USCG Marine Safety Alert

PROBLEM WITH MUSTANG INFLATABLE PFDS

Washington, DC

The Coast Guard has become aware of certain Mustang Survival Inflatable PFDs with Hammar MA1 hydrostatic (HIT) inflation systems which may not inflate and require a new re-arm kit to properly inflate by manual or automatic activation. This safety alert identifies which products are affected. Certain inflatable PDFs may be subject to delayed or non-inflations. To determine if you are impacted please follow the instructions below.

USCG Approval                Mustang Product
N/A                                   MA7214 HIT inflatable re-arm kit
N/A                                   MA7218 HIT inflatable re-arm kit for LIFT
160.076/8611/0                 MD0450 Inflatable Vest PFD with LIFT
160.076/5204/0                 MD0451 Inflatable Vest PFD with LIFT (no harness)
160.076/5201/0                 MD3183 Deluxe Inflatable PFD with HIT
160.076/8608/0                 MD3184 Deluxe Inflatable PFD with HIT (with harness)
160.076/5300/0                 MD3188 Inflatable Work Vest/PFD with HIT
160.053/116/0                   MD3188 Inflatable Work Vest/PFD with HIT  

If you have a re-arm kit MA7214 or MA7218 you need only to check

the lot number on the CO2 cylinder label. If your CO2 cylinder is
marked with lot numbers 404121 or 404122 please contact Mustang
Survival’s customer service group at the number below.
 

If you have a PFD listed above refer to the sewn-in approval label to
determine if it was “Made in Canada” and the “MFG DATE” is April
or May 2012. If so, you will need to check the lot numbers of the
CO2 cylinder. The CO2 cylinder lot number is visible through the
yellow bladder fabric. Manually unpack your PFD by opening the
zippers and unfolding your PFD. Find the CO2 cylinder that is
attached to the round inflator within the yellow bladder. Press the
yellow bladder fabric against the cylinder to read the label to view
the lot number through the fabric. If your CO2 cylinder is marked
with lot numbers 404121 or 404122, please contact Mustang
Survival’s customer service group for instructions and to arrange for
a replacement inflator assembly.
 

All other CO2 cylinder lot numbers are satisfactory. Repack your PFD so it is ready for use per the instruction manual. Mustang Survival Customer Service Group: 1-800-526-0532

This Safety Alert is provided for informational purposes and does not relieve any foreign or domestic requirement. Developed by the Lifesaving and Fire Safety Division, United States Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC. For additional information contact Mr. Martin Jackson at Martin.L.Jackson@uscg.mil
 

Additional information is available at www.mustangsurvival.com/HIT. 

Please note the following photographs.

View of lot number through fabric

Lot number on cylinder label.

 

 

 

 

 

Navionics Nav Module

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Using the latest technology – satellite imagery, airborne laser, sonar and official Notices to Mariners – plus hundreds of thousands of changes made by Navionics users through its award-winning Community Layer, Navionics has updated contouring, adjusted coastlines to full pool, and added boat ramps, hot spots, road beds, foundation, creek beds, brush piles, artificial reefs, and docks within its charting database. The fully updated cartography suite provides anglers an even higher level of detailed coverage and spot-on positional accuracy with enhanced awareness of structure and transitions that typically hold fish – allowing them to efficiently locate productive waters.

Available for compatible chart plotters through Freshest Data updates, and delivered in real time to mobile devices, Navionics provides customers access to regularly updated map data plus corrections made by the more than one million Navionics mobile and PC App users. New content such as buoy changes, sand bar shifts, and newly discovered rocks and bottom structure are instantly available for updating charts, greatly improving the accuracy of Navionics maps and enhancing navigation safety.

Freshest Data, improved chart updates and the Community Layer, is available free for a year with new HotMaps Premium and HotMaps Platinum chart cards. Continued unlimited updates for existing chart cards are available for 50% of chart card MSRP. For a complete, current list of lakes Navionics has updated, visit www.navionics.com/navionics-hd-lake-update. For more information on Navionics lake maps, or to learn more about Navionics and its entire product line, contact 800-848-5896 (toll-free) or visit www.navionics.com.

Mercury Marine Earns Three Customer Satisfaction Index Awards from NMMA

Mercury Marine has received 2012 Marine Industry Customer Satisfaction Index Awards in the outboard, sterndrive and inboard categories from the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

Mercury Marine is the only engine manufacturer to win awards in multiple categories.

The Marine Industry CSI Awards program honors manufacturers that actively measure customer satisfaction and emphasize continual improvement to better serve the customer. Mercury Marine, along with 40 other boat and engine manufacturers recognized, achieved and maintained a customer satisfaction score of 90 percent or higher, based on survey feedback provided by customers who purchased a new engine or boat in the past year. In order to be eligible, manufacturers must survey all new boat and engine buyers during the reporting period.

“Mercury Marine is honored to be recognized for customer satisfaction,” said Mark Schwabero, President of Mercury Marine. “Mercury Marine continually focuses on improving the boating experience for our customers by manufacturing innovative and reliable products, while providing personalized customer service.”

