Outdated flares.

[Bill ( My Pleasure)]

I have an old package of "Star-Tracer" red alert flares with an expiration date of August 2002. The Coast Guard probably wouldn't be pleased if these were the only ones on my boat so I bought some new ones. I will not ask you what I should do with them because I might get a rude answer What is the proper way of disposing of them? Or, should I keep them as a back-up for a possible emergency situation. California Police go absolutely nuts over anything that might go bang or shoot in the air so firing them off for fun isn't an option.

[craiglaforce]

I keep my old ones as spares but the local fire dept or coast guard would probably take them off your hands. Its also nice to try them out (over water of course) for training purposes, but you would have to clear this with the coast guard and probably every other gov. agency you can think of.

[kmclemore]

The Coast Guard regs. approve of keeping old flares as backup, but you must have new ones as your primaries. Do *NOT* 'try them out'... the CG take a rather dim view of that, and they won't give you premission, either. So, either keep them as spares or give them to your local fire dept. - they can use them in their training or dispose of them properly.

[Zoran]

Mine are yet to expire, but I noticed that some are using these before or right after the finale of Vancouver Symphony of Fire, our annual fireworks contest, four nights in two weeks of the best fireworks display in North America. Good oportunity to practise in deploying them.
Zoran

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Keep them, you can never have too many on board. They don't stop working at the expiration date. Most will still work even after a decade or two.

Do get new ones to keep the CG happy however if thr happen to inspect you.

[Rich Smith]

I've always been told to keep them as backups after they expire...

However, Mason's Store and the CDN Coast Guard hold a free event each year in Mississauga (Canada (Lake Ontario)) where they do a lecture on all the types of flares and then take us outside where we each shoot one off. If anyone wants to get rid of them they can shoot their own flares off at this time.

It's actually quite a fun night...kinda like a free audience participation fireworks show

[Bill ( My Pleasure)]

Thanks to all for the wonderful , very interesting, and informative replies. I have already purchased some new ones. I will keep the old ones for back-up now that I know that they will probably work. Funny, no one mentioned every having to use a flare in an emergency. Let's hope that we never need them. Last week a sailboat ( I think it was a Moore) got lots of Coast Guard attention on the San Juaquin River in California because it was taking on water. I believe it managed to get to Herman and Helen's Marina before sinking. I didn't see any flares, but there was a lot of stuff going on channel 16 and 22.