Personal Danbouy or personal day/night flare?

Nos4r2 · 20 February 2008, 12:15

What's better to have on a lifejacket in case of emergency? A personal danbuoy+miniflares or a day/night flare?
Opinions please...

Personal Danbouy
or
Day/night flare

C2 RIBS · 20 February 2008, 12:44

Lifejackets should on all the time and I would suggest mini flares in the pocket which are waterproof and deployable in all situations night or day.

Nos4r2 · 20 February 2008, 13:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cutlass

Lifejackets should on all the time and I would suggest mini flares in the pocket which are waterproof and deployable in all situations night or day.

It is on all the time. In an emergency (eg you've fallen out of the boat and alone in choppy water so you can't self rescue), what's best?

I've already got miniflares in a pocket and a vhf and knife on there but the personal day/night flare I've got is nearing its renewal date. I'm wondering if it's worth replacing it with a personal danbuoy as the price is similar and the danbuoy has a light which will last significantly longer than the 15 seconds of the day/night flare.

SeaSkills · 20 February 2008, 14:35

If you can't decide between them - why not get both !

Nos4r2 · 20 February 2008, 14:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaSkills

If you can't decide between them - why not get both !

It's getting a bit crowded on there.

Hightower · 20 February 2008, 14:59

I'll tell you what would be cool. A basket or something (velcro) on the seat somewhere with a grab bag in or on with a lead to the helmsman. In the case of ejection the bag would be pulled away in a similar maner to the kill cord and would contain flares, radio, food or whatever. Might not be suitable for all situations but for the times you feel threatened would be a great comfort I think.

Poly · 20 February 2008, 16:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hightower

I'll tell you what would be cool. A basket or something (velcro) on the seat somewhere with a grab bag in or on with a lead to the helmsman. In the case of ejection the bag would be pulled away in a similar maner to the kill cord and would contain flares, radio, food or whatever. Might not be suitable for all situations but for the times you feel threatened would be a great comfort I think.

I would hazard a guess that more problematic ejections are not in circumstances where you preempt a problem (otherwise you would slow down, head for shore, avoid that sharp turn etc...)

Hightower · 20 February 2008, 18:25

None the less we all know that some conditions call for more safety measures than others, for instance when there are more than one aboard, then personal safety equipement isn't so nessersary for obvious reasons. I do travel alone a fair bit, so I carry my phone in waterproof case and a handhend VHF on my lifejacket. I don't carry personal flares, but would do if traveling in the dark and probably should in rough conditions as these conditions there would be a higher risk of falling overboard.

Its all a matter of risk.

How many people carry a grab bag in a really accessable place? In the front consol under loads of spare lifejackets etc....Just how fast does an emergancy situation develop and would you even think of the grab bag when jumping overboard. Just a thought!

Hightower · 20 February 2008, 18:30

By the way Matt, I would choose a couple of flares over the Danbouy purley as sailors are more acustom to seeing bouys in the water and you might become a marker for a race, rather than being saved

codprawn · 20 February 2008, 19:51

Mobile phone in a freezer bag - always in your pocket!!!

Seriously if something happens VERY suddenly as it often does all you will have is what you are wearing or attached to you. Miniflares are also a good idea - carry them myself but I don't like being in close proximity to something that could so easily blow up!!!

I have read of quite a few incidents lately where it's a mobile phone that has saved lives as all the safety equipment was on the boat.

Imagine you end up in the water and all you have is a mobile phone - it would be devastating if it didn't work because it got wet - a 5p freezer bag could save your life.

Poly · 20 February 2008, 21:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hightower

None the less we all know that some conditions call for more safety measures than others, for instance when there are more than one aboard, then personal safety equipement isn't so nessersary for obvious reasons. I do travel alone a fair bit, so I carry my phone in waterproof case and a handhend VHF on my lifejacket. I don't carry personal flares, but would do if traveling in the dark and probably should in rough conditions as these conditions there would be a higher risk of falling overboard.

Its all a matter of risk.

