Must-Have On-Boat Tools And Gadgets 2025
livemusic reply :
Those of you that have a boat of any kind, what have you found that you need to have onboard? Any tools or gadgets that you feel are necessary? I just bought a used boat, need to equip it for some gadgets to help with whatever but also, you never know when you need to repair something. What tools?
I recently fished with a buddy a few times and two things come to mind. A troll motor shear pin and also a fresh troll motor rope, the one you let your troll motor down off the front of the boat. He broke both.
I keep forgetting to buy a lure retriever telescoping pole. Needed one last fishing trip. I also needed a wrench to fit the nuts on my main motor battery.
Gadgets such as clippers, scissors, etc. I also recently bought a long hook remover to remove hook from fish's mouth.
I also lost an anchor recently; the rope broke. Should have replaced that rope.
kingmotorboat reply :
Needle nose pliers
BassinLou reply :
Off the top of my head the tools and gadgets you will need for your boat will be: pfd's, rope, whistle, duct tape/electrical tape, extra fuses, extra TM prop, extra Main motor prop. 6ft aluminum utility boat hook pole, extra paddle, fire extinguisher, screw drivers, grip pliers, scissors/shears, Cell phone with full charge and/or extra battery pack. That's off the top my head, I am sure others will fill in with more info.
HoosierHawgs reply :
Quality scissors if you fish with braid. A liar of needle nose pliers, a baitcasting line pic, a hook remover.... Off the top of my head.
BassinLou reply :
Oh... here are some more. Fish Grip, scale, and ruler or tape measure.
CJ reply :
Other than what is required by the coast guard and what others have mentioned:
zip ties!
prop pins
a bottle of Catch and Release (this stuff can save a gill hooked or bled fish' life by rubbing some on the spot, not all of them but some)
primetime reply :
10 Pairs of braid cutters if you fish with anyone else...They get tossed around so much and misplaced, I would buy a large batch of them just to have and keep in storage because nothing is worse that having to cut braid and not having anything sharp enough, and if you get a bad cut, it is hard to tie knots at times....
Good Quality Needle Nose and Split ring pliers are a must, (find a way to tie down your pliers, I have had more than 1 pair bounce of the seat and into the water). I also carry a Hook removing kit/first aid combo, and I printed out the instructions from online how to remove a hook because it seems simple but you will be happy to have the paper there to give you instruction, it is actually quite easy. Good Pliers are worth every penny but a cord of some kind is advised from my experiences, same with buying a good pair of polarized glasses...I used to only use cheap glasses, but put on a pair of decent one's and you see why people pay big money for glasses, I always buy hand me downs when it comes to stuff like glasses as I just can't afford more than $50 personally.
1- Rain gear/Poncho or at worse something plastic to repel the quick storm.
2- bug Repellant is necessary if you ever stay later than planning and nothing is worse than being on fish only to have your friend complaining about bugs, actually a lit Cigar keeps bugs away for most part, but I don't like the smell of cigars...
3- Bring a Net, if you get a true Fish of a lifetime, you don't want to have to try to lip it or grab it, and if your partner or friend misses the fish, it caused tension that is not needed, a good net is easy to use and will give you comfort in those situations since getting a trophy to the boat is hard enough, a Net can save you an extra run or two the fish may make, and make sure you go over with who ever you fish with never to grab the line if the fish is still green, plus braid can cut you really good...
Some type of push pole or any way to move quietly if fishing backwaters or shallow water....I also would suggest investing in a comfortable life vest that has the cord you pull if in any trouble, they are not as bulky and even if you fish small bodies of water, you never know what can happen....
Hope that helps, but removing hooks from skin on a boat is key otherwise you may have a day end early
A-Jay reply :
If you live &/or fish in the land of the Jurassic Esox ~ A Jaw Spreader will come in Real Handy.
A-Jay
hatrix reply :
A line pick? I have heard of them but never actually seen one. As for braid cutters since they only cut buy some .99 cent nail clippers. They work amazing. Personally I just always have needle nose in my back pocket and they cut fine.
For the boat a push pole of some kind. Also if you have something off the side of the boat you can stick it through down into the ground you have a make shift power pole. I do it all the time on the john boat.
cgolf reply :
One that I carry that I haven't seen mentioned is a hook cutter. To limit injuries to fish and to help with hooked fishermen too.
After the opener learned 2 things, the first aid kit we bought 8 years ago is a trip saver when someone sticks themselves when pulling a Crankbait out of a bass' mouth. Also the lip gripper I use when handling bass hooked with trebles or any pike or walleye to hopefully limit the chances I need the first aid kit.
If you do any multi species fishing rod holders can be handy too.
HoosierHawgs reply :
You can make a pic out of a wine cork and a straightened baitholder hook with the barb filed down. Or you can buy them at BPS for a few bones. My dad has one and loves itmOn 5/11/2015 at 3:04 AM, hatrix said:A line pick? I have heard of them but never actually seen one. As for braid cutters since they only cut buy some .99 cent nail clippers. They work amazing. Personally I just always have needle nose in my back pocket and they cut fine.
For the boat a push pole of some kind. Also if you have something off the side of the boat you can stick it through down into the ground you have a make shift power pole. I do it all the time on the john boat.
Chris at Tech reply :
Roll of TP stored in a ziplock bag. Just in case...
