

Orion is the leading manufacturer of flares and their products come with the approval of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) so that you have peace of mind when you purchase them.īecause flare guns and other distress signals should only be used as a last resort, it’s very wise to have a VHF radio. Just make sure you learn how to use each one of them in case of an emergency.Īlso, there aren’t many brands on the market that produce distress signal flares. Unlike some other products from our guides, there isn’t much to know or be said about marine flares. That being said, here’s our selection of the best and safest marine flares for your boat. To find out if your boat or yacht needs flares onboard, check out our FAQs section at the bottom of this post for this and other questions.


See our quick top 10, or go further down and read our in-depth reviews. In this post, we’re going to focus on pyrotechnic signals such as flares. They can be radio signals, flags, sounds, arm movements as well as pyrotechnic and non-pyrotechnic signals, of which the flare gun is probably the most recognizable. Required by law for some recreational boats, distress signals or distress calls are an internationally recognized means to indicate that you require immediate assistance. That’s why it’s important to always have distress signals – such as a flag, a flare gun, or smoke signals – every time you set sail. You can’t predict when your engine is going to fail, when your propeller is going to break, or when your sail is going to tear in stormy weather out at sea. Flare guns are not just for fun or the stuff of movies.
