Expired flares

[yobub]

This topic comes up frequently - here's a good article from BoatUS about the issue: https://www.boatus.com/expert-advic...e=bmag&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=magazine

The picture in the article could have been taken in my garage. I think I have 30 years of flares in orange plastic boxes, not including the 3 generations of expired flares I keep on my boat as backups. I switched to electronic flares last year.

 

[MonacoMike]

There is a really easy way to get rid of expired flares, most boaters have a fire pit in their backyard, arrange your firewood, put a little old cooking oil on the wood, and drop in two or three flares to start your fire pit fire. Easy Peezy and we used quite a few flares.

 

[sbw1]

There is a really easy way to get rid of expired flares, most boaters have a fire pit in their backyard, arrange your firewood, put a little old cooking oil on the wood, and drop in two or three flares to start your fire pit fire. Easy Peezy and we used quite a few flares.

We used them to start the fall leaf piles on fire.

 

[Creekwood]

There is a really easy way to get rid of expired flares, most boaters have a fire pit in their backyard, arrange your firewood, put a little old cooking oil on the wood, and drop in two or three flares to start your fire pit fire. Easy Peezy and we used quite a few flares.

Really? You're not talking about the aerial flares right, just the hand held ones? I think tossing in a couple of the Orion 12ga flares in a fire would be a bad idea.

 

[spikedaddy99]

 

[The Bill Collector]

I contacted our local USCG and asked permission, they wanted location & time of day. I shot off my expired flares...

 

[Lazy Daze]

I've always used expired ones (the really expired ones, anyways... I keep the "not so much expired" ones onboard as spares) to practice and have other family members and/or friends practice. Better to practice in a controlled environment than have to try and figure it out under stress. Everyone that I've done it with has fun doing it, too!

I can tell you this... you can't put the handheld ones out by dunking it in the water or even pushing it into the sand under the water (at least not easily). And the aerial ones, if you shoot them at the water, will either skip across it a bit or spin around on the water like a top.

A pail of water is all you really need to practice the handheld ones in your backyard - but it's fun to see how it doesn't go out just by dunking it. Also gives you a chance to talk with your crew about flare safety (paying attention to wind, holding at an angle, etc).

 

[MonacoMike]

Really? You're not talking about the aerial flares right, just the hand held ones? I think tossing in a couple of the Orion 12ga flares in a fire would be a bad idea.

I am not talking about aerial flares for sure. I rarely buy or replace those. I end up with dozens of packages of the handhelds.

 

[MonacoMike]

And he destroyed his GoPro camera.

 

[Creekwood]

I am not talking about aerial flares for sure. I rarely buy or replace those. I end up with dozens of packages of the handhelds.

I think I probably have 50 or 60 expired aerial flares on the boat. I keep them for spares, but its getting ridiculous. I have not once used a flare for their intended purpose in 25 plus years of boating.

 

[Blueone]

Fire pit starter here…. They work great