Navigation Lights?!

[JawsOrca]

Hi All,

 

We are trying to correctly install the navlights on the boat and I'm getting a bits confused on a couple of things.

 

The boat is 28 feet (plus one for the swimdeck) 8.3 meters.

 

From my understanding. I thought that the boat should have port, starboard, stern and an all round mast head light.. (I thought the all round needs to be 1 meter above the port and starboard and should only be used whilst at anchor).

 

However this website (http://www.boatlamps.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d88.html) is confusing me.. its hinting that a running light (like we have on sailing boats) should be fitted  (When motoring with the port, starboard and starboard) although it seems its almost an optional requirement (for boats under 50 meters).. My parents boat (which is the same size as us) has a running light (but no all round light) and I've found images of the same boat as us with a running light and a all round.. So I'm confused.. I've brought a running light anyway so will probably install but does anyone actually know for sure what's correct and is it ok to install these level with the port and starboard (and just below the all round light)??

 

Also the colregs I can see have requirements for greater than 50, 50 to 12, less than 12.. Yet why do ASAP supplies sell lights for 7 meters and below and 12 meters and below, if there's no requirement for 7 meter?  

 

I will probably motor after dark not only on the but coastal too so I need to try and get this right! 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

, Alan

 

[diesel falcon]

My boat is 28ft and is classed as a sea going boat, it has port/starboard/running(faces foward only), all round(anchor),stern running light on th the transum, so from behind you would see one white, from the front head on you would see one white above green/red, side one red or green,,,moving left looking fowards on,  one red with one white over, green for for moving right with white over

hope this helps, you won,t be wrong if you keep to this

[diesel falcon]

oh forgot the link!!   http://completeguide.rnli.org/navigation-lights.html

[diesel falcon]

dam forgot the link     http://completeguide.rnli.org/navigation-lights.html

[JawsOrca]

. 

 

From your reply and RNLI's link its pretty conclusive.. I guess then the all right is purely an anchor light. 

 

Do you know if your port and starboard lights are some distance from each other? (i.e a meter?)..

 

Also I think we will have some problems with the running light though because its a 225 arc and putting it on the windscreen would restrict this so it may have to go just on top of the hardtop hopefully I don't take it off on ludham bridge!

[diesel falcon]

Yes the all round light is purly for anchoring and is on a seperate switch, the height between the lights isn,t that important, but the angles they are viewable from is,although a metre sounds good, more if possible,there,s more detail here as it,s a bit in depth  http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/060199tip5.htm

As long as the lights you fit are rated as per the website/colregs(they should state they are on the description/packaging) you will be fine

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Alan,

 

You could put forward running lamp and anchor light on a dropdown mast mounted forward of your windscreen.

 

Ours on Ranworth Breeze is bolted to our screen and goes through the bottom of our canopy.

We just unbolt the mast from the screen and drop it down for the bridges (we tend to drop our canopy most of the time whilst cruising).

 

Regards

Alan 

[JawsOrca]

Thanks Guys..

 

Thanks Alan.. I've just googled a picture of ranworth breeze  (She does look stunning - I'm sure we have moored alongside you (or fellow owners) at some point too). I can see in the pictures your light there and that's a neat idea. Only thing for us though, because we have the hard top it would mean someone would have to jump on the roof to take down although I doubt we will going near any bridges at dark. I was going to do this as the all round light but still like that.. I just need to work out how to make it all up... 

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Alan,

 

Our mast can be removed if required from its hinge and there is a waterproof 3 pin plug and deck socket to connect it into. It requires a 3 pin connect for the two lamps and uses a common ground.

 

The seals on most of the navigation lights are not that great even at lamps costing £50-£70 so cleaning the internal glasses or plastic lenses is required also the lamp connections oxidise (one of the fibre glass cleaning pencils is good for cleaning the connections).

 

Regards

Alan

[Guest]

When you've decided how you're going to mount the lights, it's well worth converting them to LED bulbs.

 

They consume a fraction of the wattage for the same brightness, and they have the big safety advantage of being almost impossible to suddenly blow while in use, necessitating a quick change, maybe at Sea.

 

They're very cheaply available via the Internet, even from the UK.

 

One thing to be careful of though, because of the different spectrum of light from LEDs, you can't simply replace the white in the Port and Starboard lamps because of their tinted glass.

 

You have to use the purpose made red and green LED bulbs, otherwise the resultant strange colours break the coll regs.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=led+nav+light+bulbs&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Hhy8U-ziKfOY0AWRk4G4CA&sqi=2&ved=0CH8QsAQ&biw=1033&bih=544

[JawsOrca]

Hi Strowager, 

 

To be honest, considering this is a motor boat and it will mainly be used on rivers where visibility is limited to short reaches and other than the fact that LEDs live longer, I don't really see much point in using LED bulbs.. Sailboats at sea I see the point but is it really worth it on a river motor boat? Also considering standard bulbs are pennies .. We was aiming on installing an LED light on the anchor light but not really on the streaming lights.  Have you got LEDs all round?

[MBA Marine]

LED's, here's a thing, they last longer dont they? well not always, when buying said LED's its worth checking what voltage they are rated for, you see the likes of the domestic household LED bulbs are designed to work on a regulated constant 12v produced via a transformer, on a 12v boat you can be running from say 11v-15v depending on how flat the batteries are or how dicky your alternator is.   I fitted rather expensive 12v LED lights supplied by a chandler to a live aboard's boat, said boat rarely moves and has a battery charger (proper one!!!) on 99% of the time one year after fitting the lights that were used the most started to fail, not give up but the center ring of LED's rather than being a soft white as the should be they turned brown and dim.

Only logical answer was that they did not like being powered at 13.6v for long periods every day, a standard bulb would not have given a monkeys, and given the replacement bulbs were about £8 each, I don't think very good value for money!

 

Im not anti LED's but check that what you fit is designed to cope with the voltage fluctuation before spending your money.

[Guest]

Yes Alan, all my Nav lights are aqua signal >20m fitted with led bulbs.

 

The approved coloured LEDs are much cheaper by mail order than at Chandlers.

 

I did all the interior lights too. Each of the original 21 watt festoon bulbs used nearly 2 amps per hour, even my small cabin had three pairs, so that was 12 amps per hour, and they're usually on when the engine is not running.

 

The new "warm white" LEDs fit neatly in the original brass lights and consume about a tenth of the electricity, and are much brighter. I can't remember exactly how much they were, but all six were about a tenner, from a UK ebay seller.

 

I've been using them for about 3 years now, and none have blown so far...

[kadensa]

On the subject of navigation lights, what are the regulations regarding dinghies?  We will be bringing our 14ft sailing dinghy with us, together with a 2.3hp Honda outboard, in order that we will be certain to be able to get above 'THAT' bridge.  Bearing in mind that it will be late September/October it may be that we will be sailing back to Potter, hopefully, not in the dark, but perhaps in the evening twilight.  

[diesel falcon]

just show one allround light, a temp one will do .....

these things....http://www.go2marine.com/product/205454F/temporary-bow-stern-light.html

[Liberty]

I have one of these.  Suction fit to the top of the outboard.  Wobbles a bit, but works.

 

http://www.force4.co.uk/6263/Force-4-Inflatable-Tender-Light-with-Suction-Mount.html

 

[kadensa]

Thanks very much for the help, guys.  As a matter of interest, would the requirements be the same if we were under sail?