Pirates and defense

[sailnaway]

I hear allot about pirates and guns and issues on carrying guns and all the hassel.I ran into this and found it interesting.

As a means of repelling all boarders, the Acoustic SRAD (short range acoustic device) will cover the area of most vessels to seventy feet with only a single unit. Additional units will be required for larger boats.
Motion sensors will detect unwanted boarders and set the system into action. With the activation of SRAD sound levels will hamper any further action by the intruders for approximately 100’ in all directions, blurring their vision and disrupting normal thought patterns as well as waves of nausea and breathing problems. If you are aboard and below decks you will feel very little effects from the device. The unit can be activated like your car alarm when you are leaving the boat to go ashore. When you return all your gear will be where you left it and all will be quiet. The unit will shut down when all motion has ceased for two minutes. The system will automatically rearm and will be on guard until you shut it off.
S R A D Will be available to the public in the spring of 2004
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A
I will post a link to a web site as soon as it is available.

[DuaneIsing]

sailnaway,

Thanks for posting that info. I''m not the kind to take a negative stance on something without getting more facts, so what follows is just semi-serious:

I sure hope that these things aren''t going to be the "automobile alarms" of the boating world. I can''t tell you how many car alarms I hear go off for no "good" reason, at all times of the day and night. That would sure be a shame if this SRAD device isn''t sufficiently immune to false alarms.

Having said that, it would seem like one approach that doesn''t require you to be aboard to defend your property. I''ll look for your link when you post it.

Regards,
Duane

[slipacre]

I agree. If it''s something that can be set off by a passing dinghy or a gull landing aboard this is a bad thing.

[tauras]

sailnaway: Would you please send me the web site for the SRAD. Sounds interesting. We just came back from Central America and found that the amount of robberies in that region is still about the same. We are more concerned about it when at a marina and not at anchor. Thanks for the info when you gey it.
Ray
rayhuntiac@cs.com

[sailnaway]

I think I saw something about the object had to be at least six kelos to set the system off.That would scare the hell out of the dock cat if their was one big enough to set it off. I will try and find out more about it. I guess it is still being developed.

[aflanigan]

This sounds like black helicopter stuff, bordering on urban legend. As an
amateur physicist, I would be highly skeptical of the claims made for this
alleged device.

Check out this link:

http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/PeaceProgram/publications/occasional_papers/occasional-paper22.pdf

[flicker]

Rumor had it that some years ago the US Gov''t had experimented with sound as a weapon of warfare. As it was told to me, the harmonic frequency of the human body was found to be about 4-6Hz. With sound in this wavelength broadcast at the enemy, it causes stomach upset and dizziness.

I always imagined the stymied and embarrassed Soviet troops diabled with diarrhea in the face of NATO forces. But I never considered it more than a joke.

On the other hand, it seems possible that any sound, if loud enough, will deter an opportunistic bandit. I''d like to know more, too.

And don''t forget the South African company that marketed an anti-carjacking system for automobiles that incorporated flamethrowers into the underbody of the car. Very quiet, except for the screams, I would suppose.

Chas

[flicker]

Sailnaway, I''m really glad you posted this topic. The firearms thread seems to have really polarized and stalled out on the should-I-carry/shouldn''t-I-carry issue. Nonetheless, people want to protect themselves and their property from bandits, burglars and pirates.

Maybe the same technology one uses for one''s own home is one way to approach this. I have a burglar alarm in my house with a very loud alarm. My company has a cell phone backup system but it is not appropriate for travelling. While I''m not aware that there is any comparable alarm company for boats (might be a good idea), Radio Shack sells home alarm componemts which can easily be installed. SSBs and EPIRBs can be employed for boats in life and death emergencies.

And when I used to camp for long periods of time in the forests of Oregon, I used a perimeter system consisting of specially-made noise-makers linked together by string. Each alarm was a spike with a recepticle for a .223 cartridge (bullet removed) and a firing pin activated by a pull string. I intended it to warn against intruding people, dogs, bears, etc. though it was never triggered. It occurs to me that these could be set up into the top lifeline to go off when someone tries to board. The gun shot sound and flash might be enough alone to scare off even an armed intruder. If not, it should give the cruiser enough time to grab whatever he wanted, whether it would be a gun, flare gun, pepper spray, bang stick, or throttle.

A trip system could also be used to activate a number of high-intensity spot lights to blind and light up the intruders.

I''m not sure, but showing a shotgun to an approaching boat 100 yards away might make thugs decide to shoot first. As they say, don''t pull it unless you use it. And besides, it''s a very unpleasant for those who simply wanted a cup of sugar or conversation.

For me, a burglar alarm, flash-bang trip alarms and bright lights would make me feel much safer than engaging in any shoot-out.

I''m sure that there are many other ideas out there as well.

Chas

[fourknots]

When we cruised Central America we had a couple of defenses. Guns was not one of them. Once, when boarded in the middle of the night in bad weather off of Nicaragua by two men dressed in shorts, I considered attacking them with a large mag-light I keep in the cockpit, or just pushing them overboard when they jumped precariously from their boat. If I had a gun, I could have shot them. If I had, I would be in a spacious Nicaraquan prison for trying to kill to Nicaraguan Coast Guardsmen who were boarding all boats in the area, checking papers.

First line of defense is not to look wealthy. Our boat was small and simple. If you''ve got a big expensive boat, you''re asking for more problems.

We carried a police-size mag-lite for possible use.

We carried a can of bear repellant (super-mace).

We had a flaregun.

If someone had robbed us while we were gone, I''d feel lucky. They''d get a hand-held GPS, some binos, food etc. and maybe would have found one of our several hiding places for cash (never more than a couple hundred bucks).

If we were aboard, things might not have gone so well.

Bottom line - we were never in danger in third-world countries like we were when we returned to Florida.

Be smart.

Cruising is risky - if you don''t like the risks, stay home!

[noreaster]

this is what i think prevention. If we start shooting and killing the pirates then their will be less of them to deal with but if all we do is say oo please take what you want just dont hurt us then why not keep taking there is no risk for them just pure gain well I for one will not be a victim and after all we the sailor''s do have surprise on our side because they would not suspect us to fight back or at least roomer has it that we dont which is why its getting worst and worst with these dame free loading bastard''s so I say we start killing them just shoot them stab them what ever it takes then when we have kill alot of them the ownly ones doing the steeling will be the one''s going after big ships after all the prophit must out way the risk.I know I must sound like a bad but its prety bad when we have to worry about our lives at see from pirates.