05/09/2025
Essential Boating First-Aid Kit Supplies:
Having a well-stocked first-aid kit aboard your boat is not only common sense, but it should also be considered a top priority, not just a necessity.
While boating is generally a safe activity, you still need to be prepared for unexpected injuries, both minor and severe. Injuries can happen both on and off the boat, particularly when you and/or your passengers go swimming off the boat in shallow water with rough underwater surfaces. Legs get scraped on rocks, feet get cut with sharp objects, etc.
Professional medical help isn’t always readily available when boating, so a basic first-aid kit to treat injuries on the spot is obviously a must. It’s a good idea to start with a pre-made first-aid kit, then customize it with extra items based on your needs and the those of your passengers. But at the bare minimum, your boating first-aid kit should have the following basic items:
Assorted bandages: elastic, triangular, large adhesive pads, sterile gauze pads, gauze tape, etc.
Scissors to cut dressings and clothing from a wound
Tweezers to remove splinters, glass shards and other small items embedded in skin
Alcohol wipes to sterilize wounds, scissors and tweezers
Topical meds such as antiseptic ointment for disinfecting minor cuts and scrapes
Needleless syringe and saline solution to flush wounds
Eye wash for flushing dirt and chemicals out of eyes
Instant cold pack to cover minor burns and swelling
Burn cream and aloe gel to treat minor burns and sunburns
Disposable non-latex gloves to avoid contact with bodily fluids
Common household meds: aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antibiotics, antacids, etc.