Buoy guide or?

BellevilleMXZ

I have seen a pic of  these, a small thing that suction cups or sits in front of the helm, and has a small green and red buoy on it. You can switch if back and forth and it gives you a quick reminder of which side you want to be on of a single buoy. Anyone seen these anywhere? Not sure what to call it to search.

BellevilleMXZ

Like this

Michael T

I call them channel markers. I have used them for, well forever. I have seen them at just about every marine store. Just remember red, right returning.

BTW that little bugger has saved me $$$$$$$$ sooooo many times. 

Black_Diamond

If you travel the intercoastal in the US, red and green reverse from the international 'red, right, return' (ocean/great lakes/etc). 

Michael T

....and on Canadian rivers they reverse at the high point elevation above sea level. This too can depend on the river but that's very easy to check.

frodo13056

@Michael T - That's exactly how I learned to navigate the rivers that have barge traffic here in Illinois:  red - right - returning :-)

Michael T

Oh yeah, @frodo13056 and you sure don't want to mess with those barges or the wakes some of them throw.

In a jack*ss moment with my 2011 Rinker 226 XL I took a run at an asphalt barge wake. I put a foot of water over the bow (it was a bowrider) onto the Admiral and her best friend, sitting in the bow. OUCH!!!!!!.

That was 5 years ago and that story still comes back to bite me when the "girls" are together... LOL

BellevilleMXZ

Michael T said:

Oh yeah, @frodo13056 and you sure don't want to mess with those barges or the wakes some of them throw.

In a jack*ss moment with my 2011 Rinker 226 XL I took a run at an asphalt barge wake. I put a foot of water over the bow (it was a bowrider) onto the Admiral and her best friend, sitting in the bow. OUCH!!!!!!.

That was 5 years ago and that story still comes back to bite me when the "girls" are together... LOL

LOL that must have went over well! I'll have to ask around then.....I've never seen any,at any of the marine stores around here . None at the boat show either

Cableguy Greg

Some places call it a marker minder.

http://www.thechandleryonline.com/product_info.php?products_id=4197

Cableguy Greg

Here is another site...

http://www.valley-marine.com/marker-minder_8_97_1008.html

BellevilleMXZ

Thanks!!!!!

Michael T

Hey @BMXZ....If you can't find one I'll get you one and send it to you.

If I can't find one I'll send you this one.

I have it because, I ALWAYS keep one in case I am borrowing a friend's boat.

I took this picture 30 seconds ago LOL ......see your post in the background?

Guys, never leave the dock without one of these babies and, for the price, keep a spare LOL ...I did.....  :-)

P.S. I called it a channel marker the proper name is Marker Minder .....you might be able to read it on the picture?

Dream_Inn

I'm not sure I'd ever use it because of going in and out of all the creeks around here, I'd have to change it around all the time.  Red right return is all you need!  Well, here in the US anyhow.

Michael T

Well, if red right return is all you need, the marker Minder would work fine, that's what it's designed for....and on most bodies of water I have been on in the US and Canada you can come upon a marker quickly..... then you think am I returning or what? At 35 mph you had better be right.

Just ask the guy who put the 1.5 million dollar 54 foot Sea Ray on the rocks on the St.Lawrence River last year, ten feet on the wrong side of a marker.

A couple of times I have thought oh sh*t! am I on the right side of that marker - one fast glance at the marker minder - far faster than a GPS or plotter alarm and whew! I'm okay or Geez move her over!

Set the Marker Minder and get going, change course, change the marker. Super easy to use. Best cheap insurance - ever.

Entrance the harbours, priceless.

The first thing the Admiral set, then the GPS, then the Radar, then the coffee! :-)  

BellevilleMXZ

Michael T said:

Hey @BMXZ....If you can't find one I'll get you one and send it to you.

If I can't find one I'll send you this one.

I have it because, I ALWAYS keep one in case I am borrowing a friend's boat.

I took this picture 30 seconds ago LOL ......see your post in the background?

Guys, never leave the dock without one of these babies and, for the price, keep a spare LOL ...I did.....  :-)

P.S. I called it a channel marker the proper name is Marker Minder .....you might be able to read it on the picture?

Lol nice pic.......nah found several places that sell them now that I know the correct name.......thanks to u guys!

Dream_Inn

MT, if it works for you, great   I guess it may be one of those things that I'll like when I get older (kiddin' with you man)  With the Chesapeake bay, it's just the bay and rivers off it.  So, I figure if I don't know if I'm going up the river/bay or down it, I shouldn't be going so fast.  & most of those crashes you see are alcohol related (I don't have a single drink till I'm all set, period)

I could really see myself doubting if I turned the marker the correct way, seriously.

Now, all that said, my buddy with the other white 400 yesterday was heading out of the creek into a river and I had to yell at him on the VHF that he was going on the wrong side of it.  Give him a little credit, it was one of those markers that had green on top and red on bottom.

Michael T

Yeah,  you sure don't want to get on the wrong side of some of many markers. Some have a bit of leeway others are almost on a rock ledge. On any given trip on the St. Lawrence where I boat (used to boat lol) I passed at least 50 markers - many set out like a slalom course. It is a terrible area to make a mistake and many do. DI if where you boat that isn't an issue - well all the more fun for you! ...and no flag on calling me an old geezer. It's the truth brother!

frodo13056

Back when I was a river rat, I came across this guy - the navigable channel in the Illinois river often zigs and zags a bit as the river meanders down to the Mississippi and this guy must have been asleep!

Michael T

For his sake let's hope it's just mud!

jme097

Hahahaha

TonyWalker

I use one of these.  Home made, using pieces cut from a broom stick and painted screwed to a wooden base.  Held in place at the helm with velcro dots.  They are good for those occasional "senior moments."  And it takes one variable away from all the other things you are concentrating on.

Dream_Inn

Ok, you guys are really making me laugh here!  Tony, I could actually picture my father doing the same thing!  (oh man, give me 20 more years!  LOL!)

Michael T

....yeah DI and trust me those 20 years really sneak up on you. Not bragging but I have dinged a few props and hurt a skeg, actually I really hurt that skeg - all of that in the first 10 years of boating but I never parked a boat on a sand bar/rocks and never swapped gel coat with a dock. At least I have that LOL

LaRea

[edit ... a new account posted an ad here.  I called him out on it, and then Raybo deleted the post.]

raybo3

Gone!!!!!!!

LaRea

Man, you are on your game!

raybo3

LaRea said:

Man, you are on your game!

@LaRea I check this site at least 10/15 times a day. I check the spam and change log folders every time I am on. The site gets hit pretty good sometimes with spam...