Where to mount Cat I EPIRB

[NewOrca]

I'm looking for ideas where to mount a cat I EPIRB on a sailboat with dodger, biminy and connecting piece.

[wholybee]

Where is your liferaft? You should in practice grab the EPIRB when getting into the liferaft. You don't want to be in the liferaft, with the EPIRB floating away without you. So, while it is a Cat I EPIRB and will self-deploy if you don't grab it, you want it close to the liferaft so you can grab it while deploying the raft.

If your raft is on deck, then maybe on the mast. If your liferaft is on the stern, then on the stern near the raft.

[Statistical]

Stern rail ideally located near the life raft. Ideally both the liferaft and EPIRB if auto-released should float free of the vessel. So wherever you consider mounting it, look up and see if there is anything it is going to get caught in.

If you don't have a good spot stick with a cheaper Class II mounted below.

[NewOrca]

Thanks for the suggestions. Life raft is in cockpit locker along with ditch bag, which contains a Cat II EPIRB. I could mount the Cat I on the forward side of the stainless steel arch adjacent to the life raft locker. In that location there is some chance the EPIRB could get trapped by the bimini top/dodger if the boat sinks stern first, but there is still the option of deploying it manually if there is time, and we'll have the backup in the ditch bag, again assuming we're able to grab it and deploy the life raft.
All that said, mounting at the mast would pretty much assure that it would deploy and float freely to the surface, but could make manual deployment more difficult in a scenario where the boat is badly disabled but not sinking. However, there is the Cat II in the ditch bag. OK, now I'm leaning this way.