InReach instead of EPIRB?

[artist]

I'm heading off shore soon and was looking into EPIRBs. I was wondered if anyone has opted for an InReach, with SOS and text capability, instead of a 406 EPIRB. I was planning on both, but money is tight. Does that sound like a dumb idea? Also, Please let me know what you think, if you've used the InReach and if you like it or found problems.

[MI248]

Interesting question. I didn't view the InReach as a substitute for a EPIRB or PLB.

I'm also planning to do some offshore sailing and am going thru the same "what to take - what is cost effective?" question. I'm leaning towards a an InReach also, but view it as a communication device first and a safety backup. I'm considering it in lieu of a costly sat phone or SSB installation. For true search and rescue at sea keep in mind that InReach as well as Spot communicators are not part of the government search and rescue system tied in to the coast guard, but use a private service.

An alternative to a full blown EPIB w/ GPS might be one of the new PLB w/GPS. They can be had for as little as $250 and their battery life is improving, although still not as long as a EPIRB. I'm considering the PLB because I don't plan to be that far off shore or in cold water i.e., the Bahamas.

Be interested in what others have to say on the topic.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by MI248

Interesting question. I didn't view the InReach as a substitute for a EPIRB or PLB.

I'm also planning to do some offshore sailing and am going thru the same "what to take - what is cost effective?" question. I'm leaning towards a an InReach also, but view it as a communication device first and a safety backup. I'm considering it in lieu of a costly sat phone or SSB installation. For true search and rescue at sea keep in mind that InReach as well as Spot communicators are not part of the government search and rescue system tied in to the coast guard, but use a private service.

An alternative to a full blown EPIB w/ GPS might be one of the new PLB w/GPS. They can be had for as little as $250 and their battery life is improving, although still not as long as a EPIRB. I'm considering the PLB because I don't plan to be that far off shore or in cold water i.e., the Bahamas.

Be interested in what others have to say on the topic.

Not a substitute... But definitely a backup for emergency.... or primary for communication...

[smac999]

if your life is on the line I'd much rather have the epirb.

for the other 99.99% of the time when you're not about to die I'd rather have the delorne.

Pick one and take your chances.... or buy both.

[Ozbullwinkle]

I would go for a PLB with inbuilt GPS & strongly recommend that you wear it AT ALL TIME whilst at sea on a belt like I do which also has a knife in a sheath along with a Leatherman both of which are on lanyards. I always wear mine night and day as if you should go overboard which can just as easily happen in good conditions then a PLB is not going to help you if it is on board in your sailing bag or a drawer.

If you want to also keep shore based family and friends aware of your position go for a Delorme as well.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Ozbullwinkle

I would go for a PLB with inbuilt GPS & strongly recommend that you wear it AT ALL TIME whilst at sea on a belt like I do which also has a knife in a sheath along with a Leatherman both of which are on lanyards. I always wear mine night and day as if you should go overboard which can just as easily happen in good conditions then a PLB is not going to help you if it is on board in your sailing bag or a drawer.

That has been my conclusion as well. I think a couple PLB's (one for each crew member) are better than an EPIRB. They are not the ideal device for a MOB, but better than nothing. If the crew can send out a Mayday at the same time there is perhaps some hope in warm water.

Where the PLB really excels over the EPIRB is in a sudden sinking where all the effort can be devoted to getting to life raft. In a life-raft with a PLB gives you a good chance of survival. Collecting a EPIRB takes precious time and launching a life-raft rapidly while clutching an EPIRB would not be easy.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Ozbullwinkle

I would go for a PLB with inbuilt GPS & strongly recommend that you wear it AT ALL TIME whilst at sea on a belt like I do which also has a knife in a sheath along with a Leatherman both of which are on lanyards. I always wear mine night and day as if you should go overboard which can just as easily happen in good conditions then a PLB is not going to help you if it is on board in your sailing bag or a drawer.

If you want to also keep shore based family and friends aware of your position go for a Delorme as well.

