# Visibility of course marks



## rhr1956 (Dec 18, 2010)

What can we do to make our course marks easier to see?
We lake race and use some marks we made out of 8" PVC pipe about 8 ft long with end caps permanately anchored. They stand about 4 ft above the water. All the marks are white and hard to see.


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## Letrappes (Apr 30, 2010)

My club does the same thing. We paint a couple black bands on them to make them stand out from the other small markers and the background. It's not perfect but it helps.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Maybe add a smaller diameter extension with a bright nylon flag.. easy to make.


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

Our's on the Magothy are yellow. 

Yellow is the color that is easiest, and first, seen at a distance. 
Black text on Yellow is the easiest to read. 

Yellow is also not a normal USCG marking color.


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## Stumble (Feb 2, 2012)

Paint them yellow as chuckles mentioned.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

The Coast Guard requires our racing marks to be orange and white, but we're on salt water, not a lake. We use orange and white striped plastic highway construction barrels that we attach (screw down) to a square float. One that's a bit further out than the others has two of them stacked. Each is labeled with a big letter on four sides to identify it. Knowing where to look, we can generally pick them out more than a mile off, without binoculars.


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## SchockT (May 21, 2012)

We can't have permanent marks, so we have to set marks on race day. We use large yellow or red inflatable marks, and even those can be tough to spot in the distance. White is a terrible colour to spot. Pait the marks orange or yellow, and, as Faster suggests, add a flag.

Of course if it is a permanent mark, then it's position should be known to everyone, and there really isn't any excuse to not have a waypoint for each mark, even if it is just on a smartphone!


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

If you take that one step further, why not just have each boat round each waypoint, and not have physical marks at all? Wouldn't THAT make the TV viewers absolutely nuts at the Olympics?


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## SchockT (May 21, 2012)

paulk said:


> If you take that one step further, why not just have each boat round each waypoint, and not have physical marks at all? Wouldn't THAT make the TV viewers absolutely nuts at the Olympics?


Yeah I can just see the protests on whether or not you were in the 2 boat circle, or if you hit the mark!:laugher


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Couldn't you set the proximity alarm on the GPS so you'd KNOW that you were in the circle? The RC could superimpose the two tracks and KNOW who was doing what. Lots of fun!


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## SchockT (May 21, 2012)

Call me a purist, but it just wouldn't be the same if there wasn't a physical mark that you had to squeeze around in tight formation with people screaming for room on both sides! The satisfaction of coming out of a crowded mark rounding ahead, and looking back to see your competitors smeared all over the mark, or doing their turns as you sail away! That just wouldn't happen with a "virtual" mark!

Such mark roundings are also a good argument for an inflatable mark instead of a hard mark. One of our fixed marks is actually a giant steel mooring buoy that may or may not have one or more barges tied to it. Hitting that mark is not a good idea!


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

I've noticed that a lot of the smaller channel markers/lateral buoys are now made of plastic too....

Inflatable marks are best by far, for racing, but too expensive to leave in place and cumbersome to work with on a regular basis. We used to use 'man overboard pole' style marks with flags, cheap to make from PVC or bamboo, a foam float and some ballast. No big loss if a barge, log boom or freighter drove over it and took it away.


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## jfdubu (Jul 18, 2002)

RH,

We use a 24' bouncey ball kids toy, the one they sit on and bounce. The molded in handle makes a good tie off point and the yellow color can be seen from quite a distance even thou they only sit 2' above the water. Yellow is the best color.

John


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## SchockT (May 21, 2012)

jfdubu said:


> RH,
> 
> We use a 24' bouncey ball kids toy, the one they sit on and bounce. The molded in handle makes a good tie off point and the yellow color can be seen from quite a distance even thou they only sit 2' above the water. Yellow is the best color.
> 
> John


That's a great idea! I am sure they are a lot cheaper than the small inflatables from Westmarine!


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## jfdubu (Jul 18, 2002)

If I remember right it cost me $17. I use my mushroom from my dike and a 50' 1/4" nylon line. Cheap and easy. Almost quailfie for a low buck project but it's not really for the boat.


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