Senior Member
I have a number of old aerial and hand-held flares that are several years past their expiration date. I have purchased new ones to be in compliance with the regulations.
Can the old ones be retained as back-ups or are they likely to be useless or worse yet, dangerous.
If they must be discarded, how do you do that safely?
Thanks
Senior Member
I have a number of old aerial and hand-held flares that are several years past their expiration date. I have purchased new ones to be in compliance with the regulations.
Can the old ones be retained as back-ups or are they likely to be useless or worse yet, dangerous.
If they must be discarded, how do you do that safely?
Thanks
Senior Member
I have a number of old aerial and hand-held flares that are several years past their expiration date. I have purchased new ones to be in compliance with the regulations.
Can the old ones be retained as back-ups or are they likely to be useless or worse yet, dangerous.
If they must be discarded, how do you do that safely?
Thanks
Senior Senior Member
Alan...I'm a poor one to give this advice....but i save the old out of date ones for backup and as the new ones go out of date I use the oldest ones around the 4th of july.....they always seem to work....unless of course you drown them and then dry them out.....which I suspect might make them dangerous
Senior Senior Member
Alan...I'm a poor one to give this advice....but i save the old out of date ones for backup and as the new ones go out of date I use the oldest ones around the 4th of july.....they always seem to work....unless of course you drown them and then dry them out.....which I suspect might make them dangerous
Senior Senior Member
Alan...I'm a poor one to give this advice....but i save the old out of date ones for backup and as the new ones go out of date I use the oldest ones around the 4th of july.....they always seem to work....unless of course you drown them and then dry them out.....which I suspect might make them dangerous
Retro Member #1235
They must be disposed off, pls send them to me and I'll take care of them.
Retro Member #1235
They must be disposed off, pls send them to me and I'll take care of them.
Retro Member #1235
They must be disposed off, pls send them to me and I'll take care of them.
Somewhere I read [img]redface.gif[/img] that old ones on board are acceptable IF and ONLY IF there are fresh ones to meet the REGS. USCG doesn't even need to see the old ones in that case.
Somewhere I read [img]redface.gif[/img] that old ones on board are acceptable IF and ONLY IF there are fresh ones to meet the REGS. USCG doesn't even need to see the old ones in that case.
Somewhere I read [img]redface.gif[/img] that old ones on board are acceptable IF and ONLY IF there are fresh ones to meet the REGS. USCG doesn't even need to see the old ones in that case.
Knight Errant
Now, this is topical... I attended the "Safety at Sea" Seminar in Annapolis just two weeks ago.
Captain Henry Marx from Landfall Navigation was there, as were several other USNA mucketey mucks... all said "Flares are really good for about ten years, their expiration date is 39 months past the date of manufacture. Keep the old ones on board as backup, but you need "current" ones to be in compliance with the regs..." (or words to that effect.
I also keep some of the older hand-held ones in my car "just in case". I figure if they light, I can use them, if not, well... so be it. After all, when I was in Kenya they warned you of a broken down car on the shoulder via small bushes placed in the roadway where we would put flares. Effective, and economical...
Knight Errant
Now, this is topical... I attended the "Safety at Sea" Seminar in Annapolis just two weeks ago.
Captain Henry Marx from Landfall Navigation was there, as were several other USNA mucketey mucks... all said "Flares are really good for about ten years, their expiration date is 39 months past the date of manufacture. Keep the old ones on board as backup, but you need "current" ones to be in compliance with the regs..." (or words to that effect.
I also keep some of the older hand-held ones in my car "just in case". I figure if they light, I can use them, if not, well... so be it. After all, when I was in Kenya they warned you of a broken down car on the shoulder via small bushes placed in the roadway where we would put flares. Effective, and economical...
Knight Errant
Now, this is topical... I attended the "Safety at Sea" Seminar in Annapolis just two weeks ago.
Captain Henry Marx from Landfall Navigation was there, as were several other USNA mucketey mucks... all said "Flares are really good for about ten years, their expiration date is 39 months past the date of manufacture. Keep the old ones on board as backup, but you need "current" ones to be in compliance with the regs..." (or words to that effect.
I also keep some of the older hand-held ones in my car "just in case". I figure if they light, I can use them, if not, well... so be it. After all, when I was in Kenya they warned you of a broken down car on the shoulder via small bushes placed in the roadway where we would put flares. Effective, and economical...
Geezer #160something
All very good stuff to know.
When I attended a Water Safety school so I could go to offshore oil platforms, the instructor gave me a niftie double-ended signal. Red flare for night on one end and smoke for day on the other end. It was made by the Kilgore Corp. in Toone, TN. It appears that Kilgore is a weapons contractor and web information is scarce.
