Seastoke
Well-Known Member
What’s the difference, that’s why I ask , also which is best and where to buy. Cheers SS
Epirb or Plb
- Thread starter Seastoke
- Start date
rubberduck
Well-Known Member
Both ?
petem
Well-Known Member
Epirb is bigger, will float and activate automatically. PLB is smaller and needs to be manually activated and usually has a floating neoprene case or similar.
MrB
Well-Known Member
Epirb is for when the boat sinks, PLB is for when you sink and usually fitted to a life jacket. Epirb sends out a signal for longer.
Anders_P42
Well-Known Member
I bought PLB which is attached to my life jacket. If I had a life raft, I’d probably have an Eprib too.
prv
Well-Known Member
EPIRBs normally activate if they are wet and not in their cradle (magnets in the cradle let it know). So with it strapped into a fixed cradle, it won't in practice auto-activate. You can of course get auto-releasing cradles which are mounted on deck and will launch the EPIRB if the boat sinks, but these are relatively rare on yachts. Otherwise, it's a case of grabbing it on your way to the liferaft.
EPIRBs float antenna-up and in theory are meant to be left in the water outside a liferaft, on the end of a bit of string. I suspect most people would bring it inside rather than trust the string. PLBs, even when buoyant or in a buoyant case, don't float antenna-up so would need to be held when transmitting.
EPIRBs have much longer battery life than PLBs, which shouldn't be of any relevance in European coastal waters where you'd hope to be rescued long before either runs out.
PLBs are intended to be worn by a person, EPIRBs are intended to belong to the boat. But the signals they send are the same, and while you probably wouldn't strap an EPIRB to your belt, there's nothing stopping you putting a PLB in the grab bag to act as a whole-boat distress beacon. As long as you're happy to manually trigger it and hold it with the antenna up while it transmits, and don't expect to spend days in a raft, it will do just as good a job.
Pete
Seastoke
Well-Known Member
So what do you guys carry or don’t you
petem
Well-Known Member
PLB only
rubberduck
Well-Known Member
We have two epirbs, one from old boat & getting on a bit, that stays with boat, other liferaft.
Never go solo so no plb.
Never go solo so no plb.
prv
Well-Known Member
I used to have a PLB in the grab bag, doing the job of an EPIRB since the specific advantages of a manually-activated EPIRB didn’t seem all that essential to me. When the PLB’s battery shelf life expired, EPIRB prices had come down so I bought one to replace it, because an EPIRB is what you’re “supposed to have” as the boat’s beacon. But I’m still not really sure I gained much by the change.
Pete
Portofino
Well-Known Member
Got one of each .
The PLB is in the grab bag ( from my old S/Skr ) and the ERIRB came with the boat .I had it serviced / tested last yr along with new batts and a certificate, lasts 5 years .
We have a 10
life raft and the tender is sat on the bathing platform ready - one strap .
We also having spent time in Fr got there coastal flare / pyrotechnics kit , near €300 worth inc smoke as well as parachute flares .
It’s a fine able offence in Fr to get caught in possession of out of date pyrotechnics and they have a defined and dated pack you must carry .
We are not phased by pyrotechnics btw .
Some argue hiding behind the flag and dismissing local regulations, but as far I understand that counts if transit .
Transit is spending less than 3 month in a state .
Over that time like most Med boaters you suppose to abide by the local regs re safety gear not some Quasi RYA guidance because you fly a U.K. ensign .
How ever not sure how deep the local officials will go if they are ( what ever reason(s) drawn to there attention? ) you are getting “ done “ . Thinking injury , damage to persons , property etc leading to court appearance it looks crap if it turns out you have not adhered .
As they say “ when in Rome do as the Romans do “
The PLB is in the grab bag ( from my old S/Skr ) and the ERIRB came with the boat .I had it serviced / tested last yr along with new batts and a certificate, lasts 5 years .
We have a 10
life raft and the tender is sat on the bathing platform ready - one strap .We also having spent time in Fr got there coastal flare / pyrotechnics kit , near €300 worth inc smoke as well as parachute flares .
