lifebelt & danbouy help needed please

[jamesdestin]

Can somebody please explain to me about lifebelts and danbouys? I've just bought a horshoe lifebelt set (on a stainless holder) which comes with separate light. I'm assuming the light floats upright and is activated by sea-water. Should the light be attached to the lifebelt and if so how? There's an eye on the base of the light, but how long a line, and where to attach to lifebelt? I've also bought a danbouy which comes with a long line attached. My "Big book of sailing" says the danbouy should be attached to the lifebelt. I'm assuming therefore that in a MOB situation you throw the lifebelt, light and danbouy to the person in the water. Seems a bit of a cumbersome arrangement to me. And whats with the strap and buckle arrangement across the jaws of the lifebelt? Is that for the MOB to strap themselves in with? I'm also assuming that none of these are attached to the boat - you wouldn't want it snatched out of the MOB's reach by the moving boat would you?

 

[tugboat]

Hi Tony - I'm assuming you have one of those yellow lifebuoys with a foam core?
OK, the clip arrangement across the opening is, as you guessed, to secure yourself into the lifebuoy- if there are waves/swell there is considerable motion so it's a good idea.
Regarding attaching the light and danbuoy - I'd suggest some light line about 2 metres long for each. This will allow these items to float clear of the buoy but not be long enough to tangle in legs. Usually a fairly stiff shiny line is used (forget the name but it's a bit like that stuff used for crab fishing only thicker).
Most lights for the leisure market have batteries inside and operate via a mercury switch or similar so they need to be stowed upside down. If you unscrew the clear dome on the top the whole gubbins should slide out. When refitting, smear plenty of vaseline on the threads as they are very prone to letting water in as they hang upside down in the rain. Sea water activated lights are available- these are identified by plastic plugs on the underside which have a small line attached. This should be tied to the rail of the boat so that the act of throwing it overboard rips out the plugs and lets seawater into the battery chamber.
If you find having separate light and danbuoy cumbersome, you can get small battery operated lights which can be velcro'ed onto the pole of the danbuoy.
Have a look at other boats and see how they have their gear stowed. It needs to be instantly deployable, so it's a good wheeze to have the danbuoy stowed up the backstay so it slides out and down into the water. HTH.

Edit- forgot to say that if the foam type buoy, tie things to the grabline on the buoy rather than the buoy itself so the line doesn't chafe through the cover.

 

[jema]

hi- the water activated gel type battery lights in my humble opinion are a nightmare, the capusle seams swells & bursts with dampness/ humidity, the gel is caustic to skin / corrosive to lots of plastics even the plasticised twine they were fastened to had been eaten away - just had to bin inflatable danbuoy (xm) plus some lifejackets that had been slowly corroded away, argh!

 

[William_H]

Most danbouys to be effective have attached a pole 2 metres + long with a flag and or light on top a floatation section in the middle and a lead weight so that the whole floats vertically holding the flag above the waves. These are attached by line to the danbouy so that all is easily deployable by the helmsman in MOB situation. The pole is often attached vertically to the backstay but often around here a round hole is cut in the transom about 4inches in dia. and a piece of plastic piping the same size is installed which extends the 2+ metres into the hull with a cap on the end. The pole is stowed in this with only the lanyard coming out to the danbouy so that the pole and flag pull out if the danbouy is launched. I reckon safety harness is a much better safety feature however. Of course a danbouy id useless if single handed sailing or only opne person on deck. regards olewill

 

[poter]

Re: lifebelt & danbouy help needed please

Tony,

Just one comment, in a recent survey some of the horseshoe lifebelts did not fit over a MOB as they were to stiff. Before you actually fit the lifebelt on board, make sure it goes over the biggest expected crewman, if not take it back & change it.

The light is usually attached to the lifebelt by a floating line and stored inverted but if you have a MOB at night, it would be better if all crew on duty wear a personal liight or even a personal (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) EPIRB. expensive but belt & braces.

