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Safety gear placement

920 views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Tjmass 
#1 ·
In the process of setting up my new to me pilothouse and I'm curious how others have placed their various safety gear. I have mounted my cat II EPIRB and spare handheld VHF just inside the cabin door. I'm thinking I will probably throw the handheld in a ditch bag when underway but just mounted it there because it's close to the charging station. The item I'm having the hardest time placing is the 6 man Viking life raft in a valise. It's fairly bulky and heavy. I don't really want it in the main cabin as space is somewhat limited but I also don't want it in the front bow area because it may be difficult to quickly crawl in the front acecess and wrestle the bulky raft back to the deck. Would placing it on top the cabin be an option? At the same time I want it close to my ditch bag as I don't want to be running all over the boat getting safety gear. Maybe a way to alleviate that would be to assign crew a specific item to grab i.e. One gets EPIRB, one gets life raft etc. This is my first boat and while I am doing my fair share of learning the hard way I'm not interested in the school of hard knocks when my crew and myself may be in danger. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.
 
#4 ·
My ditch bag, with hand-held VHF and PLB, is stored behind the captains seat between it and the starboard bench seat/storage box.

I mounted my EPIRB bracket to my rear helm station, so it is easily accessible by people out fishing on the rear deck, or can be grabbed as someone goes out the cabin door.

I don't have a raft yet... I do store gumby/survival suits in the center storage area under my bow, accessed by a door in the cabin under my bow step.
 
#7 ·
Tjmass,

If you are out of Newport, I would be happy to show you what I have in my 29 pilothouse. I fish alone with my 14 year old son and safety was a paramount concern for me and the moms. Everyone has a different threshold and budget for safety stuff so what worked for me to sleep easy may be different for others.

I am on my second season and made a few changes to the safety layout. All the boats I have had or been on are different so suggesting a specific layout is tough. I generally think of it in a kind of tiered way based on the level of urgency of the issue. For example:

1) things immediately available and on my person and first mate attached to our life jackets. (For mob, entanglement, etc)
—water strobe, wireless kill switch, PLB, small knife, whistle

2) things I can get to in 10 seconds. (Fire, abandon ship, collision, man in water, capsize)
—ditch bag (Epirb, flares, food, spare vhf, first aid)
—the red button on the DSC VHF
—fire extinguisher(s)
—Spare Air bottle and mask
—life raft (I chose the valise over canister for several reasons - weight and accessibility being primary with concern over the hydrostatic release failing to deploy secondary)
—survival suit
—cell phone
—boat pole(s)
—throwable life ring

3) things I can get to in under 30 seconds (injuries, damage, taking on water)
—first aid kit (separates into common and urgent as well as rare and ‘can wait’)
—leak stop, bungs, stay afloat, patches ring clamps, etc.

4) things I can get to eventually
—stuff like a spare anchor, sea anchor
—medicine, emergency food, water
—tools for electrical repair, jump start battery, spare fuel
—life jackets
—fuel filters, engine consumables, spare gas.
—fenders

The list goes on but that is how I think about it. I am sure I will find another way to go overboard next year. Already on the list is a AIS transponder.

I learned a lot browsing the forums and am sure others will chime in.

Hope that helps.
 
#8 ·
Lucky, I will be running out of Ilwaco and hadn't planned on being down south but thanks for the invite. Your take on level of urgency categories makes a lot of sense and should help with the my placement of various safety items. Thanks.
 
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