boating questions
Submitted by Italiano on Sun, 2009-06-21 15:36
Got a Boat not too long ago and just wandering a couple of things if people can help me out, Where do you dispose out of date flares? and what speed would anyone recommend to set there sounder screen to? and if it is possible can anyone give me the gps cooridinates for gemini wreck? Any help for a new boater or any other suggestions to help me out would be much appriciated thanks Mark
wadetolley
Posts: 2258
Date Joined: 27/06/08
gemini
HI mate! Have the Gemini co ords at home..but im out at work at the moment. I know if you pay and become a member of the fishingwa website..they have the Gemini on there list of gps marks.
Sounder speed..im sure the quicker the speed the more detail you will get...but this will also mean that your info will be travelling across your screen very quckly...
The flares..i would just throw them in my neighbours bin..but that depends how you get along with them!
Ryan Thipthorp (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
Info!
* Keep out of date flares as a back up on your boat, they have a 50% strike rate and can help in a prolonged rescue!
* Gemini Co-ords;
S 31.37.120
E 115.33.630
* Sounder screen 1/1;
Too fast isnt good as the resolution distorts, too slow & your missing the exact area. (1/1 is what I use & recomend)
Auslobster
Posts: 1901
Date Joined: 03/05/08
Good advice,
regarding the flares, Ryan...I would've said "light them off at the local footy oval and run like hell"...
Italiano
Posts: 244
Date Joined: 29/07/07
Thanks heaps for the info
Thanks heaps for the info guys much appriciated but with the flares i thought that they wouldn't be safe after a year out of date and could be a saftey hazard leaving on the boat
Ryan Thipthorp (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
Flares!
Flares have an expiry date not because of legal issues but reliability on recreational boats. Flares are reliable up to the date expiry but the following 1 to 2 years can vary with reliable.
As mentioned, keep them as spares and i use a flare container on my boat. They should be taken off the boat after your trip so fire hazard not being an issue!
mako magic
Posts: 5785
Date Joined: 03/08/05
i always keep atleast 1 to
i always keep atleast 1 to 2 sets of spare old flares on the boat, if you need to use them i would use it first, that way you keep the new set longer, if all else fails and the old ones dont work , then well you have the "in date" set.
makai
Posts: 459
Date Joined: 28/10/08
Keep flares in a dry container, out of sunlight
If you keep your flares in a dry container, out of sunlight, they stand a much better chance of working well past their expiry date. I am not sure of the current regs carrying flares beyond their expiry date, but generally Fisheries/DPI inspectors are happy with out of date flares, provided they are in as-new condition. (That does not mean you shouldn't replace out of date flares for your own peace of mind and to ensure that when you need them, they work.) I keep my flares in either one of the purpose made yellow screw top containers you buy at boating stores, or in a length of stormwater pipe with screw on caps, clearly labelled so that everybody on the boat knows that the flares are inside. Both systems keep them water tight and out of the sun.
damo6230
Posts: 2029
Date Joined: 07/06/08
yeh keep the flares
better to have them just in case....
just got to experiment with sounder speed as the speed of the boat will influence the sounder (without stating the obvious) but the ocean conditions will influence your readings.
as ryan says 1/1
apart from that just use it and hours spent doing this will pay off in the long run and don't use fish ID. use manual settings as much as possible.
Italiano
Posts: 244
Date Joined: 29/07/07
damo why do you reckon not
damo why do you reckon not to use fish id?
damo6230
Posts: 2029
Date Joined: 07/06/08
fish ID
using fish ID severely reduces the potential of the sounder to correctly identify fish.
what it displayed on the screen as a fish may in fact not be a fish at all.
the best option is to use manual settings and learn to diferentiate what the screen is displaying. it just takes some time to learn but for colour sounders the prinical is generally this:
red is strongest return; blue is the weakest return.
you can think of it as this; in principal a single fish such as big fat dhuie will return a picture of red in the core of the body (backbone area) moving to light blue at the peripharel surface (skin) of the fish. the core is red and skin is blue because the density of the fish is at the core (strongest return= red) of the fish as opposed to the peripheral surface (weakest return=blue). you can apply this logic to schools of fish but it will be somewhat "blurred" due to the sonar soundwave refraction of multiple fish.
fish ID does not show/highlight colours, it draws a fish on the screen which could be anything. another system to use is Real Time Sonar (RTS). if your sounder has this capability then it generally operates on the right hand side of the sounder. it is a flashgraph system. this represents clear "gaps" in reading of the signal which represents a fish ditached from the sea floor. use your manal for further information. if you dont have one you should be able to search and download one off the net.
use colours and sensitivity to clealry distinguish fish. sensitivity is regulated by water clarity (or turbidity). you tweck sensitivity to the turbididty of the water on the day.
it might sound confusing reading this but after some practice it all makes sense and then becomes easy.
word of advice, go look at humminbird side imaging sounders. I just bought one and they are the shit. you get a chartplotter, 2-D sounder and 3-D side imaging. can't beat that!!
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Excellent comments damo
Bob just agreed with you, practice, practice thats his advise. He also said he's still learning on different drifts with the sounder.
Ginger Tablets Rock
Pete D
Posts: 1681
Date Joined: 07/06/07
Donate
You could always donate them to a sea rescue group or Cockburn Power Boat Club. CPBA organise saftey nights a couple of times each year and you get the chance to fire off flares. I've got a few in the shed for the next one.
Cheers Pete
shammy
Posts: 231
Date Joined: 03/07/09
Keep the flares
Mate, I would keep the flares.
I keep all my "out of date flares", the regs say the commercial boats must have them "in date" for recreational they need to be in "good condition".
I keep some in a "flare container" and others in a grab bag with other kit, in a side pocket in the boat.
If you want to get rid of them, Sea Rescue should take them and they can use them for training.
cheers
shane
"Life wasn't meant to be a spectator sport"
Mulie
Posts: 546
Date Joined: 20/02/11
Humminbird
I agree Damo, I inherited a Humminbird with my boat when I bought it and it's brilliant. You never hear people reccommend them on here when asked for their opinion on sounders.
Mulie
smash
Posts: 434
Date Joined: 01/12/10
Only commercial vessels are
Only commercial vessels are required to have them in date, recreational need only be in good condition which I believe means sealed in the plastic bag with no evidence of water or damage.
bull
Posts: 81
Date Joined: 28/03/11
Flares
Had a mates tinny burn to the ground recently with out of date flare so keep an eye on them guys.