No more flares

Stodge

Finally, someone is making a replacement for flares.  There has been a regulation that specifies the requirements for a light that would work as a replacement for flares.  Someone made one and got it Coast Guard approved.

http://www.siriussignal.com/

Time to go shopping.

Handymans342

Nice

LaRea

Gotta say that's a great idea.  Pyrotechnic flares scare the bejesus out of me, and they only last a few minutes.  

So, $100 ... I wonder how long will it take for competition to bring the prices down.

Stodge

Considering it costs $35 for a pack of flares good for 3 years, this is a no brainer.

rasbury

just bought flares so will wait the 3 years to see if the price comes down...

MarkB

If your boat is less than 29 or 30' you need 6 flares, if it's more you need 8 flares. You're not going to get 8 flares for $35, maybe a pack of 4.  It's more like a $70 investment every 3 years.

Black_Diamond

I saw these at Landfall Navigation last year.  They tested them on the water and basically said they are useless in the day and very limited at night.  I think the USCG only allows these acceptable at night.  If you have ever used a SOLAS flare, there is no 'flashlight' type device that bright.  Visual distance is a consideration too, depending on the body of water you are on, more than a few miles out and a handheld 'flare' is not visible, you need the parachute type.

Just my .02.  I agree getting right of burning hot stuff is a good idea, but if things are that bad to use a flare, that's a secondary issue.

I carry only the SOLAS flares, but I am on Lake Michigan too...overkill for inland/river.

Dream_Inn

It states that when used with the visual distress flag it is good for daytime as well.  Hmmm, not a bad idea, especially for lake boaters and probably even bay boaters like me.

MarkB

All I know is if I'm more than 300 to 400 ft from someone, it's hard to see any kind of flag. For my own safety, I will stick wtih the methods that produce the best visibility. That seems to be a flare for the time being.

Stodge

The flag is the daytime signal, flares are for night time.

MarkB

Who can see a flag beyond 300 or 400 ft in the water? I think it's a pretty useless signal.

Black_Diamond

Flares work well in the day too. Usually at that point you are closer to someone to see it. I lit off my expired SOLAS flares last fall (at home). They are blinding bright, and that was looking at it from my end holding it. Good experiment so you know how and what to do if you need it. The SOLAS parachute flares are like shooting a small cannon. lol

TonyWalker

Idea I learned from someone else.  I keep a number of expired flares aboard along with the legally required ones.

Tony
Salt Shaker 342

raybo3

I think the expiration date on flares is a crock of........... I just lit flares off that expired in 2004. 11 years expired and they "fired" up with no problem. So IMO buy the "flashlight" and keep your old flares and now you have the best of both worlds... 

Stodge

The expiration is not for their ability to light, it's for their stability and ability to not catch on fire by accident.  They can "sweat" sorta like dynamite.

Dan4754

Stodge is right about flares. A few years back a friend told me about a flare igniting behind the seat in his truck...without any help.

Michael T

Wouldn't that be nice during a fueling situation at a marina....another video?

LaRea

Well now that IS interesting.  How long can expired flares be safely kept aboard a boat?

I did some digging and didn't find an authoritative answer.  I saw one blog that said they become unstable after 10 years, but it didn't cite a reference.

Stodge

I don't need flares any more, but I normally only kept the previous set and the current set on board.

Dan4754

I do know that the flare that ignited was about eleventy five years old...like everything else in his truck.