 Hey guys, welcome to Tech Talk. My name's Eric. Today, we're going to talk about the essentials to keep you legal on the water plus a few extras. Five essentials to keep yourself legal on the water are a horn or audible device, fire extinguisher, flares, throwable cushion and life vest. We'll start with life vest. You have to have a life vest for every person on board as well as children. If you have children on the boat, the life vest has to be fitted to their weight size. The next is a throwable cushion. This needs to always be easily accessible in case someone falls overboard. Next is flares. Right here, I have a kit of four handheld flares. These are great for inshore and nearshore, but if you're going to be traveling farther off, you're going to need a flare gun with a flare gun kit. Lastly is a fire extinguisher. Make sure the fire extinguisher is stored in an area where it's out of the element, but it's also accessible. You want to make sure when purchasing a fire extinguisher it is rated for the right size vessel. Don't buy one for a PWC if you're in a 21 foot boat and don't buy one for a 21 foot boat if you're in a 35 foot boat. Those are the five essentials you need to be legal on the water. Next, we're going to talk about some of the non, well, still essential things you're going to need on the boat when you're on the water. A couple of things you shouldn't leave the dock without are some dock lines and anchor and some fenders. Dock lines are important for almost every aspect of boating, whether you're getting towed in or tying up with the marina for lunch. I recommend carrying between four and five on your boat. That way you always have an extra to throw around in case you need it. Next, I recommend carrying two to four fenders on your boat. These ones here are my favorite. They are a canvas wrapped inflatable fender. They stow away easily and they don't scratch the side of your hull no matter how rough the water is. Next is an anchor. My boat here has a windlass, but I like to carry a spare on board. I use it as a stern anchor when I'm at the sandbar or if something happens with my main anchor, I always have a backup. The last things I want to cover are some personal items that I feel everyone should carry aboard. First is a PLB. Second is some sunscreen. Third is a nice safety kit. Fourth is a tool kit. And fifth is a nice set of binoculars. The reason I carry a PLB over an E-Purve because I boat alone. I like having this on my waist. That way I fall off the vessel. It's going to ping me and not the boat. A PLB is a great item to have. They're not super expensive and they could be a lifesaver in a real bad situation. So next is a good bottle of sunscreen. I like to have this as well as a hat and a good set of sunglasses. Because all day on the water you're going to want as much sun protection as you can have. The next item is my safety kit. Essentially it's a first aid kit with bandages, neosporin, gauze, medical tape. Stuff that can help you if you're in a pinch. You cut your foot open. You get a hook in your finger. Something that will get you back to the dock and get you where you can get the appropriate medical help. Next is a tool kit. The small easy tool kit you can buy at almost any store. It's got a wrench, a socket, screwdriver, and even a little hammer in it. You never know when you're going to need it, but it is a lifesaver when you do. Lastly is a good set of binoculars. They really can help you out if you're in a storm. As well as if you need to see markers coming up in the dark. A good pair isn't super expensive and it's something I really recommend having on board your boat. Last thing, it's not something that's really essential, but it's something that I do recommend having on board. It's one of those sayings where you don't know what you need until it's gone. Having a set of fins, a mask, and a dive flag on board will never hurt. There's that small chance you might need it in an emergency situation or just a recreational situation, but it's always great to be able to reach down under the console and grab them. Something that's not on the list but something that I personally recommend is a suspender style or a fanny pack style inflatable life vest. They make them in manual deploy and auto deploy. Some great little features this fanny pack style vest has on it has a clip for your kill switch. It has a zip where you can store your belongings, your fishing license, and it being a waste band means you can clip your PLB to the side of it. If you guys have any questions, leave them in the comments below. If you like this video, hit the thumbs up button or subscribe to our YouTube channel. We appreciate your time. Thanks a lot.