EPIRB Mounting Location

[lgusto]

Hi folks,

Getting ready for the season and one thing on my list for the past few years has been an EPIRB. So, I've purchased an ACR iPro 406 Cat 1. I went Cat 1 (auto release) simply for another level of backup, i.e. if for any reason we can't manually deploy the device there's some hope left.

Any specific advice for mounting the EPRIB case? I'm thinking horizontally towards the aft section of my hardtop, clear of radar, antennas, etc. but would love to hear what everyone thinks.

Thanks,

Larry

 

[ocnslr]

In my opinion, not a great location.

The hydrostatic release doesn't release until a certain pressure, and the boat would have to be headed down for that to happen. Unfortunately, most of the boats turn turtle so the hardtop is the low point. This make it difficult for the "released" EPIRB to float up to the surface, and there is also the risk of entanglement in outriggers, etc even if it does float free.

I went through all that when I purchased an EPIRB, so I got a Cat II, and it stays in the ditch bag..

And the ditch bag is located with the liferaft...

JMHO.

Brian

 

[lgusto]

I'm hoping to avoid the age old Cat 1 versus Cat 2 discussions.

If a Grady owner has a Cat 1, what's the best place on the boat to put it? Any Cat 1 owners out there that can share their thinking?

Thanks

 

[gradyfish22]

No Grady should have a CAT I!!! They are foam filled and will take a LOT to fully sink, most bob at the surface. A CAT I needs to sink 3 meters, almost 10ft to have the hydrostatic release cut the wire and release it and set it off. If your boat never sinks how will it go off? Plus it makes it harder to access when needed quickly. The only place for a CAT I is a clear spot on a hardtop, bulkheads are bad, boats do not always go down straight and can list or go down with a trim, hardtop open access is only good choice. Personally, whoever sold you the unit should have asked questions about your boat and never sold you that unit. Its a top notch unit but CAT II is the right choice.

CAT I's are nice but IMHO not the right choice for your boat and not worth the added $...if anything its making it less effective. Realistically the best location is in a ditch bag with a vhf and gps and survival packs located in an open area at the helm or in the cockpit. Mines in a survival bag that floats and at the helm at all times, easy to grab and it will float if we do not grab it.

 

[lgusto]

Well, thanks to the Cat 2 folks for weighing in.

For my purposes, the Cat 1 is best. I can deploy it manually and if there's ever a circumstance that prevents me from doing so I've still got hope. ACR says that their hydrostatic release unit releases in 4-13 feet of water. From keel to roof top I've got about 10' in my boat. So, if I'm unlucky enough to be rolled by a rogue in the middle of the night, or run down by a freighter, perhaps karma will leave me enough luck for the Cat 1 to release.

Most of the commercial boats here on the Maine coast place their Cat 1 on the rooftop or up forward. Sometimes they'll place it on a bulkhead outside the wheel house if there's not substantial overhang.

I suppose the only option on the Gulfstream is rooftop. I was just wondering if someone had a different idea.

 

[Pez Vela]

EXCELLENT POST!

I think this is VERY interesting. The USCG says on their site: "The Coast Guard recommends you purchase a 406 MHz EPIRB, preferably one with an integral GPS navigation receiver. A Cat I EPIRB should be purchased if it can be installed properly..." but goes no further to explain proper installation.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/epirb.htm

lgusto's point, " So, if I'm unlucky enough to be rolled by a rogue in the middle of the night, or run down by a freighter, perhaps karma will leave me enough luck for the Cat 1 to release ...", is well taken, but there's a trade-off involved, that being the possibility that if it doesn't deploy, it will be difficult to reach, depending upon the boat's position the water. The last Grady that capsized around here, hit an island and was floating upside down when recovered. I think the mounting/storage position is critical, no matter whether you have a Cat I or a Cat II.

 

[lgusto]

Pez, thanks for contributing.

One of the neat things about this site is all the variation in our boating styles and situations. For example, in my Gulfstream there's really no room for a ditch bag in the helm area, and I hate having anything cluttering the cockpit for someone to trip over. So I know that my ditch bag often winds up in the cabin. For guys who can truly keep it handy all the time, that's great.

For years I boated the San Francisco Bay and up and down the coast. I've encountered those massive standing waves 70 miles off Pt. Conception at 2:00 AM on a pitch black night and would have felt much better if Cat 1 EPIRBs were around back then. Not to mention the heavy tanker traffic up and down the California coast. You don't need a direct hit by one of those vessels to wind up in a world of trouble.

Finally, I think often of the guys who capsized and drowned in a Grady near Mavericks last year or the year before. They never even made it out of their canvas enclosure, let alone with their ditch bag.

So, everyone's circumstances are different. Let's keep sharing and keeping an open mind.