We need Change!!

[NoBones]

In light of the two boys from Jupiter, FL. missing after a boat mishap
Friday the 24th of July after their 18 SeaCraft was found floating 65 miles
due east of Daytona Beach, FL. today July 26th it only makes sense
that the law needs to change....

Lil' Kenny made the suggestion that as cheap as electronics are
today that an affordable Epirb needs to be made available
to all boaters that travel into any off shore waters in the country..

ACR and the few others that manufacture these devices need to make
them more affordable !!!!!!!

Yes, the personal ones are available for around $200

Hense we as an organization CSC need to spear head a drive to lobby
Rick Scott (Governor of Florida), FWC, MFC to mandate that a location
device be on every vessel that traverses into the open waters of the Atlantic
or Gulf of Mexico !!! It needs to be LAW!

Certainly as an organization we have the clout to get this started!

So, who is on board in this endeavor ??

Lets make this happen ....

[gofastsandman]

Amen Ken!

I`m hearing more than one life jacket may have been missing so that is good news.

[NoBones]

Bump...

It got buried with other posts....

[kmoose]

I am in agreement with the requirement of epirbs outside of state waters. It needs to be a federal mandate to have any teeth anyway. That said, I don't feel manufacturers need to be made to make them any more affordable than they are. Considering what it cost to do anything to our boat, the cost of the most high end epirb is nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

[bigeasy1]

I may be mistaken,but didn't a law requiring Epirb's at fishing tournaments on the ocean and great lakes fail a few years back?.

I think it makes sense,but unlike most of us on this and other sites that are comprised of serious fishermen and boaters,there are a whole lot of yahoo's who only see boats as a fun thing,and would not support Epirbs as a requirement.Hell, a lot of them don't even have enough life jackets on board.These would be the people(not all but many) who would be against it.
I always wear an inflatable life jacket when I'm on the water,and have also been thinking about an Epirb.I watched a 30' boat sink in a matter of minutes,fortunately they were only a few miles offshore,and were all rescued by boats in the same area.
Had they been twenty miles offshore it may have been a different story.
It took forever for the Coast Guard from the Niagara station to get to the sinking.

I would be a big supporter of Epirb requirements on big water.

[ocuyler]

In light of recent events, it occurred to me that I should have one, even on Lake Ontario. I'm not even sure if the 23 would even float, so being in the (cold) water here for very long would be an awful way to go. We do have a ditch bag that floats with flares, horn, handheld, etc., but we have become too reliant on our cell phones for communications.

I would agree that it's a good idea for offshore and even coastal boaters.

[bumpdraft]

I don't think you can mandate a cheap price on a product. If anything, requiring the use of a product by law would probably increase the price, not decrease it.

[76Red18]

Cost of my acr plb was about $350. About the same as one of those high quality gold reels that I see so many of around here. Don't see many plb's though...

[Copper Collar]

I'm going to have to disagree. With freedom comes responsibility, people shouldn't be forced by the government to have these devices. Now before everyone gets their panties in a twist, I also think that seat belt laws, helmet laws, etc. are stupid. If you are intelligent enough to use these things to protect yourself, pat yourself on the back. If you choose not use them, then you face the consequences of your actions. Pretty simple IMO.

[Terry England]

Originally Posted by Copper Collar

I'm going to have to disagree. With freedom comes responsibility, people shouldn't be forced by the government to have these devices. If you are intelligent enough to use these things to protect yourself, pat yourself on the back. Pretty simple IMO.

Copper, you are correct. Even us knucklehead "Liber-Terry-ians "have them on the most utilitarian Seacraft in existance. Note the non-skid dash!

This has turned into a very sad situation.

However, the only reason most of us are here typing comments today is because we survived the "Don't tell mom", the "Double dog dares", the "You'er not chicken?" and the "Let's go for it" long enough to get through puberty. Mother Ocean has swallowed up many a mariner from cabin boys to admirals, since man decided to go down to the sea. Over the years, we just survived long enough to developed scar tissue and stored away some "well, that hurt" or "crap, that was a close one" in our memory banks for future referance. Sometimes, what starts out as "fun" ends up as 'trouble'. We have all have been there and you know what I'm saying. Eventually you begin to understand that life is quite fragile, particularily when you bury some of your friends.

May God bless and hold these two young souls in his grace.