Marine headsets

[Mark.Wilme]

Does anyone have any experience with these or similar ?

http://www.cruisingsolutions.com/headsets.asp

Sometimes we can't rely on hand signals when exiting the marina (some tough lines of sight as we work our way out require a 'spotter' on the bow to alert the helmsman to other traffic) and also somewhat during anchoring - shouting whilst sometimes effective may not be the best way to maintain the husband/wife relationship - so we were considering these.

[Tim]

I think these are a great idea in theory. I first saw one of those in use several years ago on a large-ish cruising boat that anchored near us, handled by an older couple. Nothing is more embarrassing and futile than the yelling back and forth between bow and stern while boathandling. The yellers almost always end up having problems--not only with their marriage, but also with successfully handling the boat in the given situation. It's extremely ineffective.

I admit that watching these goings on on other boats is part of the amusement of cruising while relaxing in the cockpit. But sometimes other people get so bad that I feel like I should go below in shame, even though it's not me that should be embarrassed.

I don't know how effective the headsets are in practice--that is, battery life, hearability in a breeze, etc. But the idea of using this sort of communication is a good one. Hand signals can work too, but even the best hand signals can't communicate as effectively as words.

Either way, yelling is not an option.

I've used the handheld version of these FRS-style radios before, and they work very well. The handsfree option makes sense for the boat, for linehandlers, anchor handling, and steering.