Danbuoy - inflatable or old skool?

[ylop]

But maybe Stg220 is just loose change to some.

I don’t think anyone was implying it was loose change - but a replacement “system” (horseshoe+danbouy+light) is likely to be getting towards that direction anyway.

There is very little to go wrong with the traditional pole

Except when they get so old they crumble away, or the telescopic style get kinked or as I’ve seen on many boats people keep adding bungees etc to keep it all under control - delaying deployment if needed. ALL approaches have pros and cons, I think you are probably right that a traditional pole, plus horseshoe and good light are robust if used as the manufacturer intended, and if given the same TLC as an inflatable will last well… but a wander round any marina will see plenty which clearly never get a second thought.

and if the flag deteriorates surely it is not beyond the wit of man, or woman, to make a new one

I don’t think anyone said it was - but the OP needs to replace his horseshoe which has also been destroyed by the sun, and unless he’s been lucky that probably also means his light too.

and/or store the Danbury down below when not at sea.

the problem with stuff that gets stored down below is people rush/forget and then suddenly someone is in the water and the bloody danbouy is not where it normally is. I’m sure you are diligent so that would never happen. It also adds a few minutes to setting up and packing down the boat between use. Those things are what discourage people from actually using the boat more.

Before singing the praises of self inflating devices I would encourage people to inflate their device and try ir in 50 knots of wind with big seas. They do have a worrying tendency to lie flat.

I would say the cheaper “poles” probably aren’t a whole lot better. If you really want to find a casualty in 50 knot winds and big seas perhaps it’s time to really go “hi tech” with ais transponders etc?

 

[Tintin]

The OPs reason for looking to auto inflate rather than a traditional pole had nothing to do with the effectiveness of either - the motivation was that the traditional pole entangled with other gear. It seems daft to spend, quoted Stg220 without looking at why others carry old style poles that don't tangle. There is very little to go wrong with the traditional pole and if the flag deteriorates surely it is not beyond the wit of man, or woman, to make a new one and/or store the Danbury down below when not at sea.

But maybe Stg220 is just loose change to some.

The most likely time to have a MOB event is when the weather is poor and a simple pole has minimal windage compared to the self inflating type. Before singing the praises of self inflating devices I would encourage people to inflate their device and try ir in 50 knots of wind with big seas. They do have a worrying tendency to lie flat.

Jonathan

Decision made, and thanks for the reminder about wind age. The only time I've had to deploy a danbuoy was when it was very very blowy, and the pole was at 20 to 45 degrees and a lot harder to see.

 

[Dockhead]

The OPs reason for looking to auto inflate rather than a traditional pole had nothing to do with the effectiveness of either - the motivation was that the traditional pole entangled with other gear. It seems daft to spend, quoted Stg220 without looking at why others carry old style poles that don't tangle. There is very little to go wrong with the traditional pole and if the flag deteriorates surely it is not beyond the wit of man, or woman, to make a new one and/or store the Danbury down below when not at sea.

But maybe Stg220 is just loose change to some.

The most likely time to have a MOB event is when the weather is poor and a simple pole has minimal windage compared to the self inflating type. Before singing the praises of self inflating devices I would encourage people to inflate their device and try ir in 50 knots of wind with big seas. They do have a worrying tendency to lie flat.

Jonathan

The issue of tangling with ropes is real, and probably varies greatly between boats of different configuration. Maybe smaller aft cockpit boats suffer more. On my boat it's not really a problem, because I'm centre cockpit and the pushpit is far away from any rope action. But this may work differently for others.