Little advise with boat.
 

My brother bought a Seaswirl Striper. Now he needs the toys to go along with it. Boat is 21' I think.. Powered by a 200hp e-tec.

I haven't seen it yet but i haven't owned a boat in over 12 years or so. I haven't been keeping up or don't know whats out there to make the boating experience better. When i had my grady 23 i had a $150 humming bird and a $800 gps/plotter unit and that was it.
My question would be what would you consider for GPS, Fishfinder, ect..

And with him being in MA what insurance co would you recommend A buddy told me to check UnitedMarine.

Sorry for all the questions but i want to help him out with some great recommendations.
TIA,
Paul.

ins = travelers all the way

alot of people go boatus because its cheaper but the coverage tends to suck in comparison.

For insurance call the Alan Mott agency on Long Island (Huntington LI, I think). They specialize in boat insurance and can get you into policies that suit what you need at a good price.

Stay away from Travelers.. there more concerned for there agents than there customers.
And you can take that as fact!!!!!

Forget the replies of going with this ins co, that one or this one.....
ALL INSURANCE COMPANIES SUCK.
They are in business for profit not for you.
Ins is a necessary evil

that was your agent that was the issue, not travelers.
we went over this already.

On the service side, they're "ok", but they are very well known in the marine ins business.
GF did marine for years, does commercial now, is headed back to marine soon.

just don't go out too far with a Seaswirl or on a rough day IMO

most important have 2 radios, one being waterproof battery handheld.

he probably won't be going out in the fog so a gps can be fine you may not need a radar.

I had a boat 23+ years ending about 10 years ago. started out simply dead reconning for navigation. Did this 3 years. Finally got a radio direction finder. Did that for 4 years , got a Loran that was good for 5 or 6 then GPS. Today I think you must have GPS and a backup hand held GPS since they are so inexpensive.

If I had the money I would have radar on a boat also. The GPS should keep you from hitting land but boats running into each other in the fog is a big danger and Radar is the only solution. If you don't have your own radar be sure to have a radar reflector. Big fishing boats in this area can run you over in a second and just feel a bump.

radios I would go the same way. a base unit with max allowed transmit power and a hand held backup. again the hand held backups are so cheap now you should have them. I used to have a base unit VHF , a hand held VHF and a hand held CB on board. When everything you can do for yourself is not enough , you need to be sure you can call for help! Now this is for going out into the ocean which is what I did from New haven to nantucket and way south like 25 miles south of BI. If you are staying in close well maybe you can get away with less but if you have the money , equip the boat for safety first.

I guess the modern fish finders with charting capability and integrated GPS are the way to go now.

Life preservers , both wearable and throwable. A long boat hook. A good sturdy paddle and a good anchor with plenty of chain and line. A flare gun and an air horn with extra cans of air. I always also had a good size bell on board. Do make noise if caught in the fog. bells and horns can be heard a long way and may keep someone from ramming you. All these are essential saftey items.

Ive had good dealings with travelers.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Boat US has pretty competative prices.
I had them for a few years before having to carry charter boat insurance. They were no bargain for that coverage.

As for electronics, a lot depends on the usage.
Perhaps a less expensive combo unit for starters.

I've changed equipment/brands many many times.