10 Essential Tools To Keep On Your Boat At All Times

Whenever you're out on the water in a boat — like a small, personal vessel, not a massive cruise ship or anything like that — there are a lot of items you'll want to have onboard. Fire extinguishers, flares, personal floatation devices (PFD), and other safety gear are not just important; depending on where you are, some of them are required by law.

Before heading out on the water, it is extremely important that you know these rules and regulations, and have the necessary safety equipment. But rather than focusing on life-saving must-haves, we're here to talk about other tools that are important to keep around — even if you won't get in trouble for boating without them.

Everything below was picked based on a combination of recommendations from websites like Progressive Insurance, and suggestions made by my own dad, who's been a boating enthusiast for longer than I've been alive and spent several years taking his own small sailboat out in Long Island Sound.

Unless you're in an extremely small vessel — like an open raft or maybe a canoe or kayak — it's always a good idea to have your own light source on-hand. For several reasons.

A flashlight is the tool for being able to see in dark areas, which can include lower decks on larger boats, closed off storage compartments in smaller ones, and all manner of corners and crevices. It'll make locating small items much easier, keep you from stumbling over unseen obstacles, avoid poking or cutting yourself when feeling around in the dark (because it won't be dark), or even help you spot possible leaks.

Of course, it should definitely also be waterproof, because you're going to be on or in the water and you don't want it to short out or otherwise break if it gets damp. You won't need anything terribly complicated or expensive, but waterproofing is a must. Especially since a flashlight can double as a visual signal in rough weather or at night, to flag down help if you need it.

Something like the ThruNite LED Flashlight Archer 2A V3, one of the best pocket flashlights according to user reviews, is worth considering. For $40, you'll get a flashlight that can be easily clicked on and off as a signal, can be set up as a strobe, reaches up to 500 lumens, and has adjustable brightness. Just make sure you're using a fresh set of AA batteries before you head out as it's not rechargeable.

Another "be prepared" staple for boating is the trusty pocket knife. Or multitool. Or even just a small tool kit. You never truly know if or when you'll need to adjust or otherwise fix something when you're on the water, and having what you need for these kinds of situations is very important. If you want to be as comprehensive as possible, a boat-specific tool kit is probably the way to go as — depending on the kit — they tend to include a wide variety of tools for an equally wide variety of repairs.

In most cases you're more likely to be using a full kit of tools while docked to perform maintenance or fix things in a more stable environment, but there's no harm in having one on board in case of emergencies. That said, something more compact like a pocket knife or multitool can still be useful for on-the-spot work while you're on the water, and double as a possible survival tool in the event that you get stranded.

Fortunately there's no shortage of these kinds of things on the market. For example, the Great Neck MS125 marine tool kit includes 125 water-resistant pieces (ratchets, spinner handle, gap and feeler gauges, drive sockets, etc) for just under $75. But a best-selling multitool like the $50 Leatherman Micra, while not as extensive as a kit, does offer a fair number of useful tool bits in a much more compact package.

Navigational instruments like a compass aren't strictly necessary when you're boating in a small body of water (like a lake), but it's a good idea to keep one around anyway. Just in case you wind up in an area where you might get turned around or otherwise lose your bearings.

Of course, there are always more high tech options like GPS or radar systems — possibly even your own smartphone — but a compass doesn't run the risk of losing signal or running out of power. And unlike calibrating the compass on an iPhone, it's not at all fussy to set up.

TurnOnSport's Orienteering Compass is one of the highest rated on Amazon, carries a $12 MSRP, and comes with a built-in magnifying glass and a ruler scale in the event you need to start using any charts for navigation. It's also small, light, and can be worn on a lanyard in order to keep it on your person at all times. Just in case.

You know how a common mantra for umbrellas is "it's better to have one and not need it than need one and not have it?" Well, that goes double for first aid kits — especially if you're going to be out on the water for an indeterminate amount of time. It's a very important piece of must-have safety equipment, really.

Obviously it's something you'll be happy to have if you get stranded or have a very bad mishap, but it's also good to have around just in case of small things. Depending on the boat, those onboard could inadvertently end up with smaller injuries like a splinter, cut, scrape, puncture, rope burn, and so on. Having the proper basics for medical treatment both gets you on the path to healing faster, and can stave off potential infection until you're able to get to dry land.

The First Aid Only FAO-442 kit, for instance, includes almost 300 pieces and can be used to treat burns, cuts, scrapes, and so on for around $21. In addition to various disinfecting wipes, pain relief tablets, antibiotic creams, burn gels, bandages, and medical tape, it also includes other helpful items like tweezers, scissors, thermometers, and even an emergency blanket (because hypothermia is no joke).

Rope is exceedingly common on sailboats as it's necessary for all the rigging, but it's also necessary for vessels that rely on engines instead of wind power. At the very least it's what you'll be using to tie the boat off at a dock or affix to an anchor.

Having extra rope on board is also a good idea, though. Depending on the length and thickness, it can work as a temporary (emphasis on "temporary") rigging replacement in a pinch if something were to snap or fray — in the case of a sailboat, anyway. It can also be used to tie down various objects if things start to get rough, and could be tossed to someone that might have fallen overboard. Though ideally there would be a floatation device at the end of that rope.

