[JSea]

When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or from
island/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimum
equipment/hardware needed to

When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor,
outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or from
island/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimum
equipment/hardware needed to be operating your boat safely?

I'm not even talking about foul weather or compromised ocean conditions.

 

[Wils]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

why is the cell phone only in one option?

 

[JSea]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

I only had 6 choices/combinations . .
Just the way it worked out I guess.
So are you saying everyone should have/carry a cell phone on the water?
Remember, we're on the water not the freeway.
Drop the phone, and drive the car.
A VHF gets a quicker response on the water versus a cell phone.
Drop the phone, and drive the boat.

John.

 

[oceanjake]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

call me a non-conformist, but none of the above options are the "MINIMUM". i think you can operate a boat safely at night using just a radar. if coastal, a cell phone will suffice although VHF may be more appropriate.

i remember heading to the island with my grandpa as a kid....using a compass. nothing more. people did it like that for YEARS!

just fire up the nav lights and go. barring fog, you should see most things...and the stuff you don't see the radar will pick up.

 

[go1fishing]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

John,

I have 2 vhfs, 2 quality chartplotters, radar, and 2 fish finders (one of the fishfinders is the chartplotter combo). I also have a handheld VHF and handheld GPS, along with all other saftey items.

I had a scary experience not too long ago, and since then, I've order 4 SOS Waist inflatable life jackets. They just came in today, and anyone on my boat will be required to wear them at all times.


John
"Bass Hole"
26' Striper WA

 

[JSea]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

>call me a non-conformist, but none of the above options are
>the "MINIMUM". i think you can operate a boat safely at night
>using just a radar. if coastal, a cell phone will suffice
>although VHF may be more appropriate.
>
>i remember heading to the island with my grandpa as a
>kid....using a compass. nothing more. people did it like
>that for YEARS!
>
> just fire up the nav lights and go. barring fog, you should
>see most things...and the stuff you don't see the radar will
>pick up.

So it's a clear night out, not a cloud in the sky, no wind,
not a ripple on the ocean water, and you're heading to Catalina
with nothing but your RADAR when all of a sudden your boat stalls
out in the middle of the shipping lanes, and it won't start.
Oh and BTW, there's a FULL MOON. Now tell me how you will
communicate with the CONTAINER ship off your starboard side
1 mile to the Northwest that's bearing down on you quickly?

Remind me when you'll be on the ocean at night so I won't be.

Times change, people change, conditions change,
requirements change, nothing is like it used to be, nothing.

John.
Parker 2320 'FloMar'.

 

[Wils]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

>I only had 6 choices/combinations . .
>Just the way it worked out I guess.

the cell phone could have been part of each "combination"

>So are you saying everyone should have/carry a cell phone on
>the water?

For as generalized as you have set your perameters - yep. VHF transmissions get garbled by folk just being gabby; cell phone transmission is one-to-one.

>Remember, we're on the water not the freeway.

remember, ********************. guess you never found the off ramp.

>Drop the phone, and drive the car.

drop the pipe and pay attention

>A VHF gets a quicker response on the water versus a cell
>phone.

"quicker" as pertaining to.........."duuuude,,,,are the fish biting"?
or "whassssssssssup?"

if you got water up to your battery terminals, your VHF might not work. Does your handheld VHF have the range of todays cellphones? So your handheld does get a nearby skiff. will THEY be able to contact a real rescue boat in an emergency? or get to you in heavy seas?

>Drop the phone, and drive the boat.

You asked. Getting snotty was your only response?

modern cell phones have GPS inside them. call 911 and they immediately know where you are. lose your connection but the phone still has power? they still can find you. There have been MANY reports of lost boaters being rescued via their cell phones on both coasts.

The VHF, on the other hand, is only as good as its operator. and if its not a newer model that is tied in with your GPS, it aint worth a #### for someone trying to find where you are.

Cell phones aren't fail-proof, but I dont leave mine in the truck.

Got any more questions?

 

[JSea]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

>>I only had 6 choices/combinations . .
>>Just the way it worked out I guess.
>
>the cell phone could have been part of each "combination"
>
>>So are you saying everyone should have/carry a cell phone on
>>the water?
>
>For as generalized as you have set your perameters - yep. VHF
>transmissions get garbled by folk just being gabby; cell phone
>transmission is one-to-one.
>
>>Remember, we're on the water not the freeway.
>
>remember, ********************. guess you never found the off
>ramp.
>
>>Drop the phone, and drive the car.
>
>drop the pipe and pay attention
>
>>A VHF gets a quicker response on the water versus a cell
>>phone.
>
>"quicker" as pertaining to.........."duuuude,,,,are the fish
>biting"?
>or "whassssssssssup?"
>
>if you got water up to your battery terminals, your VHF might
>not work. Does your handheld VHF have the range of todays
>cellphones? So your handheld does get a nearby skiff. will
>THEY be able to contact a real rescue boat in an emergency? or
>get to you in heavy seas?
>
>>Drop the phone, and drive the boat.
>
>You asked. Getting snotty was your only response?
>
>modern cell phones have GPS inside them. call 911 and they
>immediately know where you are. lose your connection but the
>phone still has power? they still can find you. There have
>been MANY reports of lost boaters being rescued via their cell
>phones on both coasts.
>
>The VHF, on the other hand, is only as good as its operator.
>and if its not a newer model that is tied in with your GPS, it
>aint worth a #### for someone trying to find where you are.
>
>Cell phones aren't fail-proof, but I dont leave mine in the
>truck.
>
>Got any more questions?

I agree everyone should carry a cell phone on the water.
My handheld contacted someone at Catalina 2 weekends
ago and I was standing at the In-Seine Bait dock.
I also consider myself a very good VHF operator.

I never got personal with you.
Very tacky! I'll take the high road.