Not to mention that a PLB is USELESS as a mob device USELESS


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[delmarrey]

I have the inReach and used it on a passage from Seattle to SF. One thing is you better get use the function and how it works before you head out. The tiny little letters on the display are easy to mess up in a rough sea. It's not a qwerty keyboard. You have to scroll and select each letter/#.

And the mapping has to be initialized online, which is a bit difficult offshore. And when you text someone's email they need to be computer savvy to manage the site.

The battery would lose about 20% per day. But the nice thing was being able to communicate with family/friends each day. I had to tie mine to the inside of the dodger for a clear shot of the sky and for quick access. I bought the extra battery pack to keep in the ditch bag. It is water proof but not submersible. I kept a HD ziplock baggie with it.

When you turn on the SOS button they will text you back (supposedly) to check on your situation. But it keeps sending out your position until you shut it down. You can preprogram messages but I had trouble trying to get what I want, which also has to be done online. I didn't have much time to play with it before heading out.

The instruction manual sux! And they lock you into a service contract that is costly to cancel.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Not to mention that a PLB is USELESS as a mob device USELESS

There are much better MOB devices than a PLB, but I think that quote is overstating the case.

A modern PLB as well as sending up a distress message sends up an accurate GPS position.

I freind of mine rescued 6 sailors in the middle of the night, storm conditions when their boat sank offshore. Their liferaft was swept away, but they the victims tethered themselves together in water. The resue authorities were able to relay a frequent position of the people in the water from the GPS in the EPIRB. (They did need to account for drift due to some delay).This would work just as well with a PLB.
Although not a MOB this was a practical case of people in the water and using the EPIRB to locate and ultimately rescue them.

Even the starting position for a MOB is sometimes not known with a small crew and a boat sailing on autopilot (which describes a lot of cruisers). A PLB could be a significant help in this situation.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

Even the starting position for a MOB is sometimes not known with a small crew and a boat sailing on autopilot (which describes a lot of cruisers). A PLB could be a significant help in this situation.

I would prefer a PLB to an extra handheld flare!

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

There are much better MOB devices than a PLB, but I think that quote is overstating the case.

A modern PLB as well as sending up a distress message sends up an accurate GPS position.

I freind of mine rescued 6 sailors in the middle of the night, storm conditions when their boat sank offshore. Their liferaft was swept away, but they the victims tethered themselves together in water. The resue authorities were able to relay a frequent position of the people in the water from the GPS in the EPIRB. (They did need to account for drift due to some delay).This would work just as well with a PLB.
Although not a MOB this was a practical case of people in the water and using the EPIRB to locate and ultimately rescue them.

Even the starting position for a MOB is sometimes not known with a small crew and a boat sailing on autopilot (which describes a lot of cruisers). A PLB could be a significant help in this situation.

The reasons were detailed in another thread. It can take anything upto to 4-5 hours for a epirb response to be validated and assets dispatched. Such assets could be a ship.

Given the life expectancy in cold water is about 30 minutes unless wearing a survival suit. What's the use of a PLB to someone threading water.

Dave

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

The reasons were detailed in another thread. It can take anything upto to 4-5 hours for a epirb response to be validated and assets dispatched. Such assets could be a ship.

Given the life expectancy in cold water is about 30 minutes unless wearing a survival suit. What's the use of a PLB to someone threading water.

Dave

However with one of these on board, eprib / plb response would be achieved in less than a couple of minutes.
RT-500 - M

See RHOTHETA - RT-500-M

[ka4wja]

Artist,
Get an EPIRB....(actually a GPS-enabled EPIRB, sometimes called a "GPIRB"...)
No question in my mind about this choice...
And, make damn sure your register it properly!!!


If you were considering both, but money is tight....then scrap the InReach, and definitely get an EPIRB first!!!

Originally Posted by artist

I'm heading off shore soon and was looking into EPIRBs. I was wondered if anyone has opted for an InReach, with SOS and text capability, instead of a 406 EPIRB. I was planning on both, but money is tight. Does that sound like a dumb idea?

So, yes, getting an InReach instead of an EPIRB is, in my opinion, a dumb idea!!!