HoosierHawgs reply :
On 5/11/2015 at 3:34 AM, Chris at Tech said:Roll of TP stored in a ziplock bag. Just in case...
scaleface reply :
Marker buoys .
hatrix reply :
On 5/11/2015 at 3:17 AM, jakob1010 said:You can make a pic out of a wine cork and a straightened baitholder hook with the barb filed down. Or you can buy them at BPS for a few bones. My dad has one and loves itm
I don't understand where the wine cork comes into play. Once I did bend out a jig head straight and crimp the barb to get a line. It was also like 2 am in the dead of winter fishing for walleye. I have never had to use a pick yet other then that.
HoosierHawgs reply :
The wine cork makes it like holding a screwdriver. Makes it easier to pick through all of the crap of a bride nest from hell.On 5/11/2015 at 6:00 AM, hatrix said:I don't understand where the wine cork comes into play. Once I did bend out a jig head straight and crimp the barb to get a line. It was also like 2 am in the dead of winter fishing for walleye. I have never had to use a pick yet other then that.
Chris at Tech reply :
Lemme think of the stuff I have stored in my boat...
Duct tape
Pliers
Screwdrivers
Spare prop
Pfd
First aid kit
TP
Anchor and line
Dock rope
Net
Paddle
I'm sure I'll remember more
MickD reply :
I think the best line pick, which is on my list of gadgets, is a small crochet hook. I also agree that some device to handle a big fish, like a net or lip grab tool is essential.
Mark_H reply :
I'm kinda the same as the OP in that I'm relatively new to this (don't ask me how long I spent saving...), so it always interest me to see what people have as essentials. Some great suggestions here that I hadn't thought of. Mine's mostly full of the usual junk - really needs a clean at some point - as well as rods/hooks/tackle. @cgolf's mention of a hook cutter also reminds me I still need to pick one of those up.
Also tend to go a little overboard (I'll let myself out...) with safety gear. Have had bad experiences on friends' boats before where first aid kits have been half-empty. Not fun! On that note, can anyone recommend a quality mounting bracket for a fire extinguisher? Recently followed this guide http://pslfireandsafety.co.nz/flamefighter-extinguisher-selection/ and finally picked one up but I'd prefer to have it mounted somewhere permanently.
Oh, and ziplock bags! Might sound crazy but they've saved more than a few iPhones and the like since we started heading out. Especially for first timers who may not yet have their sea legs.
CRANKENSTIEN reply :
I have a pair of rapala clippers ( like nail clippers ). They have a hooked line pick and a small knife that rolls out. When I first started using baitcasters the pick was great. I usually don't get backlashes that massive anymore. I use the clippers to cut line all the time and it works well on braid too.
Has anyone mentioned sunscreen yet
livemusic reply :
This is not something to take, but I cannot do without MyRadar app for my cell phone. I use that all the time; we have a lot of thunderstorms here and it's uber cool to have weather radar in your pocket. I also like the baggie idea, I am always putting my phone under the gunwale overhang so it doesn't get wet if it's raining a bit, could just put the phone in a baggie.
I looked at first aid kits recently but heck, 90% of the ones I saw is nothing more than gauze. Ridiculous. I wonder what a good quality kit is.
Ben Eipert reply :
My leatherman always stays on my boat. Scissors, pliers, knife, screwdriver- all I need for just about any emergency. I have had to use it to take apart trolling motors on the water. Very handy
dam0007 reply :
Fish stabilizer weights!
Catch and Release powder!
Good hook removal tools!
Something to cut hooks!
Clean live well every outing!
All priority!
Then:
Medkit for yourself and guests
Sunblock
Bug spray
Zip ties and tools
And I don't know name of it but a new product you can charge via usb and use it to jump your boat should you have battery failure.
papajoe222 reply :
Items related strictly to use of the boat include a prop wrench, spare prop and pin for your trolling motor, a small tool kit, first aid kit, jumper cables, tow rope, bailing bucket, a roll of electrical and duct tape and something I never leave shore without, a big dose of common sense.
livemusic reply :
On 5/22/2015 at 10:49 AM, dam0007 said:Fish stabilizer weights!
Catch and Release powder!
Good hook removal tools!
Something to cut hooks!
Clean live well every outing!
All priority!
Then:
Medkit for yourself and guests
Sunblock
Bug spray
Zip ties and tools
And I don't know name of it but a new product you can charge via usb and use it to jump your boat should you have battery failure.
Never heard of a fish stabilizer weight, but, now I have -- http://www.***.com/Flip_Clip_Stabilizing_Weights_3pk/descpage-FHCPSWTS.html-- but I don't fish deep water.
Clean out live well each trip? With what? And why?
zachb34 reply :
Those 99 cent BPS disposable rain ponchos. After being soaked in a December rain 20 miles away from the ramp, I always have those now
dam0007 reply :
On 5/22/2015 at 11:50 AM, livemusic said:Never heard of a fish stabilizer weight, but, now I have -- http://www.***.com/Flip_Clip_Stabilizing_Weights_3pk/descpage-FHCPSWTS.html--but I don't fish deep water.
Clean out live well each trip? With what? And why?
Lol just with fresh clean water at your house. Helps prevent spread of zebra mussels and any parasites that can go fish to fish from different bodies of water.
Scott F reply :
Lots of good suggestions. One extra thing I carry is a bottle or jug to pee in. The majority of people who fall off a boat do so while relieving themselves over the side of the boat. They make a jug specifically for the job that includes an adapter for females to use.
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