My annual fishing trip is this weekend. There are 7 of us going and, like the Skipper and his crew, we'll be up to a three hour boat (motor) ride from the dock. It's a big lake, with lots of islands and channels, few year-round residents, and only one of us knows the area well. The weather report is for variable skies and temps are set to fall to about 3 degrees C overnight.

I'm working on an emerg kit for the boat. (Will try to get everyone to carry a small PSK too.) It needs to be small and able to float. We will be dressed in weather appropriate layers to stay dry and warm, will have lifejackets on, paddles, throw bag, bailing bucket, cell phones and GPS, though cell phone reception is intermittant at best. When someone stays on-shore, we'll have handhelds as well. (Of coure, I'll have my personal EDC and emerg stuff on my person and in my tackle box, along with my fishing and rain gear.) Shore lunch is not part of this experience so fire, cooking gear and food is generally left in the cottage, with the exceptions of the travel mugs and water bottles everyone brings.

Getting stuck out (in the boat or on shore) on an unplanned cold and wet overnight, are my primary concerns. Here's what I'm thinking so far:

-Marine bucket (floating, with lid)
-FAK
-Fixed blade
-Butane lighter
-Fatwood
-TinderQuick
-Heat Sheet
-Pocket warmers
-LED Flashlight
-Chem lights
-Coffee can/metal cup
-Micropur tabs
-Tea bags
-peanut mms
-Whistle
-Mirror
-Flare gun
-Chart, map, compass

Any other suggestions?

Sounds like a fantastic trip. "A Three Hour Tour, A Three Hour Tour ...." you say ? Better pack some coconuts just incase !

And:

I know you mentioned intermittent phone coverage, so it would be worth getting some local numbers.
If you do have an issue, a local call to a marine mechanic, local police, boat club, onshore friends etc may be more appropriate than emergency services.

When I'm on the water I try and take a knife with a (half) serrated blade - better for cutting ropes and webbing

Do you need anything for sea sickness ? Crystalized ginger and peppermints are good "remedies", and good to add to your snack pack. They both assist with motion sickness, but if you travel with a "real" sufferer, then you can't beat real meds (IMO).

As to packing all that gear, what about a survival vest format ? It means you will always have it on you when the boat sinks !

Put rubberbands around everything possible,they provide grip when wet,you can slip a banded item onto your hand,finger,wrist,such as flashlight for xtra hands-free ability.Extra tinder fortification of course,& you can shoot them at someone from 1 side of the boat to another or in camp,to get their attention,& if you are a good shot,skeeters/flys & such.Take a slab of Velveeta cheese with you,It makes Xlnt bait as well as a good tasting,lifesaving protein snack.Make a few copies of this gathered info from ETS,& turn your friends onto it,that may spark their interests a bit more,& maybe the next adventure everyone will be on the same page as yourself,hopefully! Have Fun!

PLB? GPS? What kind of handheld radios? Do extra batteries make sense? You'll leave a trip plan with a responsible person?

If you look at the boat as I look at aircraft over water, you might consider the contents of my aviation survival vest: Flotation vest, PLB, Radio, GPS, Flashlight, Chem lights, Laser flare, knife, DR PSP.

Obviously some of those are high dollar items and not everyone needs everything. OTOH, who's going to wear all that stuff in a vest while fishing? A lightweight ditch bag that floats could contain an excellent survival kit. Everyone still needs to wear a PFT; when stuff goes wrong it can go wrong fast.

I would suggest packing it in a dry bag. If you pack it right, you can have enough air in it so that it will float. A couple of items you might want to consider adding:

One or 2 lightweight tarps (for shelter building).

Parachute or similar nylon cord (a million and one uses).

One or more ensolite or similar pads (insulation, splint building etc).

At least 1 SOL bivy bag (ideally one for each person). I don't think the "reflecting body heat back to you" helps that much, but keeping the wind and wet off of you is huge. I now always have one in my daypack. See http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/product.php?product=144&catname=Shelter&prodname=SOL

check with the boat owner, and see how much anchor rode (line) is on board, and whether there is a chain leading to the anchor... you want the length of the rode to be 7x or 8x the depth of the water ... most non commercial boats have way too short anchor rode... the longer the chain, the more it helps secure the anchor... a bucket for a sea anchor helps...make sure you don't anchor off the stern and try to back down on the anchor to unlodge it... it is easy to take on water if the driver is inexperienced and the anchor pulls the bow or stern under...be prepared to cut the line if necessary, you can buy the owner a new anchor and rode later....

I have a good hush puppy and Key Lime pie recipe to go with the seafood... have a safe trip

Since getting wet is possible, I guess a towel and/or change of clothes would be useful too.

A set of thermals is very compact and a small micro fibre towel

When it comes to boating, typically the two most important things are to stay afloat to prevent drowning and to be able to quickly alert rescuers, as extended time spent in the water can lead to hypothermia. Therefore, a PFD (lifejacket) and various signal methods (such as whistles, flares, beacons, marine radios, signal mirrors, ect, ect) are absolutely vital.

With those items, I also consider a knife to be of the utmost importance. There tends to be a lot of various cordage used in, and around, boats. I've personally seen people fishing get tangled up in some line on the boat, fall off the boat, and become so further entangled as to nearly drown. Children especially, are very vulnerable to this. For this purpose I'm a big fan of Spyderco's Salt line, as they use H2 steel which is basically impervious to rust.

Past that, then you're basically looking at a lot of the same gear you would have for land based survival. The big difference though, is that you have to make sure that gear is either suitable for wet environments or specifically protected against against moisture. Otherwise, it might not work when you need it.

An acquittance of mine recently spent a night hanging onto the side of his boat after wave and wind conspired to roll it over on him. He was spotted shortly after first light by another craft; he lost his signaling equipment. My thoughts...

Whistle, flashlight and small strobe should be on every vest; once the sun goes down, a cracked chemlight or waterproof light stick should be on every vest as well if your strobe doesn't auto activate on submersion, that way if you fall off and get run over by the boat you can be found. Grey and dark blue vests make me cringe- visibility, visibility, visibility. If you are going to rely on your phone, be sure it has signal, has charge, and put it in a plastic bag and tape it tight so you can use it even if gets wet. For a survival kit, the PSP or similiar, with a heatsheet (there isn't much similiar), lighter, flashlight- the basics, but not in pants pockets.