Time To Check Your Safety Items

I just outfitted safety gear on my new to me 265.

If you have Kidde fire extinguishers with plastic handles, they are recalled and also too old...
They must be replaced 12 years after manufacture. year code on bottom.
FYI twin pack of red 1A-10BC at home depot are the same as white ones and cost much LE$$

I have been watching West Marine sales and scouring Amazon/eBay for deals.

Got whistles and LED strobes for life jackets.
New bright yellow throwable pfd.
New rescue line throw bag.
New 12 gauge flares.
New Electronic SOS led signal which does not expire, burn you, or ignite your boat like handheld flares. (Keeping 4 expired flares for extra ...)
Mylar blankets. Wound clotting agent. Liquid bandage.
New ACR V4 EPIRB.
ACR "Rapid Ditch" bag to keep it all together.

New VHF with AIS receiver and Hailer/autoFog horn
 
Just put together a ditch bag and have it mostly outfitted. Here’s my list:
Epirb. Cat2. Just registered it.
Hand held VHF
Stay afloat
Flare gun with 4 new shells
Small binoculars
Small first aid kit
Whistles
Hand held signal mirror
Waterproof flashlight
Sunscreen
Airhorn
Handheld compass
Small coil of floating rope
Safety knife
Chapstick
Space blankets
Couple of snack bars and bottled water
Extra sun and reading glasses
2 baseball caps

Also, replaced fire extinguishers as mine were ten years old. I also attached whistles and strobes to the Admiral’s and my Type 1 offshore life jacket. The other life jackets will get them sooner than later.
 
Thanks for the great thread! Never heard of Stay Afloat before.
 
I keep my EPIRB in the ditch bag, which is stored in the port side radio box in the hard top, and 1 portable VHF in there. PLB on my person with another handheld VHF on my belt. I fish alone often. Waters cold up here and I figure the VHF is probably the most important item. EPIRB or PLB response may be a while I’m guessing. I also have a 6 man life raft in the aft fish box, but I figure my biggest risk is falling out of a perfectly good boat.
 
Just had a Aux. Coast Guard Safety Inspection yesterday. Do it every year. Always have more than basic requirements.
 
Just went through my stuff. All flares and shotgun flares need replacement. PLB battery needs to be changed too.
Raft is now out of date. I need to follow a brinks truck around town....
 
ha ha... No but Charlestown is really turning into yuppyville.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/03/us/c ... ghway.html

plb cost $250ish, battery replacement is $135. That's insane. I'm cracking it open and going to battery and bulbs. The one on youtube had standard camera batteries installed. If I mess it up, I'd rather buy a new one than pay that much for a (4) $5 batteries.