Orion Coastal Alerter Flare Kit With Accessories, 572
- Brand:
- Orion
- Part no:
- 572
Image: Fisheries Supply
Where to buy
Specifications
- Signal type
- Kit
- Burn time per signal
- 7 s
The Orion 572 is a coastal distress kit built around a 12 gauge launcher with a bandolier that holds up to six signals. It comes loaded with six red aerial signals that carry the Coast Guard approval for day or night use. Each aerial reaches up to 500 feet, burns up to 7 seconds and is rated up to 16,000 candela. A SOLAS approved whistle (116 dB at 1 meter) and a signal mirror with lanyard cover sound and visual signalling. Everything packs into a floating orange neoprene case.
Our take
Six aerials rated to 16,000 candela and 500 feet give you real altitude and brightness, but at up to 7 seconds each they are quick bursts, so the whistle and mirror in the same floating case do useful backup work.
From our buying guide
On US coastal waters, a boat 16 feet or more must carry visual distress signals for day and for night. Some cover only one: an orange flag is day only, and an electric distress light is night only.
Check before you buy:
- You'll reach the required number, which for pyrotechnics is three for day and three for night, since a kit's name is not proof it meets the rule.
- The marked expiry date leaves you time, since a flare's can be no more than 42 months from manufacture, and it's the marked date that counts.
- Anything that needs a launcher has an approved one, and you've checked your state's rules, since the Coast Guard says some states treat them as firearms.