What Spare Parts & Tools Do You Carry?
 

Small things make huge differences when we don't have them.

I lost a clevis pin and split ring off the fin of my Mirage Drive last time I went out. The pedals went slack when the pin dropped out. Luckily, the fin did not slip off the post and sink. I had to paddle the rest of the way back because pedals were useless. Against the wind and tide, it was a mo-fo, but the exercise was good :-)

https://www.apexfasteners.com/fasten...Clevis_Pin.jpg


Plastic rudder pins are important too, when we don't have one. There is an indentation inside the lid of our 8" hatch already designed by Hobie to hold a clip-in spare rudder pin. Maybe I'll glue a couple spare clevis pins, screws, etc. inside the same hatch lid. Silicone glue or polyurethane stretch caulking - something that holds, but easy to pull off.

https://www.campmor.com/wcsstore/Cam.../39531_blk.jpg


Once a control string came off the rudder of my brothers Outback. It was a pain in the butt out in the ocean without a rudder. I now carry a small phillips head screwdriver for refastening rudder strings. Much easier than trying to use the tip of a knife.

These things are so small, they hardly make a bump in our vest pocket, so of course we should have them.


What other SPARE PARTS AND TOOLS do you carry for making repairs on the ocean?


Some items on my emergency check list:

- Rescue Tape (radiator hose repair tape that molds and fuses to itself in wet conditions) https://www.amazon.com/Rescue-Tape-R...cue+tape&psc=1
- gauze fabric "pills" from the army surplus store that expand in water to become wrap bandages, tourniquets, eye patch, head band, etc.
- wire cutters strong enough to cut hooks embedded in the wrong places
- WoundSeal powder, stops bleeding instantly https://www.amazon.com/Biolife-LLC-W...%2Bpowder&th=1

- finger wrap size self adhesive bandages that work on wet skin
- tow rope with clip
- hand bilge pump
- 12' of paracord that doubles up to become my hat band and chin strap
- a few long zip ties. Black lasts longer in UV than white.



Food for thought.

My rolls of rescue tape came from Big Lots

- emergency radio, emergency beacon, signal mirror
- iphone, waterproof or in a waterproof container
- signal whistle
- bright LED safety light & headlamp if you are on the water after dark or before light
- Sham-wow is better and more multi-functional than a big sponge, IMHO
- sun block

Several items of rare but important use can be vacuum packed and stowed out of the way to keep them together in a minimized size package and protected from salt water. The corner of the plastic pack outside the vacuum seal can be punched with a hole for a string or clip.

Rarely used items can all be tossed together in a dry bag or tupperware or vacuum sealed master-pack, stuffed away in the hull out of the way. Make it retrievable with a piece of paracord fastened within reach. My bilge pump was always rolling around in my hull somewhere. It's now on a string fastened near the hatch between my legs and easy to retrieve.


Live and learn :)

I'm on a non-pedal yak, so all I need is zip ties and duct tape.

PFD, radio, whistle, rescue knife(for cutting yourself loose if you end up tangled in line, rope, kelp etc).

So ALL you need is to work much harded to get your fishing done. Fish a Hobie 180 drive for an hour or two in your favorite fishing hole and you too will cross to the dark side. Point your nose into the wind and work a spot, drift any way you need to stay in contact with your lure or bait, use your biggest muscle group to get home quicker. But then you will need a bigger SPARE parts kit. Tight Lines amigo.

Spare parts??? That's what the back up kayak is for. :D

I'm a big proponent of electrical components.
I just had to do a bypass on my battery box plug on the water, and thankfully keep a handful of spare crimp connectors, some electrical tape, a foot or so of extra wire, and a very small multi-meter for quickly ferreting out problem when they pop up. I also love my SOG power-assist pliers for the built-in crimpers and the amazing torque they provide.

I also keep a pump, dry bag with towel and extra top layer, zip ties, and para-cord

Pedialite
 

I carry a lot of the stuff posted above, but one addition of note is Pedialite. If you ever get dehydrated and start cramping up it can become impossible to pedal or paddle. I use the powdered form and add it to a water bottle if I start feeling crampy.

Cash....
 

And carry ;)

Getting the Led out....
 

Ah. Ah....:D

For fishing or abductions?

I too have a paddle yak and always bring along a buddy with a Hobie if the forecast for the day looks sketchy.

If abductions were the case, he would also need stun guns.

I tend to fish alone most of the time for an impromptu escape, convenience, and for serenity with the beauty of nature. However, your point is outstanding. The Buddy System is one of the best common sense measures we can take for safety when we are WAY TF out there and something incapacitates us. It's always good to have backup. The camaraderie with a favorite fishing buddy is wholesome too.

Why limit it to one or the other? Isn't the point of the extra gear to be prepared for any opportunities that present themselves? :D