If your masthead lights go out you still have your deck lights. I have a 12v relay setup. It is energized by the ignition key. When I turn the engine on it switches the nav lights over from masthead to deck to keep me legal. There’s a three position switch for each set. The three positions are: On, Off, auto. Both are normally left in “auto”. The whole thing is powered through the nav-light circuit-breaker. To turn on the nav-lights I turn on the breaker. I can bypass the relay and either force each set of lights on or off.

I also have a similar switch for the engine blower.

I’ve considered putting a photo-detector switch in to automate the anchor light. It would switch on at dusk and off at dawn.

Regards
Rich

Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum

Hi Eric,

Basically you should have both – sailing out in the ocean or large waters (Great Lakes) during dark the masthead light is more visible to large ships and farther away due to height.

When you are motoring at night, it is an illegal lighting arrangement to have the steaming light below the running lights – so you have to use the down low nav lights plus the steaming light.

If you are in narrow waters, such as the ICW or even in sounds like the Long Island Sound, people will look low on the water for boats so the lower ones are better. 

I will say this:  if you are depending on the original lights in the hull as your navigation lights, you are not very visible.  I took all mine out and plugged the holes.  I installed a single nav light on the bow pulpit and a stern light on the stern pulpit.  I replace all my nav lighting bulbs with Dr. Led either dual color, tricolor, or white bulbs to fit the light.  With LEDs you can't use a white light with a red lens.  It won't work.  Anyway, the nav light draw now is about .2 amp as opposed to the original 2.5 amp.

Bob

—
Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
Follow me at: http://www.tinyurl.com/WhereIsBobFine

Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum

I bought an OGM LED with Strobe and Photdiode it is not installed yet and the masts are still laying in their cradles in the yard.
https://secure.orcagreen.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16134&cat=249&page=1

I do not plan on removing my deck level lights though, just didn’t seem worth it to me, although they look like crap so maybe some day I’ll care enough to replace them, but it’s not a priority.

-p

—-
s/v Deep Playa | Pearson 424 Hull #152 | http://www.DeepPlaya.com

From:
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 9:54 AM
To:
Subject: Re: Nav Lights

p { margin: 0; }
If your masthead lights go out you still have your deck lights. I have a 12v relay setup. It is energized by the ignition key. When I turn the engine on it switches the nav lights over from masthead to deck to keep me legal. There’s a three position switch for each set. The three positions are: On, Off, auto. Both are normally left in “auto”. The whole thing is powered through the nav-light circuit-breaker. To turn on the nav-lights I turn on the breaker. I can bypass the relay and either force each set of lights on or off.

I also have a similar switch for the engine blower.

I’ve considered putting a photo-detector switch in to automate the anchor light. It would switch on at dusk and off at dawn.

Regards
Rich

Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum

Which array is that?  How much was it, and how many watts and where did you get it?

Bob

On Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 1:26 PM, Thatcher A. Stone < ([email][/email])> wrote:

+1 to Bob's comments about having both masthead and deck level lights.  Those Perko bow lights Pearson installed in the hull will eventually need to be replaced.  I replaced mine 3 years ago with an Aqua Signal dual light fixture on the bow rail and sealed the holes for the old lights with a thin sheet of Lexan (it was what I had).  I was amazed that the original lights lasted as long as they did.  They were not sealed from the elements.  I guess the PO never did any hard sailing.
I replaced my masthead lights with DrLEDs last year.  The previous incandescent bulbs drew around 2A.  I don't know what the LEDs draw.  The masthead anchor light is very dim, but visible.  I learned from one winter anchoring in the Bahamas it is better to have the anchor light near deck level.  The guys zooming around the harbor at night in their big RIBs or center console fishing boats are not looking up, if they're looking at all.  So my anchor light now is an LED cluster from Bebi Electronics  hung on the end of the boom.  In spite of the fact Bebi is located in Fiji, their prices and shipping costs are very competitive.
I left the deck level lights with incandescent bulbs as they are normally only on when motoring.

On Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 2:17 PM, Robert Fine < ([email][/email])> wrote:

“it is better to have the anchor light near deck level. “

I can second that having almost been hit one night by a powerboat. He screamed “PUT OUT AN ANCHOR LIGHT” as he zipped past at about 30kts. He never apparently looked up.

Putting a light on deck is a problem too. There are few places where it can be hung without leaving a blind spot. I find that hanging it from the backstay above the boom works best for me. I don’t have a mizzen. Maybe one on each side hanging from the shrouds would work too, but that’s twice the power drain. Then there’s where to plug it in. I’ve resorted to a not legal battery-powered lantern from the backstay and the legal masthead.

Rich

Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum

Hi Thatcher,
 
That's what I wanted to know – it's a Sunsei photovoltaic array, but what size? In watts? 
 
Thanks!
 
Bob

On Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 3:25 PM, Thatcher A. Stone < ([email][/email])> wrote:

Coming in at night at Sapelo Island, Ga I almost ran down a fool who was
anchored in the dead center of the channel with an anchor light, are you
ready for this… on the front of his mast. (the current was running
out lightly, so he was bow upstream). Saw the dot on the radar that
was his boat and steered around him.

Anchor lights need to be “all around”. I don’t imagine there is any
harm in hanging more than one light if they are low.

Pete

wrote:

Tor,

Check the COLREGS. I am pretty sure that there is a height limit and
requirement regarding proximity to the transom for the stern light.

Pete

Silver Heels wrote:

Pete,
I just did a quick check on the USCG site and I can find no specification for the height of the stern light.  The only position requirement is that it be as close to the stern as practical.  Since Tor does not believe the light on the stern rail is practical because of the glare it provides to the helmsperson, it would seem his choice of location conforms.  Of course it should conform to the requirement for a visible arc of 135 deg, which the original stern light installed by Pearson on the transom does not.
I've considered using bow and stern anchor lights as Tor does, but I am concerned the idiots driving through the anchorage at night might think it was two boats and decide to go between them.

On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 7:49 PM, Pete Dubler < ([email][/email])> wrote:

John,

I happily stand corrected. (I had some memory or researching this once
as we were designing a bow and stern light set, but I guess I was mistaken).
The height, precise color, beam dispersion, etc are not covered in the
Colregs themselves but rather in ANNEX 1:
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/annexes/annex_1Intl.htm

I had to LOL when you mentioned someone trying to go between split
anchor lights…

Pete

John Stevenson wrote:

An anchor light must be an all around white light and for our boats, I believe visible for three miles (it might be two).  Split lights are not legal anchor lights.  That's why they're typically at the top of a cabin or mast – so a single light can be seen and not confused with anything else.

Bob

—
Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
Follow me at: http://www.tinyurl.com/WhereIsBobFine

Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum

Here’s a handly link for looking up the rules:

Navigation Rules Online
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/rotr_online.htm

-p
—-
s/v Deep Playa | Pearson 424 Hull #152 | http://www.DeepPlaya.com

From: “Robert Fine” <>
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 3:59 PM
To:
Subject: Re: Nav Lights

An anchor light must be an all around white light and for our boats, I believe visible for three miles (it might be two). Split lights are not legal anchor lights. That’s why they’re typically at the top of a cabin or mast – so a single light can be seen and not confused with anything else.

Bob

—
Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
Follow me at: http://www.tinyurl.com/WhereIsBobFine

Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum

I still like my rechargeable patio lights in the rod holders on either side of the cockpit. Being outboard enough to light the side of the hull for boats that don’t look up.

Linus

<.. snip>

Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum