Common Objects to Defend Your Boat at Sea

[Thumbs Up]

Originally Posted by garyfdl

As a(nother military and civilian) trained and certified firearm/personal protection instructor, I think poster "jdege" closing comment is spot on and bears repeating:

Quote:

Weapons, whether you a choose a firearm, pepper spray, diving knives, heavy skillets, or whatever, should be your third level contingency, not what you start with.

Well stated. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

I am also in Mike O'Rourke's 'camp' when it comes to "Why would you sail in pirate infested waters? Why?" But in the interest of full disclosure I am a recreational sailor who only spends a fraction of the time on the water compared to live aboard, full time cruisers.

That said, there are (IMO) 'questionable' less-than-lethal options for protection aboard, starting with bear / pepper spray (or false fire extinguishers filled with pepper-powder). While that might seem like a good idea, I can assure you (based on personal experience) the last thing you want to in a closed area like the cabin is to touch one of those off (unless you are wearing a military grade gas mask). The other item is the baseball bat. While it might be sufficient to use topside, the tight quarters in the cabin will limit one's ability to wield it effectively. Lastly (and in deference to the poster lest their comment was tongue-in-cheek) bleach in a 'squirt-gun' is a really bad idea. Personally? I'd rather not rely on a toy to protect myself. There are however some 'nuggets' in those comments worth considering.

Instead of a bat, I'd opt for a 'fish-billy', a hardwood stick about 3' long with a uniform diameter of 2" or so, the ends rounded to a blunt point, used to wack boated fish in the head. The advantage over a bat is that you can grab the 'billy' by the middle, and use it as a short club, also jab and stab (hence the 'pointed' ends). It's far more versatile than a bat. A second option, (and I carried one for years when I traveled) is a 5 or 6 cell Mag-lite (or equivalent). It makes a very effective weighted club and can be lethal if blows are directed to the head. Another simple but effective bludgeon weapon is a full bar of soap tied into the end of a sock.

And while a squirt-gun isn't an appropriate 'weapon', an industrial spray bottle filled with bleach, ammonia, or ? could be. It would have far more range, deliver a heavier 'dose' per squirt, and has vastly more capacity that a toy.

But (again IMO) the best thing you can do is: don't go there in the first place, and if that is not an option, then (as mentioned by others) fall back on 'security in numbers', and make yourself as unattractive a target as possible.

You gonna bop em on the head?

[FastTrout]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

These discussion are always fascinating, not for the purported solutions to "what common objects to defend your boat" are, but rather as an illustration of who here sees the world as a scary place vs those who see it as a wonderful place.

I suppose if you come from a culture that glorifies violence, and is in fact quite brutal in places, then it makes sense you will carry this approach to sea. To you folks I say, look up and see the world for what it is, not what the flat screen is screaming at you.

There are indeed very dangerous and scary places. These places are largely known. But the world is a big place. Cruising is supposed to be enjoyable, so why would you go to these dangerous places? If you have no choice, then equip yourself accordingly, but for the vast majority of us, there is no need to purposely put ourselves in these spaces.

The rest is just crime, which can happen everywhere. These folks don't want you, they want your cash-convertible bobbles. Most property crimes are opportunistic, so don't give them the opportunity. The few that are planned will be done with odds stacked well in the criminals. Escalating the violence in these cases will likely lead to a bad end -- for you.

Nothing to do with glorifying violence, I mean my work doesn’t glorify fire, but we still have extinguishers around and do our yearly squirt and oral test on some fire basics, along with a few other things.

Originally Posted by Michael Cobbe

When we were in Caribbean a number of American boats carried rifles, they handed them over customs with no problems and picked them up when they left. I remember an American yacht off the Venezuelan coast was approached by a pirate boat he fired warning shots with an M16 and they turned away.

A M16?

That’s a $27,000.00 rifle!

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by ussvdharma

Take an empty fire extinguisher and purchase extremely hot peper powder from SF hereb co online. Take both to refil place and ask them to put the pepper powder in extuingsher. They will want to know why, so explain to repel boarders on you boat in an emergency. The will do it for you.


When finished put a band of black tape around middle of extinguisher to tell you that it is not an extinguisher....verh verh handy when some one is trying to come aboard....and no problem with legal issues.....I hand one for 20 years cruising in the pacific islands...fortunately never had to use it.


I submitted article to SAIL magazine. The declined it. BUt did publish it without my credit and never paid me for it.

So, you carried and relied upon this contraption for 20 years and never used it. OK, then how do you know that it would be "verh verh handy"? You have never discharged it and never had to escape your own cloud of irritant, you don't know how far it projects the fine, low density powder, you don't know if it, like pukka fire extinguisher loads, has compacted into a non-sprayable solid mass and you are only guessing about its efficacy as a deterrent.

