Emergency items, preventive planning and emergency practice all go together. Nothing beats planning ahead of time to avoid an emergency situation if at all possible and if not, knowing what you will do when one occurs. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
Here is what I carry in a life jacket storage bag whenever using my Whaler. I removed one life jacket to make room...portable VHF, hand held GPS, handheld compass, bottle of drinking water, storm suit, spark plugs and spark plug wrench; Philips and slot screwdriver, extra fuel tank connections, length of clear vinyl hose, portable fire extinguisher...this bag is stored aboard when cruising in my Hatteras....so the electronics are portable backups.
You can improvise from this spare list....I learned to bring extra fuel tank connections when I once lost my balance, stepped on a connection and broke it...The 3 ft of vinyl hose is to enable me to siphon any water from a corner of my fuel tank...again, something learned from experience.
Aboard my Hatteras I carry: spare anchors and rodes, fenders and fender boards, weather radio, all duplicate stand alone electronics, spare alternators, spare fuses and circuit breakers, spare domestic water pump, spare raw water impellers for mains and genny, spare raw water pump for mains, extra antifreeze, one spare injector, spare fuel filters,spare oil filters, spare RACOR CCV air filters,spare light bulbs for everything, a back up portable gas genny, extra bilge pumps, emergency 120volt portable bilge pump with 2" discharge hose (folds flat), all the tools I know how to use, spare hoses clamps, all sizes.
I considered a spare main engine starter...but you need a left and a right rotation for 71 series engines so I passed. Spare main engine and genny hoses are also a possibility. My old Onan starter, a Prestolite, is a crap design, but I know what they sound like when they begin to fail and they do so slowly so it's no biggie...good for maybe a thousand or so starts..
To prevent emergencies: separate bilge alarm system with multiple float switches, raw water flow alarm, vacuum and water fuel alarms for RACOR's, TV engine room monitor, multiple radar,multiple GPS plotter, multiple compasses, extra fire extinguishers, twin engine room fire fighting systems, coolant temp gauage for my Onan mounted in salon....careful inspection and attention to detail at all times....regular practice using all electronics....selection switch for either aux or port battery operation of all flybridge electronics.
Each spring I also practice "emergency night time start": I practice locating and activating my compass light and navigation lights, ignition keys, and engine start buttons...with my eyes closed to simulate night...I can NEVER get it right each spring the first time, a sure sign at my age I have to "retrain" myself peridiocally. But it's NICE to know I can start up FAST without lights ruining my night vision.
