No one wants to get in a boat crash, capsize or otherwise have some sort of disaster out on the water. You don’t want it, your passengers don’t want it, even your boat insurance agent doesn’t want you to get into a mess. Yet, if you’re particularly disaster prone or seem to have plain dumb luck, there are some things you need to have on your boat in order to be prepared.

So, for those of you who are just disaster prone, here are the top 5 items you need to make sure you bring along when boating:

1. Radar Reflector. For right around 20 bucks, you can get a little device that will show up as a blip every time a radar signal passes by. This can be especially useful if you plan on getting lost and don’t intend to be able to find your own way back home, or if you plan on being injured and knocked unconscious.
2. Waterproof Handheld GPS and/or VHF. Now, if you’re smart, you’ve got these devices mounted on your boat. The problem is that you’re not likely to have your disaster leave you inside the boat. You’re more likely to find yourself in the water, nowhere near your boat. You can get a combo VHF/GPS unit for less than $300. Just make sure you get a waterproof one, and then attach it to your body tightly.
3. A Collision mat. When you ram your hull into a huge rock, you need to be able to staunch the leak. A canvas collision mat can help to keep your bilge pump from becoming overwhelmed long enough to be able to get back home. A good one will cost about $150.
4. A Sharp Knife or Multitool. Clip that sucker to your belt in case you need to cut your anchor line, or cut off your left ankle to get free of that random bear trap someone dropped in the water two decades ago. You’re looking at less than $50 for a high-quality tool.
5. Personal locator beacon. Most boats have an EPIRB, but you can get a personal locator beacon in case that tiny boat tosses you overboard before drifting miles and miles away. A personal locator beacon will run you somewhere around $400.

Finally, if you know for  sure that you’re that disaster prone, you might consider just not going out on a boat. In some ways, it’s just tempting fate and asking for trouble.

Photo via yeowatzup