I use it as I pass him just to scare the bejeebees out of him. Then when I see a ferry, I blow it as a greeting to all the passengers. If there are kids on the shore pumping their fists up and down, I will give them a long blow.
OK, nobody responded to my earlier thread questioning everyone's concern about the frequency of their horn, so I have another question:
How many times a year to you sound off with your horn?
...
Other than that, I hardly ever use it.
Twice per trip coming and going from the marina...the Coasties are right there behind me, so I'm trying to gain some trawler cred. Then if I ever see a kayaker in the main river, I use it as I pass him just to scare the bejeebees out of him. Then when I see a ferry, I blow it as a greeting to all the passengers. If there are kids on the shore pumping their fists up and down, I will give them a long blow.
Other than that, I hardly ever use it.
How many times a year to you sound off with your horn?
In all seriousness, do you guys REALLY think the USCG is going to be out there measuring the frequency of your horn?
IMHO I equate horns to testosterone levels with a direct inverse relationship. The smaller the "tool" and the lower the testosterone level, the bigger and louder the horn is going to be.
Sort of like the old saying: "Got a small dick, buy a Corvette."
I have no idea the frequency of my horns. They're loud. At least the last time I blew them, which was a couple of years ago, they were loud. That just suits me fine.
Would I spend a boat buck to replace them if they died? Hell no. I'd rather spend that boat buck on diesel.
The Admiral is resisting me on these horns (Chimes). I think I will just sneak them on the boat.
Loud Mouth Triple Train Horn 120 PSI Kit – Train Horns USA
In all seriousness, do you guys REALLY think the USCG is going to be out there measuring the frequency of your horn?
Unlikely. But what if you are involved in a collision and an investigator discovers that your whistle is not "legal"?
Keith
Unlikely. But what if you are involved in a collision and an investigator discovers that your whistle is not "legal"?
Not a completely unlikely scenario. However, if your horn are "dang loud", my guess is that the % amount of liability added to your side of the equation based on the horn frequency would be relatively minor.
Well there you go - your guess is that violating the ColRegs for the single most important piece of signaling gear is "relatively minor" issue. Everyone with non-standard equipment can rest easier tonight!
I would agree that conforms to my general understanding admiralty / maritime law. But I've also seen anecdotal cases where seemingly whacky (to us) determinations were made as to contributing factors.What I was trying to say (again obviously not very well) was that in the very unfortunate event of a collision there would be some type of adjudication to determine the level of responsibility for each of the involved parties. My understanding is that it is not generally an all or nothing determination. ie one party is not normally found to be 100% at fault with the other bearing no shared responsibility. Fault is often apportioned on a percentage basis.
Honestly, that's not scenario I was envisioning. I'm thinking of someone on this forum who says "I use a train whistle - I know it's not the right tone but I love the way other boaters jump" - and having to defend that statement in a wrongful death civil lawsuit.Given that, I would imagine (and I could be completely wrong) that if a horn was loud and applied appropriately by one of the parties involved, that if the horn was found during the subsequent investigation to have, for example, a fundamental frequency of 245 Hz instead of 250 Hz that the fact didn't meet the COLREG requirements wouldn't appreciably increase that skipper's liability.
Honestly, that's not scenario I was envisioning. I'm thinking of someone on this forum who says "I use a train whistle - I know it's not the right tone but I love the way other boaters jump" - and having to defend that statement in a wrongful death civil lawsuit.
Have a human powered back up?
A good idea but it would have to be done after I'd eaten a healthy serving of Campbells Pork and Beans. I'm sure nobody would stick around long enough to determine if the frequency was right or not.
Regarding the 'legality' of what frequency used: Several years ago a USCG Ice Breaker collided with a Block Island ferry in -0- vis
http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MAR1101.pdf
The USCG vessel was found predominantly at fault because they were using the electric hailer on 'fog signal' which did NOT meet the correct characteristics for their size vessel and it did not have the range necessary too. Note the attached report that says "MINIMUM" decibels. Pg 26.
The Morro Bay switched to the normal air horn just prior to collision.
So legally the 'post accident investigation' is where this would be checked out. Are you a gambling sort of person? As another recent post showed, having gotten underway with multiple violations of Colregs (ignorance) does not make the issue less valid.