RE: [Paddlewise] Distress Signals

Bill Leonhardt and I were just tossing a couple of emails back and forth
off-line, but his questions seemed relevant to the list so I'm posting them
here.

> Hi Dave,
> 
> Right now I'm flareless after shooting off my old skyblazers 
> on July 4th
> and then not finding replacements.  I would be interested in 
> hearing what
> testing you've done.  We could talk off line or you could 
> post to Paddlewise.
> 
> 1.   What brand 12 ga. did you get? Cost? Replacements/ammo?

  I purchased the 12 ga. Orion.  I think that it cost around $25 and the
shells/flares are sold in packages of three for $12. 
> 
> 2.   Does the launcher/gun look simple and reliable?

  It's plastic and thus suspicious (to my mind) but it does the job quite
admirably.  You load each shell individually by breaking the launcher at the
breech and inserting the shell into the chamber/barrel.  Just like loading a
single-shot shotgun.  Very simple and reliable.
> 
> 3.   Is it intuitive or is some training/practice called for?

  Pretty intuitive to me, but I grew up in a household where hunting was a
common thing - guns were simply tools.  Actually - it really is easy to use,
there really just aren't that many moving parts.
> 
> 4.   Do you need two hands to laod, launch, etc?

  Two hands to load.  One hand to pull the trigger.

> 5.   How do you feel about deploying while treading water?

  Treading water in flat, calm seas - no problem, especially while wearing a
pfd.  Treading water in the kind of seas that would have dumped me _and_
made me lose my kayak???  I don't think that _any_ kind of device would be
easy to operate in those conditions.
  It certainly is easier to use than just about any of the other types of
aerial flares that I've seen.

Dave Seng
Juneau, Alaska


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