It’s a fine able offence in Fr to get caught in possession of out of date pyrotechnics and they have a defined and dated pack you must carry .
We are not phased by pyrotechnics btw .
Some argue hiding behind the flag and dismissing local regulations, but as far I understand that counts if transit .
Transit is spending less than 3 month in a state .
Over that time like most Med boaters you suppose to abide by the local regs re safety gear not some Quasi RYA guidance because you fly a U.K. ensign .
How ever not sure how deep the local officials will go if they are ( what ever reason(s) drawn to there attention? ) you are getting “ done “ . Thinking injury , damage to persons , property etc leading to court appearance it looks crap if it turns out you have not adhered .
As they say “ when in Rome do as the Romans do “
petem
Well-Known Member
Seastoke, you need to think about what cruising you do and what risks you are trying to mitigate against. Also, how much you have to spend.
Portofino
Well-Known Member
And marry the above up with any local regulation if it exists in where you boat .
petem
Well-Known Member
He boats in Wales. No legal requirements for Epirbs or anything else.
Seastoke
Well-Known Member
Well Pete I am not wanting to meet regs, but do when needed , but like most on here we try and improve our boats year on year ,especially after our issue 20miles off shore this year.
Mr Googler
Well-Known Member
Bruce says....”can you not just step off Marina Queen onto the pontoon?” 
I’ve got a portable dsc vhf with internal GPS. At least I can talk to someone and know help is (or not) coming whilst sat in the life raft. Nothing like the range of epirb of course but I think it’s about 8 miles for DSC transmission at sea level to sea level which will increase if the receiving aerial is higher (like on a tanker) and I only need another vessel to pick it up and relay. Batt life is 7 hours
I’ve got a portable dsc vhf with internal GPS. At least I can talk to someone and know help is (or not) coming whilst sat in the life raft. Nothing like the range of epirb of course but I think it’s about 8 miles for DSC transmission at sea level to sea level which will increase if the receiving aerial is higher (like on a tanker) and I only need another vessel to pick it up and relay. Batt life is 7 hours
BruceK
Well-Known Member
can you not just step off Marina Queen onto the pontoon? ABSOLUTELY
Roy I'd get a liferaft first or at minimum have a tender ready to launch and not have to faff about blowing it up first. Aesthetics go only so far. EPIRB / PLB is great but you're tackling the safety aspect from the wrong end first imo.
ABSOLUTELYRoy I'd get a liferaft first or at minimum have a tender ready to launch and not have to faff about blowing it up first. Aesthetics go only so far. EPIRB / PLB is great but you're tackling the safety aspect from the wrong end first imo.
Seastoke
Well-Known Member
Someone asked me when is Brucek having his next boat with the guy off B leg , I said Bruce boat share , he said No , bout, oh I said more like 10 rounds in the pub , that’s if the other guy is paying.can you not just step off Marina Queen onto the pontoon?
Roy I'd get a liferaft first or at minimum have a tender ready to launch and not have to faff about blowing it up first. Aesthetics go only so far. EPIRB / PLB is great but you're tackling the safety aspect from the wrong end first imo.
petem
Well-Known Member
can you not just step off Marina Queen onto the pontoon?
Roy I'd get a liferaft first or at minimum have a tender ready to launch and not have to faff about blowing it up first. Aesthetics go only so far. EPIRB / PLB is great but you're tackling the safety aspect from the wrong end first imo.
Indeed. No point in calling the emergency services via Epirb if you've drowned or died of hypothermia by the time they arrive due to not having a liferaft.
cvt
Member
In the U.S. the EPIRB are registered with NOAA and provide very accurate satellite-based location almost exclusively for sea-going vessels while PLB are used in the wilderness of Colorado,Wyoming,Montana etc when 4x4 overlanding or hiking,camping etc.
SAR at sea usually takes considerably more time than rescuing folks lost in the mountains so the EPIRB cost a multiple of a PLB.
GPSStore.com is a good source for comparison.