I've spent no less than 70-80 days on the water a year over the last 5 years.
Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall . . day and night, 3-day trips,
offshore and inshore, and to most of the local islands.
The 5 years prior to the last 5 years I spent closer to 100 days
on the ocean each year.

How many ocean trips have you had on a boat you own lately?

John.

 

[Wils]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

>How many ocean trips have you had on a boat you own lately?

"lately"? you win. zero trips lately on my own boat. have things changed that much since "not lately"?

 

[chrisfish]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

John, if you want the answer the government gives, then open up the CFR. You will be shocked.

chris

 

[JSea]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

Hey Chris . .

I'd guess it's 10 fold what's needed.
Like I said I only had 6 choices.

John.
Parker 2320 'FloMar'.

 

[bigeye2k]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

Small boats are hard to see at night without radar.

 

[Dorito]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

I agree with Jsea.

 

[sano]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

You must be able to commmunicate: cel phone service is not dependable offshore, and celphone does not alert people around you as to your location and situation.

Answer 1: VHF, 25 watt.

You must be able to navigate: navigating means you are able to provide your position in terms of latitude and longitude at a moments notice (fire, flooding, medical emergency). Whether you do this with GPS or sextant or maintain a running fix on a chart, as long as you are able to communicate your position quickly and accurately, you are fulfilling the navigation function. Can you navigate if your GPS craps out, or are you lost as to lat/lon? "Dude, we're between Anacapa and Catalina..... help."

Answer 2: Navigation system.

You must be able to secure your vessel in the event of the unknown. This means, minimum, one anchor and sufficient scope to keep you off the rocks. If you venture outside anchoring depth, then a sea anchor adequate to keep your bows to weather can prevent a small craft from rolling, swamping, or worse. Being dead in the water mid-channel in foul weather can be hazardous to your health.

Answer 3: Ground tackle and sea anchor.

Radar is nice. A radar reflector is important in congested areas, shipping lanes, etc. Small non-metal boats just don't 'pop' well on radar.

My stash: Radar and radar reflector, gps x 2, vhf x 2, handheld vhf x 2, anchor x 2, sea anchor, cell phone with external antenna.

 

[noworries]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

>So it's a clear night out, not a cloud in the sky, no wind,
>not a ripple on the ocean water, and you're heading to
>Catalina
>with nothing but your RADAR when all of a sudden your boat
>stalls
>out in the middle of the shipping lanes, and it won't start.
>Oh and BTW, there's a FULL MOON. Now tell me how you will
>communicate with the CONTAINER ship off your starboard side
>1 mile to the Northwest that's bearing down on you quickly?
>
>Remind me when you'll be on the ocean at night so I won't be.
>
>Times change, people change, conditions change,
>requirements change, nothing is like it used to be, nothing.
>
>John.
>Parker 2320 'FloMar'.

Oh good, a ship in sight will see my flares and call the coast guard for me.

I don't think there is a right answer to this question. In familiar waters, in ideal weather, I would be comfortable with just a VHF for emergencies. If the minimum for somebody else is a VHF, cell phone, radar, gps, fish finder, helmet, pfd, and life boat, well--that's fine for them. Just do me a favor and don't go on a crusade to make it against the law for those of us that don't need all that stuff.

 

[JSea]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

>Oh good, a ship in sight will see my flares and call the coast
>guard for me.

My concern above and beyond the Coast Guard being called in
the hypothetical situation I described is whether the Container
Ship would have time to avoid the stranded boat in the channel
before a potential collision.

>I don't think there is a right answer to this question. In
>familiar waters, in ideal weather, I would be comfortable with
>just a VHF for emergencies. If the minimum for somebody else
>is a VHF, cell phone, radar, gps, fish finder, helmet, pfd,
>and life boat, well--that's fine for them. Just do me a favor
>and don't go on a crusade to make it against the law for those
>of us that don't need all that stuff.

I don't think there is a right answer, but I believe the more
hardware and safety procedures your boat is equiped with will
maximize the safety for everyone onboard and minimize the
potential accidents and issues also.

John.

 

[BigBill]

RE: When using your/a boat at night whether inside a harbor, outside a harbor, mainland to island/offshore, or fromisland/offshore back to the mainland what is the minimumequipment/hardware needed to

THAT, actually, happened to me last year at Santa Cruz island in clear day light and perfect conditions. I lost ignition due to faulty wiring and was drifting towards Commercial Ship Line. This is only about 20 miles offshore from Oxnard, but NO cell phone reception and I COULDN'T get ANYBODY on a radio. NO ONE! Finally, Vessel Assist FROM Catalina 62 miles away answered and relayed my call to CIH operator and than to Coast Guard ... Container Ship WAS COMING DIRECTLY towards me and collision WAS INAVITABLE in 10-15 min. So ... Coast Guard suggested to wear jackets and wait for them to arrive in 40 MIN! MAN! I WAS SCARED TO DEATH! My passengers started to pray (literally) and I was hysterically looking for the problem ... I checked all the wiring (no wind at all, but rocky seas, not very easy task ...) and found the lose wire RIGHT ON TIME to escape the Ship - 200 yards away ... And captain was thinking "Just another dumb ass angler" ...

 

[TAURUS]

at night?

the single most important thing needed when operating a vessel at night is good navigation lights and next most important is a powerfull spotlight.

but hey, you go to sea with the boat you have, not the boat you wish you had or will have in the future.........uh, right?

 

[Wils]

RE: fish finder

why would a fish finder be considered "safety equipment"? To let you know that you should have dropped anchor 10 fathoms ago?

I can understand the chartplotter because it can give you your specific position which you can then relay to a rescue boat. But so does the GPS.

 

[TAURUS]

RE: fish finder

fathometers sure beat the heck out of an old fasioned 'lead line'