What Flares to buy?

[Victorious]

I have a 40ft boat with no flares whatsoever onboard.
I plan to go sailing in the very near future (within the solent)

Bearing in mind recent events (that many will know about but some wont because posts have been removed)
What flares would you buy ???

 

[Topcat47]

I've been thinking the same thoughts myself.....including how to get a metal box to hold them in instead of those plastic ones......

 

[Victorious]

Think i will pop into my local swindlwry and ask a few awkward questions..

 

[StephenSails]

I think ex army ammo boxes would be good for storage, see here http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/ishop/877/shopscr2135.html

As for flares, Hanson pyrotechnics are well regarded.

 

[Wansworth]

Would those mini flares which use a gun be easier to use?

 

[bobgosling]

Putting any kind of pyrotechnic into a metal box is, IMHO, a very bad idea. You will have basically made a bomb.

 

[StephenSails]

So why do most of the military round the world do it then? otherwise they would be transporting their ammo around in bubble rap and styro foam.

 

[Malcb]

Because bullets do not have an attached firing mechanism, flares do.

 

[Sans Bateau]

If you are staying in the Solent area why not wait until the fact are confirmed? I have flares made by the suspected manufacturer, but I will avoid using a white smoke, for now anyway. But would still use the others if I had to.

 

[StephenSails]

so what about grenades, motars? etc

 

[Evadne]

They've already been put ionto steel cases, and can be classified as bombs.

 

[tome]

Grenades are stored without fuses

We use a lot of explosives in our seismic surveys. The explosives and detonators are ALWAYS stored separately with a great deal of distance between the two. Only when they are ready to be used do the 2 come together

A flare is ready-use and has both firing mechanism and explosives in the same container. No way would I pack them in an ammo box!

 

[Sans Bateau]

Tom

surely the inability of the ammo box to be able to keep the flares dry would be an added danger?

 

[StephenSails]

They come delivered in a very sturdy plastic box which would probably be as bad as a metal box if this bomb effect where to happen which I doubt if you where not packing them in solid. To store these flares the health and safety mob wanted me to buy a metal chest.

 

[tome]

Yes, agree

 

[Talbot]

Military parachute flares are supplied in a plastic tub similar to those used for the ocean flare packs.

All others are supplied in wooden or metal boxes well compatmentalised for the type of pyrotechnic.

There are specific rules about stowage of pyrotechnics alone as a type of explosive to be isolated from others in different magazines.


yata yata yata - do stop that anorak!

 

[Vara]

Musings on \"Ammo\" boxes on boats.

Metal ammo boxes at first sight are quite attractive,most of them have rubber seals around the lid to make them watertight and a positive clip to secure lid.
However in practise they are not good on boats as they tend to have sharp corners which knock lumps out of fibre-glass,and if kept in lockers the paint breaks down and you get rust streaks.I'd stick to the standard plastic jobbies,which if bought seperately from the flares need some bits of foam added inside to stop rattling about,and then the whole container secured in such a way so that it doesn't move about.
As Talbot says that's how the military transport "para-illum".

 

[Topcat47]

I have a 7.62 ammo box...too small for flares and the Dutch ones are too big for my boat.