I don't know if you ever looked but flares expire in about 3 years time. You are suppose to replace them. Technically you are not suppose to light them off in your back yard. I would like to do just that and have my kids and wife light one off or even shoot the flare gun just for the experience of doing it but I don't want to see an orange and white rescue helo hovering over my yard. I heard the the USCG has a day when you can go to their site and shoot these off but I have never seen this advertised anywhere. I suppose I could have them shoot it into a trashcan of water but that sounds dangerous and will not give them the experience I want them to have of shooting one into the sky for rescue.

What do you do with your old flares? chuckem?

you missed the day by about a week....
:bl:

good question... i have some old flares too.

I asked the CG that question a few years ago. They told me to keep them if they're not too old as long as you have up to date ones on the boat. Option two, give them to the CG and they will dispose of them. Option three was to talk to them first and they would arrainge a time and place for you to test fire them.

I was told that you could take them to the fire station,and they would burn them off. However, why not keep them on the boat as a backup to your good ones. You never know how many you will need till you need them.

I know in Bourne the fire department will take them.
You could soak them in water until they fall apart?

Its a good time to go down to the CG site and shoot off the cheapos vs the Pains Wessex.

You'll crap yourself when you see the visibility/height the P/W's get. :hihi:

if they're in good shape, and you or your kids haven't done it, light them off somewhere safe, nothing beats real world training.

I did that and kept the old ones for a while on board, I got backup's on backups on board and don't need that many flares. I have some in a box in my shed. That I was thinking of shooting off. I would like the kids and wife to fire them. I let them shoot a fire extinguisher in the woods behind the house just so they know what it is like. You would be surprised the first time kids are afriad to fire a extingusier or flare. Actually the first time I had them blow off an inflatable pfd the little guy was really scared. He thought it was going to explode, and he had tears in his eyes even after I did mine. (I blow them all off at the end of every season) I took it off him and blew it with him holding it. Next season he did it with it on.

I figure if I am going to waste it we may as well get the experience of how exactly to use it.

Guys,

You have to be a bit care firing old parachute flares. It isn't recommended to do so for one main reason. Over time the propellant inside the flare degrades at an uneven rate. This causes to flare not to track straight and sometimes comes back at you. Have seen this happen a couple times...and with big commercial ship flares. So we no longer do it. We use to have some fun but no longer.

Personally, I usually keep the one set of the little 12 gauge ones that just expired on the boat with the up to date ones, in case you need more than 3. I put some of the hand held smoke and light flares in the truck to get peoples attention if needed on the road.

Like already said, soak in water and they will fail, then throw them away.