flare kits

[rrn]

i am wanting a great flare kit but they are an expiring date on them so i want a offshore kit for my voyage to alaska but i don't want to spend 200 dollars for a kit that will expire soon any ideas where to get a minimal kit for a decent price :big grin:

[onestepcsy37]

You only need the minimum amount of unexpired flares on your boat. Expired flares are still usuable for years after the expiration date so keep them aboard. Just buy the minimum amount of new flares and the Coast Guard will pass you.

[rrn]

thank you onestepcsy37 i will do that

[onestepcsy37]

I must also tell you that, if you're planning on going offshore, say, out of VHF range with shore, you had better have an EPIRB. And register it with the Coast Guard. That way when you set if off they will know what kind of boat to look for. Much more valuable than flares in an offshore emergency. Costs less than $400. This is the one we use.

ACR PLB-350B AquaLink GPS

[ntscout]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

I must also tell you that, if you're planning on going offshore, say, out of VHF range with shore, you had better have an EPIRB. And register it with the Coast Guard. That way when you set if off they will know what kind of boat to look for. Much more valuable than flares in an offshore emergency. Costs less than $400. This is the one we use.

ACR PLB-350B AquaLink GPS

Even more important than know what kind of boat to look for, my understanding is that if the EPIRB or PLB is not registered with the Coast Guard, they won't even start to look. Unregistered beacons are ignored.

I have an EPIRB and PLB on my boat even though I don't venture too far out - like the safety factor given my cruising grounds are 50 degree water.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by ntscout

Even more important than know what kind of boat to look for, my understanding is that if the EPIRB or PLB is not registered with the Coast Guard, they won't even start to look. Unregistered beacons are ignored.

I have an EPIRB and PLB on my boat even though I don't venture too far out - like the safety factor given my cruising grounds are 50 degree water.

Are you sure this is the case with the USCG? It certainly isn't the case Australia!

[ntscout]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Are you sure this is the case with the USCG? It certainly isn't the case Australia!

Well, I am wrong it appears ... this from the CG SarSat

For alerts that contain an encoded GPS position (described in alert messages as an “E” solution), responders shall evaluate it as a distress incident regardless of whether the beacon is registered or if a location has been determined by the Cospas-Sarsat system.



I guess they would deploy assets in a SAR but still makes it hard when they don't know what to look for.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by rrn

i am wanting a great flare kit but they are an expiring date on them so i want a offshore kit for my voyage to alaska but i don't want to spend 200 dollars for a kit that will expire soon any ideas where to get a minimal kit for a decent price :big grin:

I think flare "guns" are a waste of money. I have read several lost at sea stories where the flare was no seen or ignored by big shipping.

I'd carry the handheld flares but EPIRB is the way to be found these days.

[SimonV]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

You only need the minimum amount of unexpired flares on your boat. Expired flares are still usuable for years after the expiration date so keep them aboard. Just buy the minimum amount of new flares and the Coast Guard will pass you.

You may need to research this as some states and countries have made it Illegal to possess out of date flares, with hefty fines even if you also have the correct in date flares.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by SimonV

You may need to research this as some states and countries have made it Illegal to possess out of date flares, with hefty fines even if you also have the correct in date flares.

A fine example of misguided law here in Oz. No demonstrated experience to back up the rule, just pure bureaucracy wielding power. I've had USCG officers specifically recommending retention of outdated flares to back up your in date inventory.

So, if in Queensland, keep your old flares somewhere out of sight and show off your required in date pack if asked. Haven't heard of searches for "illegal" flares on board.

Oh, BTW, there are very few appropriate sites for disposing of old flares, and it is illegal to shoot them off. What's a yottie to do???

Jim

[Bruce K]

Hi Jim, In NSW I take v old flares to the local police station, and tell them I found them on the ground at the nearest launching ramp.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

Hi Jim, In NSW I take v old flares to the local police station, and tell them I found them on the ground at the nearest launching ramp.

Hah, I once took expired flares to a local police station , they were so frightened they called the " bomb squad". I was asked to " hold onto them"

I now use some to give flare demonstrations with permission from the coast guard

dave

[onestepcsy37]

I was boarded by USCG a few years ago while returning from Bimini. I showed them an ammo box with new and old flares. They checked the ok box and went on with the inspection.

Logic tells me that USCG will respond to all valid epirb alerts whether registered or not. Imagine a foreign yacht in US waters in distress. It would not be registered with them....

Sent from my SCH-I200PP using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[a64pilot]

ERIRB's are I think registered with an international agency, USCG gets the info from that I believe, but where ever you are in the world, any agency has access to your data.
I believe the first step if they get an alert is to call your contact number, if they hear he's out sailing I'm sure they take that a whole lot more seriously than we are home, boats at the dock.
Aircraft ELT's (406 ones anyway)are almost identical to EPIRBS, just they have an impact switch and don't float, and if an aircraft ELT goes off, phone call is the first thing

[Suijin]

The CC will respond to unregistered EPIRBs, but they will tell you that the registration information is HUGELY helpful to them. It gives them emergency contact info and the first thing they will do is reach out to that contact to get more information, such as who and what is on the boat and any other data they can gather that bears on their mission. They stress very vehemently the value of keeping your registration current.

It's good practice to check and confirm the registration information on your EPIRB at least once a year, better yet every time you go offshore. More than a few people discover that the information is incorrect or out of date.