Flares as a weapon

[Cacique]

Originally Posted by atoll

you would be much better off with a squirty bottle full of ammonia,then whilst they are writhing around on the floor,pour in some petrol,push the boat off..........then use the flare

This is a definate solution, providing you can get close enough and providing they don't shoot you in the meantime.
Do you keep a squirty bottle full of ammonia on hand? personally the worst I keep is a bottle of oxalic acid and I know this is good for rust and difficult to get as it's a registered poison but its action is pretty slow and may defeat your assailant if you could persuade him to eat it & you could wait a few weeks for it to takt effect

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Cacique

This is a definate solution, providing you can get close enough and providing they don't shoot you in the meantime.
Do you keep a squirty bottle full of ammonia on hand? personally the worst I keep is a bottle of oxalic acid and I know this is good for rust and difficult to get as it's a registered poison but its action is pretty slow and may defeat your assailant if you could persuade him to eat it & you could wait a few weeks for it to takt effect

a pump up kids water gun is an ideal dispenser,squirts about 20 feet!

a whiff of ammonia is like being hit on the side of the head with a cricket bat,effect is immediate

[sabray]

So I just took a out of date 25mm olin flare shot right into the water. No way do I want to be on the other side of that. Forget that idiot video having this hit you will be much worse.. A small kick then
Fire in the water and it boiled huge orange glow maybe 4 feet around below the water. My guess firing a 25 mm flare gun at anything would make anything back off. Short range this would be a real problem. I had never fired one these. Very impressed how this outdated flare fired. God forbid this land on your boat.

[minaret]

I'll just say it again, 37mm milsurp steel case flares reloaded. Do a forum search.

[stevensc]

"If you ever are in such a predicament, don't aim for them; aim the flare so that it lands in their boat. If your aim is successful, they will probably jump out of the boat unbelievably quickly and you can sail away while they refocus on their priorities."

Preceed the flare with a "water balloon" of gasoline.
Steve W

[David_Old_Jersey]

Has anyone considered using Bell Bottoms?

Jus' sayin..........

[jeremiason]

Flare guns will put on a good show, are high velocity, but have no penetration value.
In other words they will bounce off what ever you shoot at.

If you shoot it at a bad guys vessel, you better make sure it goes inside the vessel's cabin or other space that will allow it to bounce around and cause some serious problems and distractions that will allow you to escape.

If you fire a flare at a bad guy on your boat, that means you now have a magnesium flare burning at several thousand degrees bouncing aournd your vessel and maybe starting a major fire.

Very few recreational boats have the capability to extinguish burning magnesium and you certaining can't pick it up and throw it overboard...

[Capt.Fred]

Here's my 2 cents worth. I was chartering my sailboat “Daedalus” 2 days after my annual USCG inspection. It was the usual beautiful day on beautiful Perdido Bay with 4 beautiful passengers (Nurses from up north) All was beautiful.
OK, suddenly there's an explosion and fire below. The passengers freak, I go below see the flare gun smoking on the sole with a red smoking fire, I could only guess where. I grab a beach towel, a quick wrap around the burning mess, climb back on deck and toss the whole thing over board, all in a couple seconds. (Talk about a scared sailor with a pail.)
The smoke finally cleared. It took about 6 limes and a fifth of Jose Cuervo to calm my passengers and continue my charter to a happy ending.
Even the Coasties are not perfect. They inspected the flare gun and did not replace it in its original secure position.
Here is another 1 cent. Get a couple 20 ft range wasp spray cans. You can shoot a Kraken in the eye, an intruder or a bad dog etc. and oh yes a wasp.

[jeremiason]

Originally Posted by Capt.Fred

Here's my 2 cents worth. I was chartering my sailboat “Daedalus” 2 days after my annual USCG inspection. It was the usual beautiful day on beautiful Perdido Bay with 4 beautiful passengers (Nurses from up north) All was beautiful.
OK, suddenly there's an explosion and fire below. The passengers freak, I go below see the flare gun smoking on the sole with a red smoking fire, I could only guess where. I grab a beach towel, a quick wrap around the burning mess, climb back on deck and toss the whole thing over board, all in a couple seconds. (Talk about a scared sailor with a pail.)
The smoke finally cleared. It took about 6 limes and a fifth of Jose Cuervo to calm my passengers and continue my charter to a happy ending.
Even the Coasties are not perfect. They inspected the flare gun and did not replace it in its original secure position.
Here is another 1 cent. Get a couple 20 ft range wasp spray cans. You can shoot a Kraken in the eye, an intruder or a bad dog etc. and oh yes a wasp.

Silly question, but why do you carry your flare gun loaded and why would it be the USCG's fault that the flare gun was not secure two days after they inspected it...

You are the Captain of your boat, maybe you should take some responsibility for failing to store the flare gun properly and endangering your paid passengers.

[micah719]

The whole idea of a weapon is to incapacitate...either permanently, or long enough to give you time to do something else to ensure your will prevails. The flare on its own will only annoy. It might be scary, but against the serious threat it isn't enough. The flaregun is illegal in far too many places anyway. Hand-flares have potential for "enhancement" for limited application, but for a standoff weapon set your hopes and make your plans around something else.

[Opie91]

[impi]

Well ... we HAVE actually used our flare gun as a weapon off Suriname. The story is on our blog and on Noonsite. I disagree about the comments 'dont go to a gun fight with a knife'. If a knife is all you have and your loved one is under threat ... do what ever you need to do to show the perpetrators you are no 'roll over'.
I had that terrible feeling once I had pulled the trigger that there was no going back ... had I not have done it ... I am sure the consequences would have been worse.
One thing I can tell you ... what you will do on the day is totally different to what you think you would do in that situation.

[MysticGringo]

Originally Posted by impi

Well ... we HAVE actually used our flare gun as a weapon off Suriname. The story is on our blog and on Noonsite. I disagree about the comments 'dont go to a gun fight with a knife'. If a knife is all you have and your loved one is under threat ... do what ever you need to do to show the perpetrators you are no 'roll over'.
I had that terrible feeling once I had pulled the trigger that there was no going back ... had I not have done it ... I am sure the consequences would have been worse.
One thing I can tell you ... what you will do on the day is totally different to what you think you would do in that situation.

Link?

[impi]

Originally Posted by MysticGringo

Link?

I did not know but put Impi in the search page on Noonsite and came up with this link

On Passage Brazil to Tobago: Suspiciously Pursued off Suriname - January 2012 — Noonsite

[MysticGringo]

Originally Posted by impi

I did not know but put Impi in the search page on Noonsite and came up with this link

On Passage Brazil to Tobago: Suspiciously Pursued off Suriname - January 2012 — Noonsite

That's an intense story. I would have probably done the same as you.

That being said, nobody really knows what their intention was... but obviously it wasn't to offer you a good deal on some fish. We also don't know if you brought a knife to a gunfight, but I agree that in theory bringing a knife to a gunfight is probably better than bringing nothing at all.

One of the keys in the success you saw was that you were under way. If a second flare wouldn't have scared them off, what was your next plan? Drag some rope behind to try to foul their props?