EPIRB choices?

[Austinsailor]

It’s been over 20 years since I cruised, things have changed a lot!

Back then I had a fixed GPS on my sailboat, pretty much the only choice.

I now have a small trailer trawler (SeaPiper) and plan to do some coastal cruising and Dry Tortugas, stuff like that. I plan to get some sort of EPIRB and am looking for thoughts on what to get.

A fixed one can work, but what about the personal ones? Should we each have a personal one, just a fixed one, all 3 or? I’m not sure just how the personal ones work.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[DDW]

To add to your decision matrix, there are several alternative devices how as well. AIS beacons and satellite messengers. Each has advantages and disadvantages depending on the situation.

 

[Comodave]

We have PLBs attached to our PFDs. If one goes overboard it will help to find you. I figure that since we wear the PFDs anytime we are underway they will suffice for the boat too.

 

[Fletcher500]

I like your Seapiper - cool boat.

I am also coastal cruising, including offshore, and solo fairly often. I was going to mount an EPIRB on the exterior, but decided on an ACR PLB. It goes inside my ditch bag when offshore.

I recently got a BIVY stick for satellite communication when I am out of cell range. If your phone is lost, it can be used stand alone. A subscription is required, but I think their plans are very reasonable in order to ensure communications at all times.

 

[Unclematt]

I just bought ACR GlobalFix V4 + PLB-400 Kit from Defender. Has the manual EPIRB, PLB, Fire Fly light and a ditch bag. I bought it to do the Loop with side trips.

 

[Austinsailor]

I haven’t heard anything here that there is a big downside to only having personal epirbs. Battery life shorter? Range or power not as good? I wouldn’t be trading off something important to go with 2 personal locators instead of one fixed one?

I should point out I’m not concerned with communications, just want to be able to call in the cavalry if something catastrophic happens.

 

[2savage]

A fixed one can work
Any thoughts are appreciated.

My experience with fixed EPIRB's is that they go down with the boat

 

[Portage_Bay]

It’s been over 20 years since I cruised, things have changed a lot!



Back then I had a fixed GPS on my sailboat, pretty much the only choice.



I now have a small trailer trawler (SeaPiper) and plan to do some coastal cruising and Dry Tortugas, stuff like that. I plan to get some sort of EPIRB and am looking for thoughts on what to get.



A fixed one can work, but what about the personal ones? Should we each have a personal one, just a fixed one, all 3 or? I’m not sure just how the personal ones work.



Any thoughts are appreciated.

Here's a good intro into EPIRB, PLB and PAB to help you get up to speed in your decision. https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Selecting-an-Emergency-Beacon

Because I am often out of cell and VHF rannge I also find some kind of two way satellite communication valuable. I've benefited from that communication in dire, not yet emergency but could become emergency situations. I carry the Garmin inReach. I've tried Iridium Go and Iridium voice phones. Go and voice are highy preferred if routine comms outside of cell or VHF coverage are desired. inReach text only interface is clunky but it works. It's small and it's battery life is excellent. inReach subscription plans, required for two way comms, are inexpensive if you choose minimal text messages. You can text all you need / want but at a fee per message after you go over your subscription limit. In an urgent or ememrgency situation I don't care about the overage charges for messages.

Some considerations if you go the inReach path. Learn the on device texting before you need it. It takes some getting used to. There is a bluetooth phone app to make texting easier but I've found that some of the messages get lost that way. Not something I need to worry about under pressure. I haven't kept up with Garmin's latest offerings but it seems some of the smaller less expensive units require the phone app. Now you're depending upon a cell phone in urgent or emergency situations. Cell phones by comparison to an inReach are fragile and have a short battery life.

 

[Comodave]

I haven’t heard anything here that there is a big downside to only having personal epirbs. Battery life shorter? Range or power not as good? I wouldn’t be trading off something important to go with 2 personal locators instead of one fixed one?

I should point out I’m not concerned with communications, just want to be able to call in the cavalry if something catastrophic happens.

The battery life on ours is 5 years. They will reach the satellites so range isn’t an issue. The upside it that they are attached to our PFDs so if you go overboard you can call for help.

 

[DDW]

I should point out I’m not concerned with communications, just want to be able to call in the cavalry if something catastrophic happens.

