BOAT DOCTOR /// BOATINGLAB
PHOTOS: BILL DOSTERTo survive a boating accident, you need to mentally rehearse your
responses to as many possible risks as you can imagine. most
important safety equipment on board is your brain. But here are
three of the most important safety devices you should carry.SAFETY GEAR
With National Safe Boating week occurring this month, we decided to focus
all of BoatingLAB’s resources on this category of essential gear.WEEMS AND PLATH
SOS DISTRESS LIGHT NO. C-1001
This patented fl oating device activates with a
twist of its Fresnel lens, emitting an SOS signal
reportedly visible as far as 10 nautical miles. It
satisfi es Coast Guard signal carriage require-
ments, but only for recreational boats and only
when accompanied with a day-signal orange
fl ag — which is included in each package. The
latter eliminates the need to carry fl ammable,
toxic chemical-fi re or smoke fl ares.
SUMMARY: This signal was simple to activate
and required no additional assistance once ac-
tivated. It is waterproof, fl oats and comes with
a lanyard. The light was far brighter than weexpected from a single LED. Spare batteries in
the ditch bag add life, and in our examination, it
appeared durable enough to stand up to bangs
and knocks during storage and deployment.
COAST GUARD APPROVED: Ye s
SOLAS APPROVED: No
SHELF LIFE: Unlimited with periodic
battery changes
BURN-TIME SPECS: 60 hours
VISIBILITY: 10 nautical miles
POWERED BY: Three C-cells
BATTERY REPLACEMENT COST: $6
REFLECTOR RANGE: 210 yards; the farthest
refl ectors began to show diminishing light but
were still surprisingly strong for a single LED.OCEAN SIGNAL
RESCUEME EDF1
The EDF1 operates in several light
modes, ranging from economy to
high to ultra. It emits a red emer-
gency strobe light in a 360-degree
hemisphere broadly visible from
land, sea and air. When it’s fastened
to a vest, it also has a beam function
that operates the LEDs on only one
side. A trigger guard protects the
device from accidental activation to
protect the batteries. An SOS setting
simplifi es signaling distress.
SUMMARY: The device is easy to
use, the instructions are graphicallyprinted right on it, and it projects light
in a hemispherical orientation to be
visible above and at 360 degrees. We
liked the automatic SOS function.
It doesn’t fl oat and can be tethered
to a vest but requires attention to
keep it visible on the water’s surface.
Our judgment is it would be a useful
addition to a ditch bag, ideal for night
distress signaling but unable to meet
day-signal carriage requirements of
pyro fl ares.
COAST GUARD APPROVED: No
SOLAS APPROVED: No
SHELF LIFE: Five years
(per warranty)BURN-TIME SPECS: Six hours
WATERPROOF: Yes (10 meters)
VISIBILITY: Up to 7 nautical miles
POWERED BY: Lithium-ion battery
BATTERY REPLACEMENT
COST: $40
REFLECTOR RANGE: 150 yardsELECTRONIC FLARES
Pyrotechnic flares were once the only res-
cue flares approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Not anymore. Recognizing the inherent risk of
burning flares, particularly on small, crowded
inflatable rafts, and noting the short burn time,
the Coast Guard wisely adopted standards for
approved electronic flares. Some have shelf
lives of decades, not months, and provide an
important cost savings and an extra margin of
safety over burning flares. But so far, only oneLED flare meets Coast Guard standards for
rescue equipment.
The Coasties require these flares to be vis-
ible for 7 miles. We wanted to see how they
compared to each other and set up a special
test by setting reflective targets at intervals on
a 210-yard golf fairway and noting the distance
at which we saw the rescue lights’ illumination
reflected in the targets. These were our top
contenders.A bright,
long-burning
life-jacket
light.Can this
electronic
light eliminate
pyrotechnic
fl ares?