Anchor Light on an X

[Russ]

That's Sure Is...a Pretty Shot of your boat Russ....
Do you have a main sail cover ?
Anchor Lights? Legal or not ? I am with you on.... the more the better! I have anchored many times where they were needed I felt and where there were Park Rangers and other authorities present , and no one ever said... I was in Non Conformance.. with too many lights at anchor.. Just the opposite was mentioned.. Solar Lights last all night and LEDs draw almost Nothing and last for years........

Yea, I have a black main and jib cover. Just not in that pic. Also a dodger which we don't use anymore.

The regs have been discussed here before. If I recall, outside of designated mooring areas a 360 degree white light is required. Deck lighting is not considered so solar powered (or candle powered) lighting on the deck doesn't defeat compliance.

As I see it, the reason for an anchor light is for collision avoidance. We get these fisherman guys before dawn that fortunately go slow but might not be looking up when they are close to my boat. More light the better as I see it.

Otherwise my other boat would be darker at night.

[Gypsy]

Most inland use of the boat doesn't require anchor lights when anchoring, so Roger left anchor lights off...which is reasonable IMHO.
.

I am 300 miles up the Alabama River from Mobile Bay and I can tell you for a fact that anchor lights are required .
Least ways the Marine Police seem to think so.
They have ticketed friends of mine for not having a light on , while anchored .

Personally , law or not , to me their is no such thing as to much anchor light . The more light the better chance you have of the midnight drunks seeing you and the before dawn fishermen seeing you.

I like the idea of spreader lights . A couple of spot lights shining down would light up the decks for night time activity , as well as reflect off the boat and water . The idea of swapping out plugs on the masthead light would simplfy the wiring .

I love my but Roger could have sprung for one more switch , so you could turn on the mast and stern lights for anchoring .
Do the have anchor lights ?

[jschrade]

2010 26M does not have an anchor light.

Jim

[Divecoz]

I dont know that any Macs ever came with them TTBOMK we have all had to add them on our own..

2010 26M does not have an anchor light.

Jim

[Chinook]

A dealer explained to me that anchor lights were not provided as stock equipment on the X and M boats as part of an overall effort to keep the base boat price as low as possible. I was also told that most Mac owners never anchor out, and either just day sail or go from dock to dock. As one who spends most of our onboard nights on the hook, this surprised me, but after viewing the fleet of Macs at the annual BWY rendezvous, I note that very few boats appear to have anchor lockers which ever appear to get used. Conversations with owners seems to confirm that pattern, with many who have never tried dropping their hook. As an aside, I consider having ground tackle fully rigged and immediately ready to deploy, along with practise in anchoring, to be one of the most critical and essential boating safety elements. I've never experienced a man overboard, or woman for that matter, but have had to quickly drop anchor under stressful circumstances on at least 3 occasions.

[capncarp]

I can't imagaine what all this talk about an anchor light is all about. Get a mast cap and an anchor light and put it on top of the mast (not masthead), run a wire thru the mast and switch plugs as needed. This is small job a kid could do.
capncarp,

[Divecoz]

Hummm have you done yours yet? There are a couple issues to contend with ..Just run the wire? Sounds to me as though you have not.. just change the plug? More to it than that, unless you want... that steaming light and the Anchor light both on at the same time...whats it take to get from that New deck plug to a New mounted switch? Hard? No I did it. Issues to contend with? Yes.... Choices to make in style and application ? Yes.. There is an issue with just getting the wires down the mast on some, maybe all Mac 26 Power Sailors... It always looks easy.. sounds.. easier.. But it always.. Takes Longer and Cost More..I made... a new Mast Cap to fit perfect out of Aluminum.. just to start.. At work the favorite saying was.. YOU .. want it done when??? Doing it alone might well only raise the anxiety level

I can't imagaine what all this talk about an anchor light is all about. Get a mast cap and an anchor light and put it on top of the mast (not masthead), run a wire thru the mast and switch plugs as needed. This is small job a kid could do.
capncarp,

[Octaman]

I have a portable LED anchor light (that can be used on both an X and an M )with 6 metres of cable and a male-plug same as the masthead light male plug at the foot of the mast.