Satellite communicators such as the Garmin Inreach, are used for both tracking and emergency rescue. They have a good track record in rescues. The advantage over an EPRIB is that an EPIRB is either on or off, with no other information beyond position. An Inreach or similar has an SOS type button, but also the ability to explain the nature of your emergency and receive and status on SAR when those are important. Also for situations that are dire but not yet deadly you can communicate that as well, rather than just pulling the rip cord - which is the only facility on an EPRIB/PLB.

For near coastal I'd prioritize an Inreach, then an AIS beacon (if not single handing), then a PLB.

A disadvantage of an EPRIB or PLB is the battery has a finite life, and must be sent in for replacement, and costs a major fraction of a new one.

 

[Fletcher500]

Sat communication for an offshore medical, mechanical, etc. at the Pan Pan level as opposed to a full on Mayday are the main reasons why I bought the ACR Bivy. For me, its a better solution than an In-Reach. Bottom line, the ability to communicate with people ashore and discuss options is a good thing.

Regarding sending the PLB battery in, you are technically correct but these batteries can be purchased on line and easily replaced. They make that statement more from a liability standpoint which is understandable in case someone screws up the batt installation. It’s easy enough to pull the battery out and make sure the gasket is in place to prevent water intrusion. Either way, its a non issue to keep the batteries up to date.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Regarding the ACR Bivy stick. As an inReach user I agree with the usefulness and at times the need for two way satellite comms. One short coming of the ACR Bivy stick is the need to use the cell phone. Now two devices are needed and one is relatively fragile with a short battery life.

 

[Fletcher500]

Regarding the ACR Bivy stick. As an inReach user I agree with the usefulness and at times the need for two way satellite comms. One short coming of the ACR Bivy stick is the need to use the cell phone. Now two devices are needed and one is relatively fragile with a short battery life.

That is not correct. The Bivy can be used stand alone, or with a cell phone. It is one of the reasons I purchased it.

 

[Portage_Bay]

That is not correct. The Bivy can be used stand alone, or with a cell phone. It is one of the reasons I purchased it.

Can you send / receive messages without the phone app? If so then I stand corrected.

 

[DDW]

Sat communication for an offshore medical, mechanical, etc. at the Pan Pan level as opposed to a full on Mayday are the main reasons why I bought the ACR Bivy. For me, its a better solution than an In-Reach. Bottom line, the ability to communicate with people ashore and discuss options is a good thing.

Why is the ACR Bivy better than the Inreach? They both do the same things, no? Except the Inreach can do all of those things without a working cell phone? With the ACR, according to their user manual, you have only preset messages and SOS capability without pairing it with a cell phone.

 

[guy with a boat]

It’s been over 20 years since I cruised, things have changed a lot!

Back then I had a fixed GPS on my sailboat, pretty much the only choice.

I now have a small trailer trawler (SeaPiper) and plan to do some coastal cruising and Dry Tortugas, stuff like that. I plan to get some sort of EPIRB and am looking for thoughts on what to get.

A fixed one can work, but what about the personal ones? Should we each have a personal one, just a fixed one, all 3 or? I’m not sure just how the personal ones work.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

My advice is get a PLB for coastal (and near coastal) cruising. All the other communications devices (Inreach, Go, sat phone, etc) have their benefits but you should have a simple, on/off emergency device to call the cavalry if needed. You don’t need to be screwing around with texting, pairing devices, deciding who to contact, etc, if your boat is on fire or taking on water.

The significant differences with an EPIRB are that they can be self activating if submerged, and have extended battery life when activated. I don’t remember the activation battery life, but its something like 72 hrs min, instead of 24hrs for the PLB. If you are in any coastal US areas (including Dry Tortugas), it won’t take 24hrs to get SAR attention. Most coastal cruising areas have some sort of help available within minutes or hours. If you have an emergency, get the word out by radio and all means available, and your most likely help will be from another boat. The PLB is your safety signal in case everything else goes bad.

Bigger boats can have EPIRBs hard mounted on the boat, often in addition to PLBs. You are usually better off having your EPIRB/PLB in your ditch bag, so it goes with you if you have to abandon ship. You also don’t have to go looking for it if you need to activate due to fire, sinking, etc. EPIRBs shine if you are way offshore or otherwise possibly days away from rescue.

