Here is a list and approximant price of equipment I have all the time, in any boat I go in. This equipment is so important and many small boats think they don t need one as they can see shore most of the time. The waters from Anclote Island to Crystal River offers over one hundred and fifty miles of shore line and some of the backwaters look so much alike anyone can get lost or stuck. I believe if you can give someone your exact location, rescue would be so much easier. This is a better means of letting people know where you are.
Cell phones are good but sometimes out of the range of their antennas especially in the backwaters.
Another bad thing about using cells is that they cannot be tracked. Here is a good reason to why we carry a marine radio for communications while on the water. The US Coast Guard monitors channel sixteen twenty-four hours a day as well as tow boat company s. All the rescue companies also carry on their boat a piece of equipment called a radio direction finder. This piece of equipment will find you by the signal your radio puts out.