Just bought a boat not long ago and have 3 tournys to fish this month. Have been fishing for years but new to owning my own boat. What are the must haves as far as paperwork, life vests, fire ext, ect...?

Life vest for everyone on the boat, fire ext, horn or whistle, throwable cushion, laminated ownership card from TP&W.

Is an oar required or just nice to have? I put the telescoping one from academy in ours just in case

Make sure lifejackets per person are the right size... get caught with 4 adults in the boat and all you have is 3 xl pfd's and 1 kids pfd there will be a ticket coming your way...

Just nice to have.

360 light on at night and until 30 minutes after sunrise and 30 minutes before sundown. Don't forget your fishing license and to put the plug in.

Texas parks and wildlife is on line
the rules are posted as to boat, boat size, and what the requirements are.
easy to look up , almost as easy as to post on this forum.

Always 1

If you use an auto inflate it only counts when wearing, I always carry an additional PFD in my size just in case I get tired of wearing it.

Most are, however not all are Type V, which require continuous wearing to be counted as a PFD.

TWP Requirements:
https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/boat/safety/life_jackets/index.phtml

Example of a Type 3 auto inflate:
http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?path=-1|135|2290066|2290067&id=1864459

I continue to be amazed at misunderstanding and misinformation regarding inflatable PFDs - even among experienced boaters. The regulations require an approved Type I, II, or III PFD for each person. The vast majority of PFDs that US boaters use are certified as Type II or Type III. If you have a PFD truly rated as Type II or Type III, then legally you just need to have it in the boat. Please note that inflatable vests are NOT certified for use by those under a certain age (16 I believe). Read the printed certification info on the PDF to be sure what you have.

As noted in another post, the special requirements apply when the PFD is Type V - which are getting quite uncommon today. Many people have migrated the special Type V PDF rules to all inflatables, and that is incorrect. IF what you have is a Type V inflatable, then it can be used to meet the requirement as authorities will let it count as a Type III PFD for recreational boating if and only if you WEAR IT while on the water.

Thanks guys