What is the opinion on a MOB pole,

[Chip Willlis]

buy one or save the money for other need items. We have a C-30 with a backstay. We have strobe lights on our PDF’s, jack lines and tethers and a life ring with a strobe light attached. Do we need a MOB Pole also? It costs about $150.00 plus mounting hardware and we have read that only one in four boats have one. I guess the bigger question is can we take it with us to our next boat, we have an eye on a 45 Hunter CC and I have not seen a MOB pole on a large boat like that. Also the Hunter does not have a back stay so it would mount like an antenna. Any thoughts? We are not poor but thee are a number of ways we could spend the money such as new jib halyard. ThnksChip

 

[Augie Byllott]

MOB pole

A MOB pole is, in some ways, like insurance. You don't actually need it unless you need it. If you actually need it, then you really need it.Among the greatest difficulties in a MOB situation is sighting the victim. Perhaps a strobe will help in the dark, but day time can present a worse problem.A head sticking up out of the water is a tiny target. If there is any wave activity at all, a head can be difficult, if not impossible, to spot. If a boat is moving at 5 knots, then the victim is receding at the rate of 500 feet per minute. That's nearly the length of two football fields. If you can't see what you're looking for, how can you know where to search? Even if you do spot the head, have you someone on board who will do nothing but glue his eyes on it and point to it without interruption? You can't maneuver the boat and keep an eye on the bobbing target at the same time. Once you lose sight of that target, you may not find it again. The height of the MOB pole presents a target with a degree of visibility far, far greater than a human head. If you take your eye off it, you'll be able to spot that waving pennant again. $150? In my opinion, a pittance, when measured against the alternative.Of course, if no one ever falls overboard, then you've wasted $150.