How many people carry a grab bag in a really accessable place? In the front consol under loads of spare lifejackets etc....Just how fast does an emergancy situation develop and would you even think of the grab bag when jumping overboard. Just a thought!

Sorry I didn't mean to argue with the need for the kit - just if it is in your bag (with lanyard approach you described) then sods law will be you will go over the side when you didn't connect the bag to yourself.

Does your dry suit have any pockets? My floatation suit has plenty of space for VHF, miniflares, phone etc. In any of the conditions you describe I will have my float suit on.

Poly · 20 February 2008, 21:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Seriously if something happens VERY suddenly as it often does all you will have is what you are wearing or attached to you. Miniflares are also a good idea - carry them myself but I don't like being in close proximity to something that could so easily blow up!!!

Crikey I think we are in agreement.

Quote:

Imagine you end up in the water and all you have is a mobile phone - it would be devastating if it didn't work because it got wet - a 5p freezer bag could save your life.

And for the other 9,999 times you go out without a problem its bloody irritating when it accidently gets damaged by a wave or stepping off the boat to launch etc.

codprawn · 20 February 2008, 22:12

Bloody hell you feeling alright???

Seriously though I know I harp on about it but if it saves just 1 life it will have been worth it!!!

Nos4r2 · 20 February 2008, 22:28

My drysuit doesn't have anywhere to carry stuff so what's effectively the contents of a grab bag stays on the lifejacket all the time.
The VHF is on a lanyard as well as clipped on which is just as well-I tried the jetski out in Southampton Water the other day and the VHF came unclipped after falling off at a very low speed.

codprawn · 20 February 2008, 22:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

My drysuit doesn't have anywhere to carry stuff so what's effectively the contents of a grab bag stays on the lifejacket all the time.
The VHF is on a lanyard as well as clipped on which is just as well-I tried the jetski out in Southampton Water the other day and the VHF came unclipped after falling off at a very low speed.

Thats my concern as well. Usually a phone is small enough to go into an inside pocket.

Nos4r2 · 20 February 2008, 23:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Thats my concern as well. Usually a phone is small enough to go into an inside pocket.

Bit hard to get to an inside pocket while wearing a drysuit though.

Mine goes into a bag in a floating drypot on a lanyard round my neck. The retainer for my eyewear goes round the lanyard too so I can't lose anything if I hit the water hard.

SeaSkills · 21 February 2008, 09:31

In daylight, and if I'm not going too far, I wear a buoyancy aid rather than a lifejacket. It's got loads of pockets and I carry a knife, spare killcord (I spend a lot of time on other peoples' boats and it worries me how many don't have a killcord, so I always have my own with lots of different fittings), dry notes book, day/night flare, whistle, mobile phone in a dry-pot, and waterproof VHF. Still leaves room for a few munchies, and doesn't look too much like a utilitybelt for a superhero!

(Car keys stay in an inside pocket under the drysuit - I've found out the hard way how little they like swimming)

Hightower · 21 February 2008, 11:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polwart

Sorry I didn't mean to argue with the need for the kit - just if it is in your bag (with lanyard approach you described) then sods law will be you will go over the side when you didn't connect the bag to yourself.

Does your dry suit have any pockets? My floatation suit has plenty of space for VHF, miniflares, phone etc. In any of the conditions you describe I will have my float suit on.

That's OK, but was just a thought that if you had a bag Velcroed on the back of a seat or console with all the safety equipement you needed in and got in the habit of connecting it to yourself in the same manner and frequency as the kill cord then that would be a good idea to have one.

I don't have any pockets on my dry suit so everything is worn either attached to the lifejacket or around the neck.

As for a Freezer bag, then this is better than nothing but would suggest looking at a purpose built waterproof phone bag, much tougher!

codprawn · 21 February 2008, 12:42

I tried a few proper cases and they were a pain - freezer bags are so cheap you can use a new one each time.

Chris · 21 February 2008, 13:10

Or hope that someone brings out a waterproof phone like this one in Japan, I would not like to rely on a mobile phone when floating in the water especially if its foul weather. It would not be easy to avoid it getting wet even if the magic freezer bag has done its job up to that point.