Kid proofing the sib

Brownster74 · 06 May 2013, 00:42

What kind of things are best for child proofing a sib- ie keeping little hands away from fuel tank, emergency kit etc?
many thanks

Nos4r2 · 06 May 2013, 00:45

How little?

simon23 · 06 May 2013, 00:47

Keep it on the top shelf in bathroom cabinate

Brownster74 · 06 May 2013, 01:14

Youngest will be 3. Is it literally just bench bags or bow bags or is there something a little more sturdy out there?

m chappelow · 06 May 2013, 01:14

If your on the boat it's a keep an eye on them if your off the boat watch out for storing the boat in the garden & leaving tools about that can cause damage ( i once bought an outboard engine as the 4 metre Zodiac that it came from was a write off as the owners grandchildren had spent about 20 mins poking it all over with a garden fork ,

Suppose flares /knives/ fuel tanks / fire extinguishers & firing lifejacket gas cylinders are going to be the most obvious & dangerous but left alone young curious minds can switch on torches, activate cya lite sticks , Epirbs, vhf radios , probelly not a danger in itself until you come to use them & the battery's dead or its been dropped over the side .

Brownster74 · 06 May 2013, 01:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by simon23

Keep it on the top shelf in bathroom cabinate

You must have a big cabinet!

Festinghouse · 06 May 2013, 09:07

...or just spend the time telling them exactly why they must not go anywhere near them. nothing at home was child proofed (other than 2 baby gates), nor is anything on the boat. so far no accidents - this approach has got to be better as you know they will be just as safe when going into somebody elses house or on somebody elses boat which may well not be child proofed.

lakelandterrier · 06 May 2013, 19:13

Depends a bit on what you carry in the SIB & how big it is.
I'd keep safety kit in a flare jar tightly sealed & tooks in a box. The best 3 rules for with one so young are 1) watch them at all times 2) watch them at alll times and 3) watch them at all times.
A crew member can do this, not just you so you can concentrate on helming the boat. I'd be very wary of taking one so young out without another crew member.
LT

treerat · 06 May 2013, 19:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Festinghouse

...or just spend the time telling them exactly why they must not go anywhere near them. .

Works for me, we didn't kiddie proof the boat, just taught the brats what was important, what was key and what they must never do unless told.

I now have an 8 year old that can helm, get someone the flares and operate the magic red button.

From the age of three they've learnt what each of the key things do, what they can touch and what they can't and as others have said - I still don't leave them alone.................

Ribochet · 06 May 2013, 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by treerat

Works for me, we didn't kiddie proof the boat, just taught the brats what was important, what was key and what they must never do unless told.

I now have an 8 year old that can helm, get someone the flares and operate the magic red button.

From the age of three they've learnt what each of the key things do, what they can touch and what they can't and as others have said - I still don't leave them alone.................

+ 1 totally agree - empower your kids

The same goes for inflatable lifejackets - of course use these with children - just show them exactly how they work and what the toggle is for - I never had any problems.

Poly · 06 May 2013, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ribochet

The same goes for inflatable lifejackets - of course use these with children - just show them exactly how they work and what the toggle is for - I never had any problems.

Have you tested to see how good a swimmer they need to be to cope with the shock immersion / panic and find and pull the toggle if the auto mechanism doesn't work?

simon23 · 06 May 2013, 19:58

Education is probably the best way.we keep hearing remarkable stories about how a young child has saved a parents life .that could be you !!!!

Sent from my GT-S5830 using Rib.net

Ribochet · 07 May 2013, 08:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poly

Have you tested to see how good a swimmer they need to be to cope with the shock immersion / panic and find and pull the toggle if the auto mechanism doesn't work?

Very good Poly - at what age does the effect of cold shock dissappear or does it increase with age?

Also maybe thats why all my LJ's are regularly serviced

Poly · 07 May 2013, 09:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ribochet

Very good Poly - at what age does the effect of cold shock dissappear or does it increase with age?

I've no idea if either the psychological or physiological aspects of sudden cold water immersion change with age. In my view they change a bit with experience. It changes if you have confidence in what the boat/skipper will do. It changes if you've had an auto-lifejacket 'blowup' on you.

My 9 yr old is an "OK" swimmer, but if he's not that good, although he has had some dinghy and canoe capsizes. I wouldn't put him in an auto jacket yet.

My father doesn't swim at all. I also wouldn't put him in an autojacket.

lakelandterrier · 07 May 2013, 22:48

With YOUNG children it's keep it simple & safe.

I would never have put my 2 in anything but failproof foam LJs until they are the age & height weight they are now at 9/10 (1st season of autos!!)
Yes you should teach them how do do things on the boat, hlelm, steer a compass course, lookout, ie up etc etc....but they need to be physically capable of suceeeding.
At 3 It's about giving confidence & ensuring they on't get hurt / exposed too much to elements / scared.

simsy · 07 May 2013, 23:55

Imho

A 3 year old in the sea, falling off a moving boat is to be avoided totally, I mean it's life and death even in modest sea state, no auto jackets, and always use crutch strap!

Simple falls/slips in the boat onto a hard edge. Reduce sharp objects/ edges if possible, sit them low, within arms reach to brace them when you miss time a wave.

Keep well away from petrol when filling.

Use kill cord, goes without saying....

jyasaki · 08 May 2013, 00:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poly

Have you tested to see how good a swimmer they need to be to cope with the shock immersion / panic and find and pull the toggle if the auto mechanism doesn't work?

Small kids should not be in an inflatable PFD. Foam only, with a rear mounted "keep-the-head-up" flap.

jky

treerat · 08 May 2013, 10:51

Both mine ( now 4 and 8) are in foam jackets and will be for a while yet. I've also got a body harness that we use on the little one. Ensures we have a really good point on which to hold and if we need to can clip him on when required - but not when underway!!

Takson · 28 May 2013, 13:33

I'm coming over from mainly being a yachtie as I have 3 fairly small children (3,4,7) who found sailing a bit boring after the first 3 - 4 hours and wanted to be able to get off and do things and see things. A rib looks like the smart choice so I've been gearing up towards that now.

One thing we did on the yachts was colour code some of the items.

Green - Good to hold, feel free.
Yellow - Ask first.
Red - under no circumstances can you touch this, ever.

Green on hand holds etc,
Yellow on things like winch handles
Red on winch drums, flare tin

The colour was a good reminder for them too, and always got them asking questions and reminding.

last time out my 7 year old spotted me making an unorthadox adjustment to the main sheet then teling me off as I was not holding the sheet correctly and my fingers were in danger. Spot on.

Andy, "I've also got a body harness that we use on the little one." what sort of harness set up do you use with the little one?