There are plenty of options out there, with most dock lines made out of braided nylon. Something like TWNTHSD's Marine Grade Dock Lines are available in a 4-pack for $32 and promise durable, abrasion-resistant construction while being able to hold up to storms and exposure to salt water. All very important things for boat rope.

Believe it or not, air horns have practical uses outside of sports events. Granted, larger boats do have built-in horns but it's still not a bad idea to have a pocket-sized one around.

An air horn on a boat functions much the same way as a car's horn, except it's an object you have to hold in your hand rather than something built into a steering wheel. It's mostly intended as an audible signal for other boats in the area. Sometimes as a warning in order to avoid an accidental collision, and sometimes as a call for help — and the same applies if you find yourself floating in the water with an air horn in your hand.

Now, you could technically build yourself a DIY Ryobi train horn and call it a day, but that requires a fair bit of money and effort to create something that would likely be a bit unwieldy on a boat. You'll probably want to look into air horns like the Better Boat Marine Safety Air Horn instead, as $17 will get you all your need for a Coast Guard compliant device that can fit in your pocket. It also boasts an audible range of up to a half mile, which is very important if you're going to be out on any large or oceanic bodies of water.

The reasoning and principles behind having a whistle on board are pretty much the same as an air horn, though with far less audible range. That said, it's much easier to attach a whistle to PFDs, or wear around your neck on a lanyard.

In particular, a whistle is very handy to have in the event that you fall overboard since you can use it to signal anyone else on the boat. Or, if you're on a larger boat, it's a good way for someone who's still on board to get other people's attention in the event of a similar emergency, which makes a speedier rescue more likely.

Whistles are very common and come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and materials — though seeing as this is intended for use on a boat, something made out of some form of plastic rather than metal is the way to go. And if you're going to avoid a standard metal whistle, you may as well go a bit farther and look into something like LuxoGear's Emergency Whistles. $10 pays for a pair of them, and they come with adjustable reflective lanyards and a molded-in belt clip so you can fit them just about anywhere.

Never underestimate the usefulness of a decently sized plastic cylinder with a hole on one side when you're out and away from civilization — especially on a boat. It doesn't have to be as intense as Harbor Freight's 5-Gallon Bucket, but unless your boat is so small there's no room for one you should probably keep a bucket around.

While not the ideal for bailing out excess water (a manually-operated bilge pump would be the better choice), they can still help if you're ever in a tight spot. Or if you only have one pump and have other people aboard who could use the bucket for some extra assistance. Outside of emergencies, though, a bucket is also a really convenient place to put things like drinks (add some ice and it works as a simple cooler), fish if that's what you're out there doing, and other boating supplies or gear.

There are so many options for buckets it's almost daunting, but just like with whistles you're going to want to avoid one made out of materials that are susceptible to rust. For instance, a $16 5-Gallon Collapsible Bucket from Luxtude provides plenty of volume, has a ring on one side to help with leverage while pouring, and is basically a really sturdy waterproof bag so it can fold up and hide away when you don't need it. Though a fabric-based bucket probably isn't a good place to store sharp or heavy equipment in.

We use mirrors when driving all the time, as they're an essential way to see the areas around our vehicle without having to make drastic head movements (and thus affect what we see in front of us). Boats don't often need mirrors like that, but it's still not a bad idea to keep one on you — maybe in a pocket or on a PFD.

Admittedly, mirror's aren't as versatile on a boat as they would be in other situations. One might help if you need to check something external without leaning over the side, but highly reflective materials work very well as a long range visual signal if you're ever in trouble or need to warn other vessels around you. Angle it towards the sun or other light source, then wave it around a bit and other boats or planes might be able to see the shine.

There's no shortage of compact mirrors on the market, so as long as the mirror you choose is small enough to keep in a pocket it's worth considering. For example, the smaller $12 OMIRO Compact Mirror model folds up to about the size of a credit card (roughly 2.5-inches by 3.3-inches). The clamshell construction will prevent any accidental reflections, and since there are no lights or batteries you won't have to worry about it getting wet.

Duct tape being a miracle fix for just about everything is such a well-worn joke even veteran dads don't bother making it anymore. But there's a reason it, and all those jokes, are still around.

Originally invented for the military, duct tape is strong, waterproof, and can solidly stick to a wide variety of materials — so of course it's worth keeping at least a roll or two on a boat. Probably not as a patch job for a leak (unless you cover up the hole on dry land first), but as a temporary fix for scratches, dings, breaks, and other damage on equipment and tools? Certainly. And because of its waterproof qualities on the non-adhesive side, you shouldn't need to worry about it losing its grip before you can make it to a dock or port.

You also can't go all that wrong with most kinds of duct tape, outside of the cheapest bargain brands, anyway. One of the more popular types that most regard very highly is The Original Duck Brand, which comes in three different strengths, in rolls between 20 and 60 yards, and generally costs around $10 for a single 60 yard roll.