Navlights

[Craic]

We have some very busy shipping lanes nearby. So I was contemplating to have a navlight on the mast top. But then, considering all the hassle with cabling and having to drill holes into the boat, the light on the mainmast top always being partly obscured by the gaff yard or mainsail, and finally a fixed mast top light not being well protected when the mast is lowered,  I started to look for a more practical -and less expensive- alternative.
I think I found an optimum solution with these portable battery operated LED navlights by Aqua Signal: http://www.aquasignal.info/ecat/htdocs/index.php?category_id=1&subcategory_id=1&product_id=43

I tested one for duration with a fresh set of 4 AA size Alkaline batteries (price 90 cents for the set). It's been switched on in continuous use for more than 13 hours and was not looking tired even then, that's really plenty of mileage on the water at night.
Each of these lights costs just EURO 33.00 at a chandlery nearby. With just one dual light and one stern/360 degree white light one can emulate all the different navlights for a vessel of less than 7 mtrs. under sail, under motor and under oars, plus of a vessel lying at anchor. BTW, the white light doubles as a very powerful waterproof handheld light for general use around the boat.

Highly recommended.

[Bill Wickett]

Claus, where on the bow do you mount the bi-colour light so it is visible both sides and not interfere with the jib boom?

[Craic]

Claus, where on the bow do you mount the bi-colour light so it is visible both sides and not interfere with the jib boom?

Bill,
these lights are mounted lying horizontally, so they fit below the clubboom.
BTW, the light is now in use for 21 hours with the initial first set of 4 AA batteries, still shining bright. I would have been happy enough with 8 hours, but 21 so far, I am really surprised. With such usage time of a AA battery powered LED navlight, who would really need fixed cabled navlights any more?

[Craic]

One solution for mounting the dual battery operated bowlight (above):
1. Drill and thread a M6 hole into the stemband.
2. Insert a threaded M6 piece
3. Screw base of light on.
4. Frontview
5. When not in use for holding the bowlight, the thread is covered by a bolt and seal.

[Tony]

Hi, Claus.
I admire your nav. lights. They look just the thing for a small boat with no battery charging facilities. Given the choice, I  very rarely sail after dark and always keep well clear of shipping lanes so my original set (tungsten bulbs and D cell batteries) have died the death of neglect before ever being used....and thank goodness I've never needed them as they were pathetically dim.
For emergencies I now have a small LED lantern with a strobe setting which I fix to the mast head. (Blurred picture with coffee cup, below!) This is, of course, totally illegal and so cannot be recommended.  It gives other  ships no idea of your heading but I know it can be seen for miles on a clear night and, flashing white at about 200 times a minute, is unlikely to be mistaken for anything else, except a North Cardinal buoy. An added bonus is that it can be seen easily against a background of shore lights.
In view of the number of fatalities caused by the mixing of small craft and commercial shipping recently, I am surprised that the rules of the road cannot be altered to allow small boats to employ the superior visibility of rapidly flashing lights. Correct me if I'm wrong but is it also illegal in the UK for cyclists to show flashing lights? I think they, too, would rather be seen by other road users on a dark, wet night against a confusing background and take their chances with the possibility of court action!

[Craic]

Tony,
vessels under 7 mtrs. length and less than 7 knots speed (no offense to Four Sisters intended!) are legally OK with a single 360 degree steady white light. A dual green/red bowlight does help but is not strictly required.

But flashing lights are not permissible. Reason: At sea, (as on land)flashing lights are reserved for police or naval forces in the course of duty, or for emergencies. I would not dare to use a flashing light at sea anywhere, and least of all places in France.

