where to mount EPIRB?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Apr 19, 2011
456
Hunter 31 Seattle
I dont have any real place to mount it where its easy to grab and not be obstructed if inverted.

Would 5 ft up on the backstay be an ok location? Would be out of the way and could detach if inverted. standing on cockpit seat could be reached.
 

Kordie

.
Aug 7, 2011
144
Beneteau 393 Cruising Baja
Can you mount it down below where it is easy to grab as you exit your vessel.

Mine is screwed to the bulkhead on the port side of the companionway.

Simon
 
Apr 19, 2011
456
Hunter 31 Seattle
I could but im just worried that if I was broadsided by a wave or some other freak of nature happened and we rolled it would release and be stuck under in the cabin and thus not report out to the calvary. That seams to be a popular place for it but im a little paranoid. We had a worker at my company go missing a couple years ago on a really nice boat and his EPIRB was never activated and never seen again.

If something happens I want to be as confident as possible its going to be free.
 
Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
If your are inverted you are not going to be able to reach "UP" and detach it from the now underwater back stay. And the conditions would be bad if a wave inverted you so you are not going to swim down to get it and get entangled in the now de-masted boat rigging.
Better to put it down below in that abandon ship bag. If you need it and the boat is not going down (don't know why you would need it in that case) you can just get it out of the bag. if you do loose the boat and end up in the life raft you will have it too.
 
Apr 19, 2011
456
Hunter 31 Seattle
Im getting a hydrostatic unit that goes off once submerged.

I've been knocked down before in steap choppy waves and it had me standing my normally vertical cockpit lazzeret wondering if "this is it" and taught me a valuable lesson in how fast things can get ugly. In that case if I was hit by another stray wave and were to go over then I'd be lucky to get the tether off and to the surface. I doubt my boat would stay turtle the entire time and sink but at this point id want my EPIRB calling for help.


I dont know how heavy they are but added stress to the backstay from extra wind surface area and action of bouncing around a little more than normal is a concern.

Thanks for the quick response!
 
Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
Be sure to check that the hydro feature does not release the unit from the boat. It would make no sense to have it go off and then go down with the boat. course you would not want it floating away after inverting either so I'm not thinking this is much of a solution unless you attach it to the life raft and it auto activates upon putting the sucker in the water.
 
Feb 10, 2004
204
Hunter 426 Rock Hall, MD
I wrestled with this question for some time and finally decided not to mount it. Instead, I keep it in the ditch bag ready to grab where it is stored on a shelf in the sail locker.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.