We have both on our boat, but we go to pretty desolate areas regularly. We take the PLB with us when on big hikes, dinghy trips etc if we are not near civilization.

One unsolicited tip for anyone that may have a serious emergency, try to send out more than one form of request for help. The coast guard gets accidental activations of emergency equipment frequently enough that they (at least in populated areas) will wait to confirm an emergency before initiating assistance. If you are sinking or burning and no help is near, activate multiple devices so there is no doubt that you need help. They radio should be primary since so much more info is transmitted, but I’m assuming your radio may be non-op or out of range when all goes bad.

Good luck out there. I hope none of us every need this stuff.

 

[Fletcher500]

Why is the ACR Bivy better than the Inreach? They both do the same things, no? Except the Inreach can do all of those things without a working cell phone? With the ACR, according to their user manual, you have only preset messages and SOS capability without pairing it with a cell phone.

I like having my cell phone as the interface for messaging back and forth. To me, that is a plus over the Garmin, to you, maybe not. If my phone is lost, then the Bivy still works as you note.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Both the ACR Bivy and the Garmin inReach have one button emergency call similar to EPIRB and PLB. The ACR Bivy requires paring a cell phone for two way comms. With the inReach Explorer paring with a cell phone is not required. It is possible to send / receive text messages on the inReach. The paired app makes it easier but is not required. This in my opinion makes it a more robust device than the ACR Bivy



Regarding EPIRB/PLB vs ACR Bivy/inReach. They communicate with different emergency coordinators. I won't go into details here because I'm working from memory and may confuse things.



inReach sends your GPS lat/lon to the rescuers which I think is great asset. I don't know enough about the ACR Bivy. I haven't kept up with EPIRB/PLB to know if they now send your GPS position.


I both aboard EPIRB/PLB and inReach/ACR Bivy.

 

[READY]

I think safety is the one category where I tend to make cost a very low consideration. My vote and solution here is at least 2 devices. InReach is one as it has so much flexibility and utility. Then either a ditch bag with a beacon and/or a PLB for each if you commonly only travel with 2 or 3 people. Also I did order online and replace my ACR PLB batteries and I don’t think I gave up anything vs having this done by an authorize tech. A few screws and a gasket.

 

[DDW]

I like having my cell phone as the interface for messaging back and forth. To me, that is a plus over the Garmin, to you, maybe not. If my phone is lost, then the Bivy still works as you note.

The Inreach has exactly this same smartphone capability and has for many years. So it can be used for everything, with or without the cell phone. (Depends on which Inreach model, some are now displayless/keyless and work more like the Bivy).

All of these satellite communicators have one button SOS capability, just like an EPRIB. Initially there was some reservation about the response reliability of a private entity to get SAR initiated, but after a decade + of experience it seems to be as reliable, better in some cases because the emergency can be confirmed immediately.

Almost every modern EPRIB/PLB transmits Lat/Long automatically as soon as activated. They do transmit "in the blind" so you have no idea if they are working and the message has been received. An Inreach (or Bivy) is two way, the outgoing messages are confirmed as being received, and it will continue trying until acknowledged. This is one reason why the battery life on them is significantly better than a PLB or even an EBIRB (provided it was fully charged when you sank....).

 

[O C Diver]

I cruise near coastal on the East coast, Great Lakes and the rare 24 hour crossings of open water. My boat came with a manual deploying EPIRB. Replacing the battery was a nominal cost, so it made sense to keep it.

I added an ACR self deploying EPIRB, rationalizing that the boat may go down very quickly and prevent me from getting to the manual release EPIRB.

I have a PLB on my inflatable PFD for dinghy use (I do a lot of exploring in remote locations.

I bought a Garmin Inreach for satellite tracking of my boat, basic navigation while kayaking, hiking park trails on land, and the PLB function.

I view the self deploying EPIRB and auto inflating PFD in the same way. There could be situations where I'm not able to manual activate the device, and would prefer not to pay the ultimate price as a result.

Regarding cost: What's your life worth? My is worth enough to include a SOLAS self deploying life raft.

Ted