Hobie Cat Forums

I'm planning on having a 2012 Tandem Island this spring. I will be sailing on big northern midwestern lakes ( don't laugh, although the water is cold, the lakes are incredibally beautiful.)

How should I outfit myself and the boat for "ultimate" safety?

A quality PFD.
Maybe with a whistle?
Do I need a knife (to stab sharks if I fall overboard ?
A radio? What kind?
A cellphone?

Anything else?

Thoughts would be appreciated.

You're on the right track leelanauX. Also a decent torch and backup torch. Don't forget if something happens to the TI and can't be sailed for whatever reason, you need provisions ( extra water etc ) to keep you going, especially if you're in a remote area. I have a 5ltr sealed container in the back of the AI that never gets removed. It's called the McGiver Pack and has all sorts of useless but potentially life saving stuff in it such as duck tape, nylon rope, occy strap, backup suncream, clips, backup torch, batteries, spare rudder pin, allen keys, vice grips, spare bandages, swiss army knife, matches, flint, signal mirror etc etc.
Always prepare for the unexpected and hope you never need to use it.

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Don't take life too seriously................it ain't permanent.

Coincidentally, I am right now putting together my shopping list for my TI (coming in the new year). So, not in any particular order... Inshore (my local lake is 28kms long)first
Lifevests
bilge pump
Hobie Hatch safety kit
Fox 40 whistle
Cooper 1kg plastic anchor , 2M chain, 20m 1/4" rope
V sheet
Inshore (handheld) flare kit
Paddle, Miragedrive and everything else leashes
Dry bags
Cree LED headlamp
VHF handheld radio w/- GPS
Mapping GPS
Hand-bearing compass
Boarding "ladder" loop

for offshore
Parachute flares
Sea marker dye
50m more 1/4" rope
PLB
Emergency Nav lights
Fish finder/sounder

I'm sure there will be other stuff I think of later LOL

i found a 10' surf board leash to be a really handy way to tie up the TI to a dock or what not, plus you can wear it

Depends on what kind of sailing you plan on - a couple hours of puttering around where you launch, possible day long trips, or overnite adventures ?

Of course, the list gets longer as you stray farther away and for longer distances.

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Alan W.
'07 AI dressed in Golden Papaya

... because it fades to Golden Papaya

I used to fish offshore a lot, usually 1-2 miles off shore occasionally more, and sometimes in offshore winds, I eventually got one of the new small EPIRBs with built in gps. If you have some extra cash you might consider one of those, mine was just under $300 new.

On PFD I had:
Whistle
Signal Mirror
GPS
EPIRB
VHF Radio
Emergency red tape, you unroll it for visibility

In boat:
Flashlight
twine
100ft of 3/8" rope
AI Toolkit (See Kayaking Bob's post I think)
T-handle for paddle
Bowline with velcro to attach to paddle
Glowstick
adjustable wrench
pliers
hand pump
Spare rudder pins

probably more I didn't go out and get it all at once, I built it up over a year or so as I worked my way more offshore and for longer periods, hope this helps Oh, a good sailing partner is key!

Here's a Safety post from last year:
http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=32565&p=127331&hilit=+tool#p127331

The post includes these two post on AI toolkit:
http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8424&highlight=
http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10418&highlight=

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http://KayakingBob.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2007, 2009 & 2010 Hobie AIs and a 2010 TI