Emergency signals

I have a couple of the ACR Firefly 3 strobes in stock now.

They're hard for me to get in quantity for some reason, and I have a limited supply that won't last long.

If you'd like one, shoot me a PM or give me a call at 503-285-0464.

Jason

I like the streamer!  Will order one now.

solas tape can be found here; http://www.landfallnavigation.com/ssrt1.html?cmp=amazon-ppc&am=ssrt1&utm_source=ssrt1&utm_medium=shopping%2Bengine&utm_campaign=amazon-ppc

Amazon.com  also lists several other dealers, so you can pick and choose. West Marine had it the other day when i was online looking at their Gill dry suits.

be careful this stuff retails for $2.00 a ft or more, one listing showed a 50 meter roll for more than $230.00!!

you can mark your boat by buying a paddle reflector set, cutting it up, and marking the 4 corners, and not pay over @ $25.00

We do have SOLAS tape, but I use reflective perimeter line on my boats and my PFD has a ton of it as well, so I usually don't use the stuff except maybe on the paddle. I was actually thinking of cutting a bunch of fish and crab out of Solas for paddle decals and selling for $1. 20ft of reflective perimeter line is less than $20 and that outlines the entire boat.

This is the only pic I could find of it on my old trident & reflecting. I don't put it beside the cockpit b/c I don't want to snag on it trying to re-enter, but it does outline the rest of the boat besides the cockpit area.

Jason, how did you attach the pad eyes?  I assume you used pad eyes for the perimeter lines???

I used "cherry" rivets where I couldn't use nuts & bolts, and pad eyes. In hind sight I would've used these:
http://shop.aldercreek.com/Outfitting-Repair/Hardware/Slotted-Round-Deck-Line-Guide-FG-Reinforced-Set-C78-i184697.html

They're rounded and a bit smoother to drag your belly over than a pad eye.

Here's another photo of the reflective deck lines on a T13.  This is another Hobie Revo Peeve of mine - no deck lines at all. 

I forgot that there are some perimeter lines on tridents. Having the recessed fittings is nice. Now I remember exactly what I did to mine for perimeter line...I replaced what was there with reflective line, and added pad eyes to the bow and stern to extend the length of the perimeter line all the way to the back-If I have to swim my boat to the beach through the surf, I hang on at the stern so the boat is in front of me and doesn't end up clobbering me from the side or behind when a wave comes through. That's one more personal reason I'm not a fan of rudders -they're in the way for stuff like that.

I also removed the bungee from the bow and ran one static line from cockpit left - to within a couple of inches of the bow end - to cockpit right for the same reasons. Sometimes I end up holding onto the bow end and swimming it in front of me to the beach.

the Scupper Pro I had didn't have any perimeter lines and I used pad-eyes and reflective line to outline the boat except for the sides of the cockpit. Same thing though, I used two lengths of rope -one for front and one back, that extended all the way to the tips of the boat. In theory it distributes the load to more pad eyes vs. line on either side, and if a pad eye breaks, I'm still holding on to a closed "U" shape of rope rather than a strait line.

This is good for towing, carrying the boat, swimming it through surf etc. Sorry for the closed cockpit example (this was before I replaced with reflective line, but most of these kayaks made for ocean use have this set up:



J

I replaced what was there with reflective line, and added pad eyes to the bow and stern to extend the length of the perimeter line all the way to the back-If I have to swim my boat to the beach through the surf, I hang on at the stern so the boat is in front of me and doesn't end up clobbering me from the side or behind when a wave comes through. That's one more personal reason I'm not a fan of rudders -they're in the way for stuff like that.

Hey Jason, why hang on at the stern?  Seems it would work better hanging on at the bow if you're swimming through surf, and push the boat in front of you, that way the boat cuts through whatever waves come at you just a little better. 

Doesn't really matter, but anchoring at the stern rides a little better. really need the option for both. The toggles at the end work well if they are free hanging, but not if they're close to the deck on a bungee/retractor like on the trident. the tight/bungeed toggles are hard to get a hold of and when you do they don't allow the boat to roll freely in breaking waves, which means potentially you could hurt your fingers/hand/wrist/elbow/shoulder when it tries to roll and you're hanging on.

a lot of manufacturers have gone to hanging the toggle from a strait line rather than a loop of some kind so you don't lose a finger when it rolls.

  How about reflective tape on the bottom of your kayak?  Jes'  saying....

I'm going to carry a laser light in my emergency kit, you know, the kind that kids shine at passing airlines or helis. Just hope I don't end up in prison after getting rescued.

This is a good, helpful thread.  Particularly liked pelagic's rogue jellyfish scenario.  I'm picking up some of the stuff mentioned. 

I recently purchased the Revere See-Me Strobe to affix to my safety flag staff, for low visibility day insurance.

• Nice compact size (dimensions 5.5" x 1.5" x 1.5") and lightweight (92 grams - 3 1/4 ounces) w/batteries.

• Bright flash (5.5 cd) Revere claims 3 mile visibility in total darkness.

• Solid construction, sturdy globe w/360° view. Attachment points are thicker than most competing units. Double o-ring water seal, attachment options included: velcro strap and PFD auto inflation tube clip.

• Revere claims 72 hours of operation using two AA alkaline batteries, probably would last longer/brighter with lithium cells (dispose of properly).

It has an auto-activation feature, although I can't seem to make it work in kitchen tests. Price $28 at West Marine, although probably found a few bucks cheaper online.


http://www.reveresupply.com/revere_2010/2010_data_sheets/data_see_me_strobe.pdf

Nice.  Might make a nice addition to one's PFD.  Or get two, one for the boat and one for the vest.  Might be a good thing to keep in the plane too.

Check Amazon - I just got two for 15.95 each.