[OdysseyAngling]

I’ve found a company that can dispose of flares for a small charge.... maybe if some use?

Details in sticky above....

And no I don’t mean trousers from the 70’s..... I wasn’t born then

 

[BruceK]

As somebody who was having a whale of a time in the 70's I can honestly say you missed out. Nice link :thumbsup:

 

[suzook12]

Flares are one thing but those tank tops!! Aaaaarghhh :BigGrin::BigGrin:

 

[Glenlivet]

Flares are one thing but those tank tops!! Aaaaarghhh :BigGrin::BigGrin:

I had an orange one with bottle green 3 button high waist patch pocket pants and 5” heel platforms.

I ROCKED dude :happydance::happydance::nutswinger:

 

[JonD]

We used to set them off as demo days with marine rescue but regulations stopped us having fun. As irresponsible as it may sound I've got several packs I'm going to let off on a police friends remote property next time I visit.

We have to replace ours every 2 years, making sure you buy new ones with a recent date on them is vital if you don't want to cop a fine.

 

[Clinker]

No rules about out of date flares here - you won't get fined no matter how old the flares on your boat - you just risk blowing your hand off by keeping old flares!

Some people say they would rather get rescued with no hand than not rescued at all - personally I prefer to keep an 'armoury' of more modern (not to mention more effective) calling for help equipment - flares would be my last resort.

And for anyone in the UK - note it is illegal here to fire flares in a non-distress situation - and they are nasty things, you don't want to be firing them off for 'fun'...

...from a fully fledged tank top, flares and platforms wearer!

 

[JonD]

No rules about out of date flares here - you won't get fined no matter how old the flares on your boat - you just risk blowing your hand off by keeping old flares!

Some people say they would rather get rescued with no hand than not rescued at all - personally I prefer to keep an 'armoury' of more modern (not to mention more effective) calling for help equipment - flares would be my last resort.

And for anyone in the UK - note it is illegal here to fire flares in a non-distress situation - and they are nasty things, you don't want to be firing them off for 'fun'...

...from a fully fledged tank top, flares and platforms wearer!

I have a good friend who's an expert in explosives for the mining industry, he also advises on pyrotechnics and has assured me that flares are good for at least 10 years +. Like the UK we can carry old out of dates flares onboard as long as we also carry the minimum 4 in date. Rocket flares aren't compulsory even though I carry them. Personaly I wouldn't let the rocket flares off unless it's a demo day with the marine rescue but as mentioned theses have stopped.

It's always a good idea to use the old flares first if you keep them, a recent rescue locally where a complete electrical fail had the skipper trying to set off his new flares first only to find none of the 4 worked, luckily the old ones did. Epirbs are compulsory for us if we travel more than 2nm offshore.

 

[Clinker]

We had a case in the UK (sorry I can't remember the details) where someone lost a hand firing an OOD rocket (I don't know what age it was) - they can be really nasty things and are not nice to fire (as is any flare to be honest) - I'm sure if kept in a padded box (in the case of a planing 'bouncy' boat) that's nice and dry they can last 10 years - we've all heard stories of 20 year old flares being OK and I'm sure that the 3-4 life they stamp on them is based on a worst case scenario - I keep OOD smokes and red pinpoints, but not rockets - for the cost, even though I hope never to use one, I'm not going to take the risk.

 

[JonD]

We had a case in the UK (sorry I can't remember the details) where someone lost a hand firing an OOD rocket (I don't know what age it was) - they can be really nasty things and are not nice to fire (as is any flare to be honest) - I'm sure if kept in a padded box (in the case of a planing 'bouncy' boat) that's nice and dry they can last 10 years - we've all heard stories of 20 year old flares being OK and I'm sure that the 3-4 life they stamp on them is based on a worst case scenario - I keep OOD smokes and red pinpoints, but not rockets - for the cost, even though I hope never to use one, I'm not going to take the risk.

Yes mate I have to admit rocket flares make me nervous, especially when you consider setting them off from a small rocking boat often with large amounts of fuel onboard.

I must point out to anyone who considers themselves to be safe because they have the minimum flare kit onboard to perhaps think again.

When smoke flares are set off in windy conditions the smoke holds very close to the water surface, I'm talking only around 1m high I've seen it. To actually see the smoke from one boat I was only 2 km from a sinking boat and honestly struggled to see it at all. The four people onboard claimed to of seen boats heading to port that didn't notice them waving frantically or the smoke from their 4 smoke flares.

When you see a flare being used for advertising, it's always during light winds where the smoke rises nicely into the air. Burn time is also quite quick, so for me setting any off while out around the continental shelf is a bit like peeing in the ocean to make the tide rise. This is why dedicated Epirbs are compulsory, plb's can be used but don't meet legal boating requirements.