Mercury Marine will be acknowledged for the achievement next month during the annual Industry Breakfast at the 2012 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference in Louisville, Ky.

Mercury Marine thanks its dealerships and boatbuilder partners for the integral role they played in helping Mercury Marine earn 2012 CSI awards.

Cold Waters Move In; Boaters Step Up Safety

Fall Fishing and Boating Safety Tips from BoatUS Foundation

It's hard being a boater in the fall. Most of your friends on the water are gone, the days shorter, the waters colder. However, the lack of crowds or better wind in the sails is still appealing to many boaters, anglers and sailors, but safety must be stepped up, says the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. What makes the risk go up and what can you do? Here's five ways you can easily get in trouble this time of the year.

• Sunshine isn't your friend: Don't let sunny days deceive you - while it may be T-shirt weather in the morning at the launch ramp or dock, weather can change quickly this time of year. Bring extra clothing to dress in layers and always bring foul weather gear.

• Float your plan: The fishing hole or raft-up spot crowds may be gone, but that also means your closest potential rescuers are also long gone. A simple sharing of your float plan with family members or friends letting them know where you're going and when you will be back could save valuable time in locating you if something happens.

• Murphy likes you: Does your boat have any lingering maintenance issues? This isn't the time of the year to find out. Ensure any problems - engine, fuel, charging systems, or safety issues such as navigation lights - are fixed before you go.
  
  
• I've fallen and I can't get up: A simple fall overboard can kill this time of year. Hypothermia is a real threat. By wearing your life jacket, if you do find yourself accidentally over the side you will float and have time to get back aboard, preferably with a knotted or looped rope attached to the gunnel or ladder that be reached from the water. If you'd like to see just how hard it is to get back in a boat, go to www.BoatUS.com/foundation/boardingladders.

• Don't leave without me: If you are alone and fall out, will the boat keep going? It won't run away if you had your engine cut-off lanyard attached to you or use another type of shutdown device.

Boaters Overstaying Their Welcome Could Find Themselves in Hot Water with the Tax Man

 States Go After Visiting Cruisers

Staying too long in one place can ruin a good thing. At least that's the case with boaters making lengthy journeys, who are finding themselves targets of cash-hungry states when they stay too long and are subject to various taxes. But how can boaters prevent overstaying their welcome? Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has online state tax information at www.BoatUS.com/gov/states that will help keep them on the right side of the law and out of hot water with the taxman.

In most states, a privately-owned recreational boat must be registered in the state where it is principally used, and any sales and use taxes paid to that state. A problem arises when the boat leaves this principal-use state and enters a new one, for a long visit, extended cruise or lengthy repairs. This could include "Snowbirds" - boaters who head south each winter in search of warmer climates.

BoatUS says boaters may be subject to various sales, use, excise, or property taxes when they remain in one location for a consecutive number of days, or over-stay their visit for a certain number of aggregate days per year. This "grace period" is often 60 to 90 days but as little as 30 days in two states (CO, NH). Also, if the principal state's sales and use tax is not comparable to the tax in the state the boat is visiting, the second state can levy their own tax making the boat owner liable for the difference.

To help boaters understand this issue, BoatUS' online map at www.BoatUS.com/gov/states highlights state sales and property tax rates with links to state tax departments, as well as registration information and "grace periods".

In the past, BoatUS has heard about tax authorities walking the docks, inspecting marina records and aggressively enforcing tax codes. "We believe boaters should pay their fair share of taxes, and travel to other states with their eyes open about timelines and potential tax assessments," said BoatUS President Margaret Podlich. "Boaters should keep record keeping such as log entries, marina and fuel receipts or repair contracts while traveling. These documents are critical for boaters to keep, and are often the only way to fight an unjust tax bill," added Podlich.

Coast Guard Modernizing Patrol Boat Fleets in Baltimore/Yorktown

Coast Guard units at Baltimore, Md., and Yorktown, Va., have added new Response-Boat Small (RB-S II) platforms to their fleets. Built by Louisiana-based Metal Shark Boats, the vessels will be placed into service for patrol and rescue operations in Baltimore, and as part of the Boat Forces Training Center's operational fleet in Yorktown, where the Coast Guard trains all of its new coxswains. The nation's capitol will be the next area to receive the new RB-S II. The vessels are part of a $192 million, 470-boat contract designed to gradually replace the Defender-class RB-S as it reaches the end of its service life.

 

RB-S II's flexibility as a multi-function platform makes it ideal for use across the Coast Guard's full mission spectrum, including search and rescue, ports and waterways security, law enforcement, drug interdiction, and environmental response operations. Future deliveries will be assigned to various units including Marine Safety Units (MSU), Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST), and shore stations throughout the coastal United States and its territories.

 

To better manage the increase in manufacturing requirements, Metal Shark plans to expand its 65,000 square-foot Jeanerette, La., manufacturing facility while increasing its production team of skilled aluminum welders, riggers, electronics experts, and installation professionals by over 25 percent in the next six months.