I think you should read a thread which explains things pretty well, and especially read the links over in detail (particularly the links to COSPAS-SARSAT and to Beth Leonard's "Cruising World" article)!!!

EPIRB Activation? What happens/How to improve rescue odds


After you understand how the international Search And Rescue (SAR) system works (by reading the above thread and the links provided there), I think you'll understand that you'd not really want to introduce further delays / complications into it, nor delay / complicate any rescue/response...





To be clear the InReach is a good product, but it was NOT designed to replace an EPIRB...

Originally Posted by artist

Also, Please let me know what you think, if you've used the InReach and if you like it or found problems.

And, it will not provide the same quality/reliability that an EPIRB does....


Again, please read this thread and the links....you'll be VERY glad that you did...
EPIRB Activation? What happens/How to improve rescue odds


And, if you're curious about other systems....
Icom M-802 DSC-Distress Signaling, what really happens!

Offshore / Hi-Seas Weather data / forecasts






{While the above facts about EPIRB's, COSPAS-SARSAT, etc. are facts....the remainder here about PLB's is my opinion...

As for PLB's...
--- In a MOB situation, their primary purpose is to have a better chance on recovering a deceased crewman, as by the time rescuers arrive, a crewman in the water will likely have passed....(perhaps in warm waters, near 1st world rescue services...such as off the coast of Florida....this would not be the case...but for most other areas, where the water is cool/cold, and rescue services are 100's of miles away, you're pretty much "toast"...)
Best thing to do, is NOT fall off the boat...
--- A PLB as an alternative to a ships EPIRB....not worth saving the $ in my opinion....besides the fact that you need to hold the darn thing up to get a signal to the satellites (as they are not designed to float along side you or your raft), I written about other differences before....
Just curious how many folks here would be glad they saved a $100 or so, getting a PLB INSTEAD of an EPIRB, when time comes that they have to really use it!!!
--- If you desire a PLB, in addition to an EPIRB....that's fine, but in my opinion, not instead of an EPIRB....
--- Not to be overly contrary, but unless you've got a PLB strapped to your body 24/7, it take little time to deploy an EPIRB....in most cases, less than 5 seconds, and in my case it takes me only 2 seconds, if I'm in my bunk...and about 5 seconds if in the cockpit (yes, I have checked and timed it...)

See photo of where my EPIRB is mounted, on the bulkhead by the Nav Station, next to the companionway, directly on the path from my bunk to the cockpit...}








I hope this helps...

John
s/v Annie Laurie

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by ka4wja

--- A PLB as an alternative to a ships EPIRB....not worth saving the $ in my opinion....besides the fact that you need to hold the darn thing up to get a signal to the satellites (as they are not designed to float along side you or your raft), I written about other differences before....
Just curious how many folks here would be glad they saved a $100 or so, getting a PLB INSTEAD of an EPIRB, when time comes that they have to really use it!!!
--- If you desire a PLB, in addition to an EPIRB....that's fine, but in my opinion, not instead of an EPIRB....
--- Not to be overly contrary, but unless you've got a PLB strapped to your body 24/7, it take little time to deploy an EPIRB...

The major advantage of the PLB is the small size. This means it can be attached to your harness/lifejacket. This means you are more likely to have it with you (as well as redundancy if both crew members make it into the liferaft) This is not practical with EPIRB's

I am not suggesting saving money, but two PLB's is much the same cost a single EPIRB. I normally sail with two POB (especially offshore) so PLB' s attached to each crew members harness I feel is superior to a single EPIRB for the same cost.

I would not suggest this ideal formula for everyone (and I also feel money spent preventing these catastrophes is probably the wisest investment), but consider how you spend your saftey dollar. EPIRB's are great, but maybe multiple PLB's are better, for a similar cost.

It is not a cost argument, more what is superior.

[Factor]

If you are coming to Australia you will need an EPIRB, can have (and I do) PLBs can have in reach etc, but there is a statutory obligation in at least QLD, NT and WA to have an EPIRB. You may wish to check the legislation in the areas you intend to cruise in case they have a similar provision.