Do i need an EPIRB ......

[exfinnsailor]

This boating lark is getting expensive .. Teach me to buy a new one .. Went sailing in the Solent in a 37 Bavaria .. Got back to our 21.7 Beneteau and realised how small it was .. Now proud owner of new 323 Beneteau but do I really need an EPIRB .. Everone says if you want to go travelling you need one .. Hoping to get to France from Ipswich and possibly Holland .. So do I need one .. If I do which type .. Pocket or Fixed to Boat .. Hmmmmm ...... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif <span style="colorurple"> </span>

 

[CPD]

If you regularly go outside VHF reach or into areas where others dont, and mayday relays are unlikely, then IMHO yes. the only difference between pocket and fixed, is battery life, at least as far as I have been able to ascertain when I bought mine recently.

 

[Lizzie_B]

You could look into the cost of hiring one for any long trips before buying one.

 

[aknight]

In relation to the difference between pocket (PLB) and fixed (EPIRP), there is a helpful analysis HERE

 

[Woodlouse]

No. If that is your intended cruising ground then you don't need one. Get a handheld VHF instead. If however you intend to go into Biscay and especially Portugal (where there is no VHF watch of any kind by their coastguard) then you may want to consider it.

 

[deep denial]

price has come down dramatically - can now buy a GME plb from marine super store for £299. I think excellent buy if you do any night sailing, single handing, or out of vhf range. A damn sight better than flares!

 

[Evadne]

I would say thet the question is really, do you want one? You only really need one if your boat actually sinks, otherwise they are there for your own peace of mind. Epirbs have only recently become available and affordable so, like gps, you could always do without them like millions of yotties did for decades before you. Thousands of boats sail your cruising ground each year without sinking or catching fire, and when just one does, it makes the headlines. But if you're worried it might be you it happens to, and it stops you sleeping at night, or stops potential crew or family from coming with you then the answer is "yes". The most dangerous part of your voyage is still the drive down to the boat in the car, and the most dangerous part of the voyage on the boat is still entering and leaving a harbour.

 

[30boat]

Not true.In Portugal you have coastal stations on permanent watch on chanel 16.

 

[CPD]

ANdrew, that was a really interesting link comparing EPIRBs and PLB's. It more or less confirms what I have learned, which is that if you have a gps plb, then the main difference is battery life. Interesting.

 

[charles_reed]

IMHO

It's of apocryphal value if you've a GMDSS vhf set AND don't intend sailing offshore.

Out of vhf contact with the coast (30nm or thereabouts) it's probably more essential than a liferaft.

In terms of cost vhf cheapest - liferaft most expensive.

Hope that answers the question

 

[aknight]

I believe that one other point - although it isn't clear on the page to which I gave the link - relates to how well PLBs float and transmit if not contantly attended to.

An EPIRB will float upright by itself, with the antenna pointed skyward, hence ensuring the optimum chance of a successful transmission. IIRC correctly, that's a requirement of certification.

A PLB in contrast doesn't need to meet that requirement. As a result it needs to be held in the correct position while you are in the water (or, more hopefully, still on board or in a raft). This means (a) out of the water and (b) pointing upright. The body of the PLB will sometimes but not always carry printed instructions to make that clear - again I am not sure but I believe there is some talk of making such visible instructions a prerequisite to certification.

I remain personally very tempted by PLB's, but this aspect does somewhat put me off. The same website that I linked to above carries test reports of PLBs - there is some argument over the McMurdo's effectiveness but I am led to believe that has been sorted and is now a red herring - and it does seem to me that the way in which you hold the PLB when in the water is important to ensure a strong transmission. The question I keep asking myself is how long I would have to keep doing that for, and whether it is truly feasible in a sea survival situation to expect someone to do so.

In my case, I am not doing any offshore sailing for the foreseeable, and indeed am only sailing sporadically due to other commitments. My decision has therefore been to wait for a while and see what else emerges (other than the inevitable price reductions). I perceive that (consumer model) EPIRBs and PLBs are developing in such a way that they are slowly converging over time. I suspect that eventually they will become one and the same, but with the best features of both - i.e. self-tending, long battery life, etc. In particular, the next generation of GPS receivers (as used, for example, in the Garmin GPSMap 60 Csx) have blindingly fast satellite acquisition from a cold start, and are extraordinarly tenacious at holding onto the signal no matter if they are stuffed in a pocket or otherwise operating in less-than-perfect conditions. I'd like to see that technology more widely used before trusting my money and my life to PLBs.

 

[StugeronSteve]

Congratulations on your new boat.

Another bit of kit you will never use (we hope), but none the less buy one. I bought a McMurdo (full size) with GPS, last year, and it sits proudly on a bulkhead now. Keeps swmbo happy when I'm off X-channel etc.

 

[Woodlouse]

Well it's not a GMDSS A1 area. So assistance is not guarenteed if you shout help on VHF. As far as I was aware the Portugese coast stations listen to 2182.

 

[BlueChip]

We have and EPIRB and DSC VHF on board

Most times we sail 2 up, in any sort of life threatening crisis such as MOB or fire, we figure we are going to be very busy tackling the crisis and may not have time to be on the radio calling for help.

Our strategy in this sort of crisis is to hit the DSC mayday button and set off the EPIRB. With two independent sources of distress signal providing vessel id and position I would expect the coastguard to take it seriously instead of possibly assuming a false alarm. As and when conditions allow we can then talk to them and explain the situation.

 

[Woodlouse]

The Coastguard will only ever assume a false alarm when you, after setting off the false alarm, get on the radio and tell them the sitiation.

I'll say one thing about EPIRB's though. Only the coastguard know when one has gone off. With VHF, DSC and flares you get a much broader audience in your immediate vecinity.