Spring Fitting Out: New Required Safety Gear
Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2024 10:29 am
In the process of re-fitting my boat this Spring (2024), I noted that I had recently purchased two new items of mandatory safety gear, a fire extinguisher and a night visual distress signal. I am mentioning these two items as they might be a reminder for others to check to see if they have properly-compliant gear aboard for these two safety items this Spring.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER
The fire extinguisher was recently purchased because the existing fire extinguishers I had on the boat were no longer permitted to be used, even under the exception in the USCG rules that exempted older boats. In my case the expiration date was too old. To meet the new requirements I had purchased a new, white, marine-rated 10-BC fire extinguisher.
A 5-BC would have worked, but it was easier to find the 10-BC model. See more about the recently changed fire extinguisher regulations at
Fire Extinguisher Requirements
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... f=4&t=7507
NIGHT VISUAL DISTRESS SIGNAL
My night visual distress signal is an electronic lamp that was recently purchased because I got tired of carrying flares on the boat. A few years ago I actually test-ignited a flare to see how hard it was to get the flare burning, and to experience what it was like to hold a burning flare. The latter is a good point to test, as unlike when used on land where you can put down the flare on the pavement or ground, you cannot set the flair down on the water--or at least I don't think you can. You have to hold it your hand. I found the flare was quite a hazard to have burning on a fiberglass boat.
I decided to get an electronically-operated night visual distress signal lamp, otherwise known as a Non-pyrotechnic Distress Signal Lamp. A prior discussion hashed out some of the regulations affecting non-pyrotechnic signal lamps; see:
Non-pyrotechnic Distress Signal Lamp
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... ?f=9&t=670
The lamp I ended up buying about a year ago is the ORION Electronics SOS Beacon Locator Kit 547.
The ORION compamy is located in Indiana, and they make a very comprehensive line of marine safety products. Their model 547 lamp is USCG compliant, and it also includes a daytime signal flag. According to ORION, the beacon complies with all USCG requirements for “Night Visual Distress Signals” as found in the Code of Federal Regulations: 46 CFR 161.013, and the flag complies with USCG Requirements in 33 CFR 175.130 for daytime signaling.
The nice aspect is the electronic device does not have an expiration date like multiple fares would have, but you need to keep fresh batteries aboard. I stow my lamp without the batteries installed when I am not using the boat, so battery life should be very long. Also, I find that leaving batteries in any sort of device that you seldom use is a good way for battery corrosion to occur and ruin the device, and on that basis removing the batteries when the device won't be needed may prevent damage occurring from old, corroded batteries still in the device.
The original retail packaging is capable of holding the two D-Cell batteries with the lamp stowed, and both lamp and batteries are somewhat protected against water and moisture intrusion.
The lamp also flashes in a visual S-O-S pattern, the intensity is 2.5-times brighter than USCG minimum, and (with fresh batteries) the lamp will continue to flash twice as long as the USCG minimum period.
Another advantage of the electronic lamp: you do not have to accumulate sets of expired flares and find a local fire department that will accept them for disposal.
Take a moment to see if your boat has the necessary fire extinguisher and emergency signaling devices needed to comply with USCG regulations and allow you to pass a USCG inspection (or some other law-enforcement agency on-the-water inspection) this boating season.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER
The fire extinguisher was recently purchased because the existing fire extinguishers I had on the boat were no longer permitted to be used, even under the exception in the USCG rules that exempted older boats. In my case the expiration date was too old. To meet the new requirements I had purchased a new, white, marine-rated 10-BC fire extinguisher.
- Fig. 1. KIDDE white marine 10-BC extinguisher, about $30
- Kidde10-BCMarine.jpg (24.52 KiB) Viewed 26323 times
A 5-BC would have worked, but it was easier to find the 10-BC model. See more about the recently changed fire extinguisher regulations at
Fire Extinguisher Requirements
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... f=4&t=7507
NIGHT VISUAL DISTRESS SIGNAL
My night visual distress signal is an electronic lamp that was recently purchased because I got tired of carrying flares on the boat. A few years ago I actually test-ignited a flare to see how hard it was to get the flare burning, and to experience what it was like to hold a burning flare. The latter is a good point to test, as unlike when used on land where you can put down the flare on the pavement or ground, you cannot set the flair down on the water--or at least I don't think you can. You have to hold it your hand. I found the flare was quite a hazard to have burning on a fiberglass boat.
I decided to get an electronically-operated night visual distress signal lamp, otherwise known as a Non-pyrotechnic Distress Signal Lamp. A prior discussion hashed out some of the regulations affecting non-pyrotechnic signal lamps; see:
Non-pyrotechnic Distress Signal Lamp
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... ?f=9&t=670
The lamp I ended up buying about a year ago is the ORION Electronics SOS Beacon Locator Kit 547.
- Fig. 2. ORION Electronic SOS Beacon Locator Kit, about $100.
- 547_ElectronicSOSBeaconFlag.jpg (90.59 KiB) Viewed 26325 times
The ORION compamy is located in Indiana, and they make a very comprehensive line of marine safety products. Their model 547 lamp is USCG compliant, and it also includes a daytime signal flag. According to ORION, the beacon complies with all USCG requirements for “Night Visual Distress Signals” as found in the Code of Federal Regulations: 46 CFR 161.013, and the flag complies with USCG Requirements in 33 CFR 175.130 for daytime signaling.
The nice aspect is the electronic device does not have an expiration date like multiple fares would have, but you need to keep fresh batteries aboard. I stow my lamp without the batteries installed when I am not using the boat, so battery life should be very long. Also, I find that leaving batteries in any sort of device that you seldom use is a good way for battery corrosion to occur and ruin the device, and on that basis removing the batteries when the device won't be needed may prevent damage occurring from old, corroded batteries still in the device.
The original retail packaging is capable of holding the two D-Cell batteries with the lamp stowed, and both lamp and batteries are somewhat protected against water and moisture intrusion.
The lamp also flashes in a visual S-O-S pattern, the intensity is 2.5-times brighter than USCG minimum, and (with fresh batteries) the lamp will continue to flash twice as long as the USCG minimum period.
Another advantage of the electronic lamp: you do not have to accumulate sets of expired flares and find a local fire department that will accept them for disposal.
Take a moment to see if your boat has the necessary fire extinguisher and emergency signaling devices needed to comply with USCG regulations and allow you to pass a USCG inspection (or some other law-enforcement agency on-the-water inspection) this boating season.