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Was looking in Whitworths and Bias last week at battery powered LED lights. I need all-round white light and the port and starboard lights. Unfortunately the battery powered LED lights are marked "boats up to 7 metres". I am concerned about possible insurance issues if I use these, as Top Hat is about 7.6 metres. Has anyone used the battery LED lights and are they any good? The only light on Night Cap that works is the stern light. It seems that all I still need is 360degree light plus red and green. My understanding is that the 360degree light is good for steaming (in combo with port and starboard) and also for anchoring. It seems the white all-round must be at least 1 metre above the port and starboard lights. What you all think?


Cheers John

John,

When I had my mast out I fitted an approved all round white LED mast light.

Not sure of the brand but I can find out if you like.

It is the brightest in every mooring we have been in (and been able to view from a distance) and well worth the money.

Yes you can use all round white and port and starboard for steaming if the stern white light is turned off.

Cheers,

Tom

John,

Don't bother with the LED nav lights with their own batteries as they do not comply lux wise.

If LED's are powered by your main battery they will be OK and as Tom said the brightest around.

A yacht under 12m must have side and a stern light, but can combine them at the mast head.

When under power you can use your mast head anchor light and side lights.

For those times when I moved at night under power I had a clip on [at the bow] LED side lights powered by a lead from my main house battery and I used the anchor light as the all round light.
I only used it a couple of times during my trip.

The QLD waterways will book you if you think a garden LED light is an anchor light! They do not comply lux wise.

Phillip.

This is the one!

http://www.parkerled.com.au/catalogue/p ... dc-41.html

Cheers,

Tom

When I bought Windchaser, it had a solar-powered garden light as an anchor light/all round white light and a battery powered starboard/port light sucker thing.

To bring Windchaser up the coast, I got a led version of the battery light and with a clamp not a sucker. The only thing the sucker would stick to was my forehead but then the light was in my eyes. The clamp one went on the bow. Yes, the light was not exactly legal but was just for emergency use and just to get to home port.

The garden light did not work and I would not have relied on it anyway. I got a Whitworths led anchor light on a pole and stuck it up over the solar panel which on Windchaser is way up in the air. From directly in front of the boat the mast hid the light a bit but I could easily see it's glow so it was better than 90% of anchored boats I encountered in my trip up the coast. Also, one of the Qld gov brochures on installing lights says about the 360 degree white light, "As a general rule, an all round white light should not be obscured by masts or other structures by more than 6° of arc." so it is possible to have a light not on top of the mast.

http://www.msq.qld.gov.au/~/media/81a30867-a341-4869-b67a-6064de100df3/pdf_nmsc_brochure_tips_installing_nav_lights.pdf

I am still undecided exactly what lights to install, like maybe do what Phillip does with temp 12v side lights or something on top of the mast like Tom. Whatever, good lighting is not that hard to achieve and it makes sound sailing sense as well as ticks the right boxes as far as being legal goes.

Troppo,
If you got hold of some depleted uranium as ballast to save some room, you would have a nice green glow to the boat, & kill two birds with one stone, so to speak,

cheers

Shaun wrote:Troppo,
If you got hold of some depleted uranium as ballast to save some room, you would have a nice green glow to the boat, & kill two birds with one stone, so to speak,

cheers

That would be ok for the starboard side. Maybe red kryptonite on the port? But then I would feel weak all the time.

I like this tricolour

http://www.marinesuperstore.com/posit/s ... ++++++++++