Ditch Bags?

[striperfvr]

I've been looking for a ditch bag. What are the best deals? Quality and price.

[DropinBack]

Making your own...

[JD5652]

I consider the ditch bag itself a piece safety equipment...not sure if I would want to scrimp on price..... Here's the one I have. I can tell you it's a great quality piece of equipment...it floats and has various pockets....

http://www.acrelectronics.com/product2.aspx?sku=2273

If you need a a bigger bag....

http://www.acrelectronics.com/product2.aspx?sku=2272

[Jagsare1]

Get the big ACR bag and FILL IT WITH WELL THOUGHT OUT SAFETY GEAR.

[Roddy Hays]

Whatever ditch bag you use or make, may I suggest two things ?

1. Never assume that if your boat goes down that the life-raft will inflate automatically. You may be in the water by yourself. This being the case, make sure the ditch bag is in a position where it can float free of the vessel and attach a flare pack to it with duct tape or similiar. If you've had the foresight to put a life-jacket in the ditch bag then you're in a better position already.

2. If your ditch-bag floats free you may never find it in rough seas. So an attached flag (small hi-flyer) is essential as well - if you're swimming it will give you a much increased chance of finding it. If you're more than 30' away from it in seas over 3', you'll probably never see it.

One thing I'd like to find is a self-inflating SMB. I think they'd be a great survival tool. Oh, and apart from all the obvious gear in the ditch bag, one of those 100-yard long ribbons so aircraft can find you easier is something to consider.

As for a ditch-bag itself, I've always used an old flare container.

[JD5652]

Whatever ditch bag you use or make, may I suggest two things ?

1. Never assume that if your boat goes down that the life-raft will inflate automatically. You may be in the water by yourself. This being the case, make sure the ditch bag is in a position where it can float free of the vessel and attach a flare pack to it with duct tape or similiar. If you've had the foresight to put a life-jacket in the ditch bag then you're in a better position already.

2. If your ditch-bag floats free you may never find it in rough seas. So an attached flag (small hi-flyer) is essential as well - if you're swimming it will give you a much increased chance of finding it. If you're more than 30' away from it in seas over 3', you'll probably never see it.

One thing I'd like to find is a self-inflating SMB. I think they'd be a great survival tool. Oh, and apart from all the obvious gear in the ditch bag, one of those 100-yard long ribbons so aircraft can find you easier is something to consider.

As for a ditch-bag itself, I've always used an old flare container.

Roddy-

Never thought of or heard of putting a life jacket in the ditch bag....great idea! Think I will upgrade my bag to the larger ACR bag and put an inflatable life jacket in there.....

Forgive my ignorance...but what is a "self-inflating SMB"??

[Roddy Hays]

JD5652,

This is an SMB.



They're normally inflated with your own bottled air, or some can be blown up manually. Either way, an SMB that can be weighted and inflate on contact with water (much like the activation system on a lifejacket) would be a real boon. They're not expensive - the one pictured only costs about $25, so throw in a valve, a gas bottle and a hydrostatic release for not a whole lot more and I reckon you'd have a very effective tool. If they were made larger enough and with a slight design refinement, they could possibly be used for emergency flotation too.

You'll find a whole host of them on Google if you look around.

As regards the lifejacket, I was always taught that no matter how well-prepared and practiced a crew is, over 75% of the time in a sinking someone in the water will not have a life-jacket on - hence the spare by the ditch bag.

[Jagsare1]

Roddy, I keep only the large commercial Type I's on my boat and they are simply too big to fit inside the bag and I have the big one. The SMB is a great idea and even though I have dye for aircraft to see me, dye dissipates eventually and a ribbon is permanent. Good idea that I had not thought of.

[F.stop]

i have a 25 ft. boat i keep ALL of my safety stuff in 2 bags about the size of a duffle bag 1 bag is the soft valise 4 man life raft 1 bag is the ditch bag.

ditch bag is water tight and will float it is labeled it is made by watershed

inside 4 type I pfd
food & water rations for 4 people for 60hrs.
flashlight & strobe
dye
extra flares
mirror
whistles
extra lightsticks
406 eprib
gps
vhf
emergency at sea hand book


First aid kit is in lift raft in addional to having one onboard vessel.

posted pics so you can my set up

in addition i have a damage control kit for my vessel

hope this helps. i am an AMSEA onboard drill instructor

[Over Under]

We've got a couple of Revere Ditch Bags still in stock...we've got them discounted pretty nicely and the product is top notch.


Here's the link:

Ditch Bags