When I drop the hook and prepare for the night, I go forward, stretch up as high as I can and tie the anchor light to the forestay - that's really where it should be in the first place (for reasons already stated by others), close to the bow not too high up as long as it clears the boom and the arch aft. Once plugged in you can switch the anchor light on or off from inside with the steaming light switch. You will never require to use both steaming and anchor lights simultaneously - it's either one or the other - so having two switches is not necessary. I like to use a led 'bulb' with plenty of leds that gives a very bright light well beyond legal requirements.

This can double up as a cockpit light; when you need to light the cockpit, I hang the portable anchor light off the end of the boom and raise the boom appropriately. This gives plenty of light in the cockpit and serves its original role of an anchor light. Then when it's time to go to bed I take the light forward and tie it back on the forestay.
I usually wake up at the crack of dawn (a habit on the water) but do not necessarily get up; however, the nice thing is that I can turn off the anchor light from belowdecks without having to go on deck.

After getting up, I take the anchor light down and store it away saving it from the fatigue and wear it would have sitting at the top of the mast.
Lastly, if the light fails for whatever reason, I don't have to bring the mast down to fix it.


A ver practical solution that works well for me.

Happy sailing
Octaman

[Gypsy]

I can't imagine how Roger would think that , after building an economy boat , that it would never get anchored out .
If you bought a Mac , you are an economical minded person , renting a slip for the night can be expensive , so a lot of us do anchor , to save money.
In our many visits to Ft McRee anchorage , in Pensacola , their is seldom a time their wasn't a Mac in there.
Other than my leased home slip , I can count on one hand , how many times I rented a slip , while on a cruise , and we cruise more than the average bear.
This past summer we spent nearly every weekend onboard . Two times we were tied to a dock , once in our own slip , another time , tied to a dock in Selma's former marina basin.


While I am on the subject ,,, I was disappointed to find the use of "clamshells" , electrical tape , and nuts & bolts in my MacGregor electrical system.
These little clamshell connectors should be outlawed from all use , but especially marine use.
A calmshell is a plastic connector with little blades in it , where you lay the wire in it and squeeze it together . The blades cuts thru the insulation and in theory , make a connection.

Back when the kids were young and money was tight , I made extra money (sidework) , contracting the electrical work from different marine repair places in the area.
Replacing these clamshells was a good source of income , for us. I have seen many highend boats come in with complaints that the lights won't work , just to trace it down to a corroded clamshell , or a clamshell whose plastic started breaking down and it came unlatched.
I once worked on a $50,000 pontoon boat , whose nav lights quit . The manufacturer ran wire from the helm , under the deck , directly exposed to the water , and connected the side lights together using ,,, clamshells .

[capncarp]

I have done several. It is really quite simple. Withe mast down you take a 30' mearsuring tape or snake and run it thru the mast. You may have to remove the spreader attachment. I don't. Now tape the wires to the tape or snake and pull the wires thru the mast. Run the wires thru the mast cap and attach to the anchor light. Secure the mast cap to the top of the mast. Now add a male plug that is the same type plug as the steaming light . You can get them where you got you anchor light. Now since you never use the steaming light and the anchor light at the same time you just switch the plug for which ever light you need . Now you just use the on/off switch in the cabin to control the light.The is no running wire thru the cabin or adding another female plug on the roof. Mast caps are available. Just ask around.

capncarp,

[Russ]

I have a portable LED anchor light (that can be used on both an X and an M )with 6 metres of cable and a male-plug same as the masthead light male plug at the foot of the mast.

Davis makes one like you describe. Has a cigarette lighter plug and can be hoisted. It also has a photosensor that shuts it off during the day. Another good simple solution.

[Octaman]

Yes, very nice, RussMT

[Russ]

I can't imagine how Roger would think that , after building an economy boat , that it would never get anchored out .

Business model. He can use that as an excuse for not installing an anchor light.
We NEVER stay at a marina and always anchor out away from people.

These little clamshell connectors should be outlawed from all use , but especially marine use.

Agreed. They are guaranteed to fail.

I replaced most factory connectors with soldered joints.


--Rus

[Russ]

I have done several. It is really quite simple. Withe mast down you take a 30' mearsuring tape or snake and run it thru the mast. You may have to remove the spreader attachment. I don't. Now tape the wires to the tape or snake and pull the wires thru the mast. Run the wires thru the mast cap and attach to the anchor light. Secure the mast cap to the top of the mast. Now add a male plug that is the same type plug as the steaming light .

Yea, I've done many mast wiring jobs also. Keeping wires from clanking inside is the biggest trick.
Except for the Mac where Roger stuffs the top 10' with Styrofoam. