captpierre Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 Just read the story in Mclean's about the whale watching boat that capsized off Tofino. Water was 12 C. A female deck hand managed to get 1 flare off. Fishermen 10 min away saw it and saved 21 people. Some covered in diesel. 5 died. Sobering story. Gotta get some flares if out on big water. Maybe for me too on Pigeon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch01 Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 Just read the story in Mclean's about the whale watching boat that capsized off Tofino. Water was 12 C. A female deck hand managed to get 1 flare off. Fishermen 10 min away saw it and saved 21 people. Some covered in diesel. 5 died. Sobering story. Gotta get some flares if out on big water. Maybe for me too on Pigeon. Not a bad idea at all. Cheap insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 Mandatory for me to carry a gun and 6 flares. Sad part is a guy in a 14'r needs none! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch01 Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 Mandatory for me to carry a gun and 6 flares. Sad part is a guy in a 14'r needs none! I'm pretty sure I can't get away with a gun in the boat down here lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 For da flares Dutch... makes a good "legal" hand gun as well, just ask most truckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLINKER Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 Can you fire a shotgun shell in one of those and keep your hand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumma Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 I carry a flare gun on all the boats. Art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumma Posted November 28, 2015 Report Share Posted November 28, 2015 Can you fire a shotgun shell in one of those and keep your hand? Not unless you reload it with a minimum load or have one of the older brass ones BUT IT IS DANGEROUS AND EXPECT IT TO BLOW UP IN YOUR HAND. Art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spincast Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 Just read the story in Mclean's about the whale watching boat that capsized off Tofino. Water was 12 C. A female deck hand managed to get 1 flare off. Fishermen 10 min away saw it and saved 21 people. Some covered in diesel. 5 died. Sobering story. Gotta get some flares if out on big water. Maybe for me too on Pigeon. A few years ago when I first started getting into bigger boats and bigger water , on one cold November day I was invited out on Erie with a friend giving the project boat a trial run. He had been out the day before and everything ran like a top. Even so, we didn't stray too far, not even past Pottohawk. Crusing out to the fishing grounds and the motor died. Kicker , main, both kaput (turns out had some bad gas). We're the only boat on the water. Cell phone has 2 bars, call a local charter capt after taking forever to to connect to the internet and find his webpage. Fortunately, he answered. We had no gps , so all we could give was a rough estimate of location and the fact we were without power and drifting. About a half hour, 45 minutes later we see the boat and hear him on our hand held radio. Asking where we are. But he can't hear us. We can see him doing a search pattern. He keeps trying to contact us and all he hears is static. After about 20, 30 minutes we hear him say he is going to be heading back in, cause by now he can't even hear the static ( he was getting further and further away), and we have no bars on the cell phone to contact him. We find one flare, well past its expiry date, but it works, and they see us just as they are turning to head in. Some people ask why I have a 8 foot antenna, DSC radio with an MMSI# and 4 flares on my boat. I just smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 No need for a shotgun shell, as when the 6 guys trying to mug you in a back alley (while you're on a delivery) see the hole that the flare is burning in buddy number 4's chest they won't stick around to watch your reload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freshtrax Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 Yup 6 in the big boat ,and 3 in the tinner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 tone z71 Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 Food for thought fellas forsure ..ill have one in the boat come April Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landry Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 How much does a flare gun and flare shells cost? I am pondering it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLINKER Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 If you are not required to have flares on the boat just buy the gun and ask around for some slightly outdated flares, you can probably get a hundred of them. Don't go too old, some guys say they last forever but I've seen some poorly stored flares go about 5 feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spincast Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 I just buy the hand held ones. Not visible as far away,as it is more on the horizon compared to a flare sent up in the air, but the smoke plume will work for 95% of the situations I will experience, There is usually someone selling them at the spring boat shows, with good discounts. Less than the cost of a tank of gas for 6 of them. A DSC radio combined with an MMSI# and your chartplotter is gonna be far more helpful if you are so far from anyone that the flare gun's extra height is needed in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freshtrax Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 About 75 bucks for launcher and shells at Canadian tire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.mech Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 I carry these hand held skyblazer arial flares in the small boat since they are a little less bulky than the gun and shell kit. They launch to 450' and fit easily into the glove box, your orange can of crap safety kit, or even your life vest pocket. http://www.westmarine.com/buy/orion--skyblazer-ii-aerial-flares-four-pack--10344976 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioFisherman Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 http://www.westmarine.com/search?Ntt=flare+gun I used this style, luckily just for practice - play in the back yard with expired flares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLINKER Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 We don't do as many boating courses any more but the Power squadron does a lot of radio courses so there must be a lot of people listening out there somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallie Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 I ve started throwing one in the tinner as well, the handheld are only good for a couple years and legally you gotta buy 6 more so it doesnt hurt to toss one in somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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