If you are new to boating and plan on going offshore I suggest you take a coast guard class and hook up with a local experianced person to learn from. To answer your radio question the feature you're asking about is called DSC. I believe all new radios come with that option. In case of distress...
PLB's and EPIRB's use satellite communication so your distance from land makes no difference. In fact some hikers/campers use a PLB due to it's small size. That's what I have and take with me whenever I fish on any boat.
Just for starters, Make absolutely sure the gear shift is in neutral. Connect a voltmeter to the starter to measure the voltage while cranking the motor.
I use old pieces of PVC and tennis balls to hold my cover up. The stripes denote where they go, one stripe is for the bow four stripe is in the stern. Cost was exactly zero.
I helped a friend dump his 25' boat here. I don't remember what it cost and they actually helped get the boat off of the trailer.
https://oclandfills.com/landfills/prima-deshecha-landfill
