Walkie talkies on a boat work fine for short hops near shore, but you need to know where the limits are.
Nobody tells you this but a regular walkie talkie is not a marine radio. It’s a land unit, designed for land. On a small lake, with boats close together, walkie talkies on a boat are honestly fine. You talk to the other boat, you’re done. For that, don’t overthink it.
But the moment you’re offshore, or in fog, or anywhere you might actually need rescue — that’s marine radio territory. The coast guard doesn’t listen on channel 1 of your retail set. They listen on VHF marine channels. A marine radio is also built to survive salt and splashes, which most land radios are not. Check the waterproof rating before you buy, not after.
Here’s the deal on boat communication with a fleet: run multiple boats, set one channel, test it before you leave the dock, and keep messages short. Voice clarity matters more than range when the engine’s running. A decent speaker mic helps a lot with that.
And batteries — boats chew through them. Cold wind, long days. Bring replacement radio batteries or a charge plan. Honestly, if you’re on big water, get a proper marine VHF as your primary and keep the land set for the fun stuff. That’s the real answer.