Sinking and Survival - Our Story...

[Seacraft23]

Backman - while I agree that going and getting an entire system is the best option, a properly wired (proper tinned & guage, soldered, e-greased, shrink tube) float to horn is an acceptable solution and significantly better than not having any solution at all. Now if your horn is failing all the time don't you think you should have upgraded to a better solution? You do check your horn frequently enough to confirm its working?

I checklist my boat all the time, full systems check, bilges operations, float swiches, debri, hown, lights, etc. And now adding the Thru-hull to that...

On that throughhull - I'd be removing, rebedding, and replacing that before I ventured out again. If you can turn it by hand it is either leaking or ready to leak.

And yes, I am completely redoing the thruhull, one diameter larger, glassed in new backing block, regoop, etc... One of many current upgrades/repairs going on with the boat...

[backman]

at least 90% of the time. Its an easy fix the other 10% of the time - spray the s*** out of it with fresh water to flush the dried salt out. Coming back to the dock is another matter - its weakness and I assume all horn's weakness is that if you take a whipping and salt water gets up in the diaphram and dries the TTOOOOOTTTT turns into a fart. Between that and the airhose between compressor and horn getting disconnected when the boat is taking a whipping I carry an air horn as a just in case backup.

Lets just leave it that I am not impressed with the horn system on my boat.

[Jim Forbes]

Whoa I'm a recovering stroke patient with an 18-foot Panga and a 40 horse Suzuki 4 stroke.
I'm also a fool and routinely take my boat out by myself to the outer Kelp bed about seven miles west of La Jolla. While I'm new at this open ocean thing, i have taken waves inshore a couple of times but been able to restart my motor and had my automatic pumps come on.
I wear my VHF-FM on a lanyard around my neck an keep my PFD tethered with break away ties on either side of my center console. In the pockets of my PFD are a variety of signaling devices, the second of my two VHF-FM two hand held radios and a compressed air horn. I insist in telling anyone who goes out with me where all the safety equipment is located and --in the event-- to try and stay with the hull.
I'm a big believer in Vessell Assist and have paid my premiums faithfully since i bought this boat.
I saw a boat go down last year off the Coronados and the image has stayed with me.
great object lesson in safe boating.
Tight lines,
jim Forbes

[Albiesickness]

Mark,
WOW!

Puts things in perspective...glad you are ok!!!

[Tin Boat]

Now that this thread has resurfaced over a year later, I am curious to know what safety procedures have been implemented by Reel-Timers because of Mark's accident. Personally I have always worn a PFD as a result, and for a while I kept a waterproof handheld VHF clipped to my belt. However, I have become negligent about the latter. I always have a cellphone in a waterproof container aboard my 18 footer, but if I go overboard it will still be on the boat (I fish alone most of the time) and there's no signal anyway in most of the waters I fish.

[striperman13]

Thanks to last years happenings I allways have a ditch bag in my transom well. Inside is a handheld VHF with charged batteries, spare batteries, a flare gun and signal whistle alomg with various other safety items. The bag will float free if the boat turns turtle

[backman]

Spent one BOAT unit having the life raft repacked and the EPIRB rebatteried and reregistered.

Spent a quarter BOAT unit on 3 eBay Air Force surplus survival suits.

Spent a quarter BOAT unit on a new Rule 2000 integrated bilge pump/float switch and one really miserable day in April wiring it in during a gale.

Replaced the tinny sounding Rule High water alarm with an engine start buzzer alarm that *screams* - if it goes off you know it! Rewired that in the same gale.

Updated batteries in all strobes; zip tied a strobe to each cockpit inflatable life jacket.

This winters check list is to check and if needed rebed the front thru hulls; replace the front bilge pump/switch and replace all bilge hose.

Winter potential project is to replace the pedastals under the bench seat with some sort of fiberglass base that is large enough to hold the raft; survival suits and ditch bags

Considering a crew training day either next month or in May where we simulate a catestrophic hull holing and all don the gumby suits, ready the raft and ditch bags and simulate a mayday on the handheld.

Also considering carrying a battery pack and making some sort of quick disconnect/connect adapter for the helm radio so as to be able to power it off the battery pack long enough to get a mayday off.

Words of advice for all the 0-dark thirty tuna men steaming 25-50 miles in small boats. You owe it to your crew to be doing the same level of preparation....

[Go Fish]

Ditch bag with EPIRB, GPS, VHF, water, high energy food, LOTS of fireworks and smoke, air horn, strobe, whistle.....

3 Gumby suits

4 class 1 vests stowed on deck with quick releases. Inflateable vests for guests that are more comfortable with them on.

5500 GPH pumping capacity from 3 bilge pumps on descrete circuits to 2 batteries.

Registered DSC radio.

Twice this summer I drilled with crew putting on Gumby suits and getting in the water. IMHO the gear is worthless unless you are confident in it's use.

[Chuckster]

I won't fish or boat in any water deeper than 4'

Let's just say I consumed more chlorine than any human should during my swimming lessons this spring.