To say I'm not convinced is hardly adequate.

If one feels the need for some sort of weapon (and after 34+ years of full time cruising, I do not), for pity's sake, get a weapon and don't rely on some cockamamie toy.

Jim

[Yihang]

Originally Posted by FastTrout

Nothing to do with glorifying violence, I mean my work doesn’t glorify fire, but we still have extinguishers around and do our yearly squirt and oral test on some fire basics, along with a few other things.




A M16?

That’s a $27,000.00 rifle!

Is that how much the millitary buys it for? That's where all my tax money went.

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by Thumbs Up

You gonna bop em on the head?

Do whatever you have to do to stop the attack/neutralize the threat...

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by Yihang

Is that how much the millitary buys it for? That's where all my tax money went.

No. That's about what it would cost for a private US citizen, who has been vetted and has a license, to purchase one from a dealer.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Yihang

Is that how much the millitary buys it for? That's where all my tax money went.

No, of course not, they have depreciated by now, the military would have paid much more.

[GordMay]

According to ➥ https://www.statista.com/chart/20168...assault-rifle/
(NOT legally purchased in USA)

[bobnlesley]

Originally Posted by GordMay

According to ➥ https://www.statista.com/chart/20168...assault-rifle/ (NOT legally purchased in USA)

Those prices are presumably for 'the real thing'?
Times have moved on - inflation in all things - as when we were in NW Pakistan thirty-odd years ago the asking price for a Kalashnikov, was only US$600 inclusive of two magazines and 150 rounds, plus another full magazine to 'try it out' with before you paid; that was for a single unit to a passing tourist, so no doubt there was a 'locals' price and volume discounts to be had? That was for a real AK47, alternatively they'd sell you a reputedly more than serviceable locally made copy for only $400. I don't remember there being M16s for sale, but I guess only the Soviets were getting their arses kicked in Afghanistan back then.

On the (correct) assumption that we'd get thoroughly searched when re-entering Pakistan proper, we declined these proposals, though the $15 price to let off a couple of magazines on the firing range - an open hillside at the village edge - was just too good an offer to pass up; bloody noisy things aren't they.

[Yihang]

Of course I had to then google if there are fake chinese copies of the M-16. And what do you know there is a Chinese made Norinco CQ.

Thought I had a business there...

[sailingchiro]

Bear spray shoots 30' and will shoot straighter than the fire extinguisher. Douse them with bear spray then a flare in the bottom of their boat. If being chased keep them down wind but zig zag.
At night (anchor) run fishing line around my boat and through the d ring on my dinghy then tie to motor from my senator reel (we pull up dingh into the davits at night). Have the reel close to berth. If someone pulls on the fishing line, the reel will zing and wake everyone up. Flip on the lights to the exterior of the boat with million candle power of LEDs. Wake up anchorage with horn and lights. If they are on the boat, douse with bear spray then taser. Bind with zip ties and duct tape. I have also thought about getting a paint ball gun that shoots pepper balls. They are alittle expensive but seems effective to shoot pepper balls at driver of boat.

But......The fire extinguisher would be a great idea in a pursuit. Unload them with the boat following you. I would think pepper balls zinging at them with the fire extinguisher limiting their vision would make a great deterrent. If nothing else, they would be easy to identify.

[Calif.Ted]

There was a time when soviet bloc SKS rifles could be purchased for $99, that would be a lot easier to toss over the side than a M16, a guy might have been wise to pick up a couple. The biggest investment would be the 8-10 hours it takes to clean all that freakin cosmoline out. You think winch grease gets hard after 50 years ?

[denverd0n]

And, once again, bear spray and tasers are just as illegal as guns in some jurisdictions. Even here in the U.S. (which some people seem to consider "gun-central") there are cities where possession of a taser will land you in jail. Be aware of the laws where you are so, at the very least, you know if you are breaking them or not.

[japawil]

I believe many here have been watching too many movies!

[LobeliaBlue]

Inhales, long slow sigh. Why can't I just drink water and mind my own business?

Because these topics are guns, guns, guns, and it's never the answer.
It's dumb and dangerous, and there is no such thing as a good guy with a gun.
There are fear-ridden egoists with poor socials skills in abundance, tho. Heh.

Seeing others as yourself is the best defense. Have I been mugged and stolen from?
Sure, a few times, but it was just stuff. Take the camera, the purse, let's not do violence.
I have some funny stories to tell instead of PTSD.

The person you are, is how the voyage goes. More than rights, you have a duty to harm no one.