Description
This man overboard marker is quick and easy to use. Just Throw! immediately to your MOB. In seven seconds, the SOS Marine dan buoy self–inflates. It becomes a six foot tall floating inflated spar buoy, with an eight foot streamer and strobe at its top, made of super high visibility day–glow fluorescent yellow material. It is ballasted to maintain as vertical an attitude as wind and sea conditions allow.
Night time visibility is enhanced by the automatically activated SOLAS strobe light and lengths of SOLAS light reflective tape. A whistle helps the man overboard alert you to his position in heavy fog, and the device incorporates hand holds so the man in the water can hang on to the highly visible buoy. Click to a complete description of this man overboard buoy including complete documentation, other videos, photos and more. This product comes complete with necessary CO2 cartridge which you will need to install.
Choose From Two Mounting Devices
To accommodate quick access and easy deployment of your dan buoy, consider one of these purpose-engineered mounting devices, the Dan Hold mounting bracket or the Dan Bag mounting bag.
Mounting Bracket
A mounting bracket, the Dan Hold is available. It is suitable for bulkhead, pedestal guard / pedestal grab rail, or pushpit / stern pulpit applications. Better yet, when you add the dan buoy and Dan Hold combination to your cart, you pay only for shipping of the dan buoy; the holder ships for free!
Mounting Bag
You can buy the dan buoy with Dan Bag holder if you prefer. It is made of flexible, shiny white reinforced PVC. The top of the soft–sided Dan Bag is closed with hook–and–loop material like Velcro. Just peel back the top flap to pull the dan buoy out. Then Just Throw! the dan buoy to your MOB.
May Need Additional Mounting Brackets
Installing either the Dan Hold or the Dan Bag dan buoy holders on your boat generally also requires additional mounting brackets. These are sold one–by–one; you will probably need several.
Make it easy to see your MOB; Just Throw! him a dan buoy.
Dan Buoy Recharge Kit
The dan buoy is as simple to recharge as a self–inflating life jacket. In case you need to use it on a passage or in a race, keep aboard spare recharge kits so you can reuse your dan buoy for another rescue. Choose the recharge kit for your inflation mechanism.
FAQs
Check the FAQs for answers to questions about the dan buoy.
The Next Step
Be ready to mark your MOB’s location, then return to him. Read about new man overboard recovery gear and new MOB recovery techniques to get your crew back on board.
Vincent T. Pica II –
I am a licensed Master, with decades of experience on the water, both
and We purchased a SOS Dan Buoy to use as part of our man-overboard training. We have now deployed it more than a dozen times as part of these exercises.The dan buoy has worked flawlessly every time, opening upon submersion into the water as designed. After each use we wash it with fresh water and allow it to dry thoroughly. Once dry, we deflate it fully, re-arm it with a new 33 gram CO2 cylinder, replace the dissolving pill and clip on the new green plastic cover. Repacking instructions come with the dan buoy and they are also shown on the Just Marine website. Repacking is quite straight forward and takes about one minute to complete. The dan buoy is now ready to deploy again.
We are extremely happy with this innovative man overboard device. It is a significant step forward on the old stick marker pole system. The speed and ease of deployment is unparalleled in the marine industry and the visibility in rough or night time conditions is spectacular. I highly recommend the SOS Dan Buoy as a man overboard marker.
Capt. Rob Sherrill (verified owner) –
Just purchased the Dan Buoy and liked its compact size. Use it with my ASA offshore teaching and local offshore sailing out of Galveston, Texas and along the Texas coast.
My biggest fear was what would happen to the buoy when it was on the rail in rain. I am very happy to report that we survived two very big downpours at anchor this morning and the Dan Buoy is still at the ready on the rail. No inflation due to rain, at least moderate rain, at this point.
This is a great product and a major enhancement to the traditional MOB system.
Capt. Rob Sherrill
Master Captain, ASA Certified Instructor
Tom Garrett (verified owner) –
I was very impressed with the Dan Buoy MOB system from the moment I saw it demonstrated. It’s another example of how sometimes big things come in small packages. I’ve purchased one for my own use on our boats, and for when I’m going offshore with others; I’ve purchased one for friends who are on an extended blue water cruise to Europe and back. For both of us, the Dan Buoy provides greater security and safety onboard in case of an overboard occurrence, as well as the comfort of knowing that, if the need arises, there can be a rapid deployment of a self-inflating, highly visible pole with drogue and strobe.
David Herrigel (verified owner) –
Safer, more effective replacement for the bulky un-stowable MOB pole hanging off the back stay. Thanks for a great product!
Ed Eisen (verified owner) –
My wife and I typically sail by ourselves yet the various MOB drills we have participated in require more than two people. The Dan Buoy is the best tool we have found to help one person on board to find one person in the water. Even though we have never used it under emergency conditions, it was worth the price for our peace of mind.
Craig Stanfill –
The problem is that it frequently self-deploys. I’ve got two of them (one for each of two boats), and each of them has self-deployed while in storage twice. Great idea, but I’m (reluctantly) giving up on them.
Philip Thompson (verified owner) –
Hello Craig,
Sorry for the slow reply, my website manager passed away and this got overlooked in the meantime. There are two reasons for a Dan Buoy ( or inflatable life jacket) to inflate in an untimely manner. 1) The sensor is overdue for replacement or moisture / water is reaching the sensor when it shouldn’t. The actuator on the Dan Buoy is the same as many life jackets around the world so they are a proven item. Sometimes a Dan Buoy will get wet for some reason such as someone washing down the boat with a strong hose or its on the cock pit floor and a wave comes through. It may not inflate then but later on someone turns it on its side or upside down. This allows water to now reach the sensor. The Dan Buoy is very highly respected by the Safety at Sea community. Please feel free to call me to discuss. 714 329 1995. Philip