to have onboard to help in an emergency.

These range from basic bailing kits that include a bucket and a floating rope, right up to everything you need to add to a brand-new boat to make it ready for the water, including lifejackets, fire extinguishers, V sheets, bailers, torches and more.

The better kits will include other items such as a high-visibility orange flag that attaches to your outboard engine when the boat is on the trailer, used to warn following motorists that they need to give some extra space on the road.

Marine regulations state that a boat needs to carry a sturdy bucket as part of its safety equipment. That word “sturdy” suggests the $2 special from the local hardware shop or the old bucket that’s been sitting in the shed for the last decade may not cut it out on the water.

Specialist bailing buckets have flat rims that allow you to scoop up more water than a round-lipped bucket, and can even have built-in handles that make them much more sturdy than the garden-variety bucket.

Again, you can buy a bailing kit that will include a bucket made specially for boats.

Having a decent bailer is always important if your boat's batteries have been swamped and fail, rendering the bilge pump useless.

Sound signals are an important part of boating. If you regularly navigate on rivers, you’re more likely to use them than, say, someone taking to open waters.

A compressed air horn is the easiest type of sound signal to carry if your boat is not equipped with an electric horn.

These can come with either replaceable air canisters that screw onto the horn, or hand pump-operated horns that will never run out of puff for as long as you have strength in your arms.

One of the first things the kids do when they don a lifejacket is play with the whistle. But have you ever noticed that while they’re built tough, a lifejacket’s whistle isn’t that loud?

That’s where a good whistle comes into play. Having something handy that is loud may help enormously in a rescue situation.

It’s best to avoid whistles with peas as if water gets into these, they will not work as the pea may stick or even float, limiting its use, or even rot if it is made of cork. Look for a design that is free-draining.

A V sheet is a brightly coloured plastic sheet used to signal for help, and may sport a large “V” printed on it that gives it its name.

The key with a V sheet is that it makes a large surface area stand out, which is handy in a situation where someone is looking for you.

You can lay it out on the foredeck of a boat to attract aircraft, or hold it up to signal to a nearby boat. The V sheet can even float, meaning it will still be able to attract rescuers searching from the air even if your boat has slipped below the surface.

V sheets fold up quite compact, making them ideal to store in an emergency grab bag.

It’s surprising how quickly you can become disoriented out on the water.

While it’s a real problem offshore when you’re out of sight of land, even inshore, densely tree-lined lakes are sometimes just as bewildering as having no landmarks.

A good compass helps in these situations. It’s also handy when visibility is low and onshore landmarks that usually help boaters to pick their way through the waters are no longer there. This can be in anything from fog to light, drizzly rain, heavy cloud or even just a lack of light, such as when a thundercloud passes over, or at night.

The other big benefit of a compass is if the electronics that guided you to that remote fishing hotspot fail, a compass can help you find your way back.

VHF radios for marine use are growing in importance as a safety tool, expanding beyond their more traditional uses, such as chatting with other boats or receiving regular weather updates.

The better marine radios these days will include a system called Digital Select Calling (DSC), which links the radio – and the boat – to a special code handed out by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

Once you have programmed in the code, it allows you to press a button on the radio that will send a call for help out to every boat within range. This includes the exact coordinates of your boat, so any would-be rescuers can head directly to your location.