Of course the best way to avoid deploying all the kit is not go overboard, if its really rough or you have to go foreward "Clip On"

poter

 

[vyv_cox]

We almost only ever sail as a couple with no other crew. For years and years we have had two horseshoe buoys, one with a light attached, the other with a danbuoy. The intention has been that one is for daylight use, the other for night. Recently we began to question the correctness of this approach and have now decided to do something more sensible. We have bought a light that fits on to the top of the danbuoy. The newest versions (ex Jimmy Green Marine) have a remarkably bright light with a magnifying lens, although being only a small unit. The automatic switch mechanism is simple and more or less foolproof, unlike the various inverted types that we have owned over the years, which invariably failed to light on some occasions when tested. We think that this arrangement simplifies the action required in the event that somebody goes overboard, without the need for any decision-making.

We also have personal strobe lights that are rigged for night sailing and always wear lifejackets in the dark. Hopefully these measures will never be needed but at least we have thought through the best solutions for us.

We also practice MOB recovery from time to time.

 

[ashanta]

Tony,

Please do not be offended but we are talking basic safety at sea here! Whatever your safety devices are, limited or otherwise , must be absolutely understood. I am sorry if this sounds blunt but you cannot take chances.
Regards.

Peter.

 

[jamesdestin]

Thanks all for your replies. To be frank, and not to denigrate your replies in any way, this whole system seems to be a bit of a mish-mash! I might be able to throw a lifebelt to someone, but my chances of throwing a lifebelt with a danbuoy and a light, both attached by separate lines, more than 9 feet seems remote! It seems like I'd have to throw something akin to a bag of my granny's knitting! (actually it my granny's knitting was so "sturdy" it migt have been more use!) Why not attach a long line between the danbuoy and lifebelt. Throw the aerodynamic danbuouy first and then throw the lifebelt and light overboard?

 

[Ships_Cat]

But you don't throw it. Read William's post where he refers to launching it.

If you follow his post's method (and the light is in clips rather than a container needing them to be lifted out of as they often are) the launched lifebuoy will pull everything into the water after it, or if the boat speed is low, with a little assistance. It should all be in reach of the helmsman.

John

 

[jamesdestin]

John, you're quite correct of course. I was still working on my assumptions rather than really thinking about the explanations offered. The belt system I bought didn't come with a drogue, but reading the replies again, I realise that the drogue is actually essential. With a drogue and a moving boat, there would be enough "pull" to deploy the danbouy and light, without it there wouldn't. Changes the way I think about it really.

thanks

Tony

 

[john_morris_uk]

I have read through the thread and have some sympathy with your thoughts about bags of knitting...

I don't think that there is a simple way round this - although William's description of a pipe let into the back of the boat for the danbouy could be usefully copied by a few more manufacturers. You see it on a few offshore racing boats but not often on cruisers.

The danbouy isn't just for those on the boat to find the casualty in the water, but for the casualty in the water to be able to spot where the floating horseshoe is as well.

The Code of practice for commercial boats (charter and school boats) specifies a floating device with a floating light, danbouy AND a drogue attached. There have been instance where someone has gone overboard, and the lifebouy and danbouy has been blown away faster than they can swim to it.

To launch ours, you lift the danbouy out of its storage tube and the lifebouy out of its bracket and the light and drogue all follow automatically.

 

[poter]

Re: lifebelt & danbouy help needed please

Hmmm...

I must admit like others on here, that I have not really thought about the deployment of MOB devices in any great depth, just gone along with the accepted thinking but with a large dose of reality.
As I subscribe to the accepted wisdom that you should not go overboard in the first place, my MOB bits are just a Danbouy (BUT the best from Jimmy Green) with a drogue, auto light & a float, theory being if the helmsman cant get back to them in as short a time as possible, then they are probably a gonner!! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif


MOB devices are a bit amature, like so many other Yachting systems, with no real development or thought given to them.. or am I being a bit harsh? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

poter