Labled:
SIGNAL, DISTRESS, HAND COMBINATION
FLARE AND SMOKE
Has anyone ever run across something like this? It would be very handy on a small boat where space is always at a premium. By the way, the expiration is exactly 39 months from manufacture. Grinning. It still has a few years left on the 10 year plan.
Wayne
In the Swamp.
[ 04-13-2005, 01:37 PM: Message edited by: Venchka ]
Geezer #160something
All very good stuff to know.
When I attended a Water Safety school so I could go to offshore oil platforms, the instructor gave me a niftie double-ended signal. Red flare for night on one end and smoke for day on the other end. It was made by the Kilgore Corp. in Toone, TN. It appears that Kilgore is a weapons contractor and web information is scarce.
Labled:
SIGNAL, DISTRESS, HAND COMBINATION
FLARE AND SMOKE
Has anyone ever run across something like this? It would be very handy on a small boat where space is always at a premium. By the way, the expiration is exactly 39 months from manufacture. Grinning. It still has a few years left on the 10 year plan.
Wayne
In the Swamp.
[ 04-13-2005, 01:37 PM: Message edited by: Venchka ]
Geezer #160something
All very good stuff to know.
When I attended a Water Safety school so I could go to offshore oil platforms, the instructor gave me a niftie double-ended signal. Red flare for night on one end and smoke for day on the other end. It was made by the Kilgore Corp. in Toone, TN. It appears that Kilgore is a weapons contractor and web information is scarce.
Labled:
SIGNAL, DISTRESS, HAND COMBINATION
FLARE AND SMOKE
Has anyone ever run across something like this? It would be very handy on a small boat where space is always at a premium. By the way, the expiration is exactly 39 months from manufacture. Grinning. It still has a few years left on the 10 year plan.
Wayne
In the Swamp.
[ 04-13-2005, 01:37 PM: Message edited by: Venchka ]
Senior Member
The only time you cannot keep outdated flares aboard to supplement current ones is if you are carrying passengers for hire.
Senior Member
The only time you cannot keep outdated flares aboard to supplement current ones is if you are carrying passengers for hire.
Senior Member
The only time you cannot keep outdated flares aboard to supplement current ones is if you are carrying passengers for hire.
Senior Member
I'm not sure that even the Coasties always know the rules. I asked this same question last year as I was getting my annual inspection and was told that you couldn't carry the outdated flares, etc. The reasoning was that in an emergency they didn't want you accidently grabbing the outdated product and have a misfire. I guess that makes some sense.
Senior Member
I'm not sure that even the Coasties always know the rules. I asked this same question last year as I was getting my annual inspection and was told that you couldn't carry the outdated flares, etc. The reasoning was that in an emergency they didn't want you accidently grabbing the outdated product and have a misfire. I guess that makes some sense.
Senior Member
I'm not sure that even the Coasties always know the rules. I asked this same question last year as I was getting my annual inspection and was told that you couldn't carry the outdated flares, etc. The reasoning was that in an emergency they didn't want you accidently grabbing the outdated product and have a misfire. I guess that makes some sense.
Senior Member
We used to have those small "dual" flares in the navy for use by attack swimmers during training, who'd tape them to their equipment. They had solid caps so that they were waterproof down to at least 60', and probably much more. I agree that they'd be great for anyone who's on the water in or on the water in a small craft, such as dinghy sailer, kayakers, wind/kite surfers and SCUBA divers. Simply tape one to your PFD or buoyancy compensator and it's always available.
http://www.sailgb.com/p/night_/_day_..._smoke_signal/
Dunno if this one is waterproof, but it'll do for anyone who's not going sub-surface at least.
Senior Member
We used to have those small "dual" flares in the navy for use by attack swimmers during training, who'd tape them to their equipment. They had solid caps so that they were waterproof down to at least 60', and probably much more. I agree that they'd be great for anyone who's on the water in or on the water in a small craft, such as dinghy sailer, kayakers, wind/kite surfers and SCUBA divers. Simply tape one to your PFD or buoyancy compensator and it's always available.
http://www.sailgb.com/p/night_/_day_..._smoke_signal/
Dunno if this one is waterproof, but it'll do for anyone who's not going sub-surface at least.
Senior Member
We used to have those small "dual" flares in the navy for use by attack swimmers during training, who'd tape them to their equipment. They had solid caps so that they were waterproof down to at least 60', and probably much more. I agree that they'd be great for anyone who's on the water in or on the water in a small craft, such as dinghy sailer, kayakers, wind/kite surfers and SCUBA divers. Simply tape one to your PFD or buoyancy compensator and it's always available.
http://www.sailgb.com/p/night_/_day_..._smoke_signal/
Dunno if this one is waterproof, but it'll do for anyone who's not going sub-surface at least.
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