[Tony]

Hi, Claus.
You are, of course, perfectly correct but you must admit that flashing lights are much more noticable than steady ones, especially at low wattages. ( Hovercraft are allowed a flashing amber light ....and I have seen trawlers use them, too. Presumably illegally.)
To judge by recent press reports it would seem that ANY lights we are capable of showing on a small boat are in danger of being overlooked by officers of the watch on some vessels. It appears that unless you set off a proximity alarm on their radar or AIS sets  you are quite likely to be missed by even the most diligent of look-outs.  If I had to mix it in the shipping lanes I think minimum requirement would be an active radar pinger – the sort that re-transmits a received radar signal.  (A friend of mine was asked by Humber Coastguard to turn his off as it was making such a big squawk on their radar, so they DO work!) The developing AIS transmitter/receiver market is worth watching, too. A hand held version is surely not too far off – although the screens might get a bit cluttered on Cowes Week! Meantime I will keep well clear of anything bigger and faster than the Four Sisters...Err....Thats most things, actually... and never assume that the other guy knows what he is doing!

[Craic]

Tony,
I very much agree with all you say. Small boats are in danger of being overlooked at night.
But deviating from the prescribed navlighting code is not the answer, as lights are not just there to 'be seen', but through the -correct- lights craft communicate to each other also their right of way, direction and approximate speed.
The international navlights code is a wonderful achievement, come to think of it.

[Tony]

Agreed. Especially when you remember that we cant get the two sides of the Atlantic to have the same colour port hand buoy! 
Cheers!
Tony

[Graham W]

This is resurrecting a very old thread.  The port/starboard navlights featured here are Aqua Signal 23 series, which are very good unless, astonishingly, they get wet.  How anyone who produces lights for a marine environment can get away with not making them waterproof is beyond me.  It probably explains why they are not normally sold in the UK, which somewhat limits the scope of what you can do to make yourself seen at night. There aren't many good alternatives.

Apparently, the water seeps in where the translucent globe meets the main body of the light and then corrodes the switch, which it is not possible to disassemble.  It may be possible to stop the rot by sealing inside and outside all around the globe's join, but do this before using it as once it gets wet, it is already too late. This happened to me and I had originally thought it was something to do with poor quality leaky AA batteries until I looked it up on the interweb.

If you have a decent 12v Yuasa-type battery positioned ahead of the centreboard case, then a Davis Mega Light hoisted up the mast using the spinnaker halyard is a possibility.  It makes a good anchor light as it has a light sensor that switches it on at dusk and off again at dawn http://www.seamarknunn.com/acatalog/info_MC00120.html  If you have a version with an LED then it is better still, as it uses much less power than the incandescent bulb and is significantly brighter. I think there is someone on eBay who sells it with an LED as standard, otherwise get a BA9S LED from these people http://www.boatlamps.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d87.html  The largest of their bulbs, with a blinding 15 LED's, draws the same current as the least powerful incandescent bulb, at around 0.1 Amps.

[Julian Swindell]

I have fitted these LED navigation lights from Piplers of Poole. I don't know anyone else who sells them. They have been on all this season (you may have noticed that it has rained a bit) and they still work without fault. They only draw about 2W between all three of them. The LEDs are embedded in epoxy so seem well sealed from water.
http://www.piplers.co.uk/4470/AAA-LED-Navigation-Lights.html

[Graham W]

I like your installation on either side of your boom gallows.  I can't think of a similar elegant solution for plumbing in 12v side navlights on a BR20, which is why Claus's original demountable AA-powered installation on the stemband appealed.

[Julian Swindell]

Before I had the gallows, I had thought of fitting side lights to either side of the base of the mast, which should work, but you would need a connector in the wiring for when you lowered the mast.

[Graham W]

I have drilled too many holes in my boat already, so I'll stick with unwired lights but thanks for the suggestion.  I have cannibalised my Aqua Signal stern light to make a new stemband port/starboard light and hope that the sealant keeps that one working.  If not, I'll get some of these http://www.seamarknunn.com/acatalog/Emergency-Battery-Navigation-Lights-SGAAA00123.html to tie to the shrouds or simply do without and rely on a torch and my LED masthead anchor light.  The lights will mostly be used tootling to and from the Corfu tavernas for supper, trying to avoid the high speed water taxis.

[Graham W]

Here's a picture of my new anchor/night motoring light, hoisted up the mast using the spinnaker halyard.  It had to be tall so as not to be obscured by the wind transmitter.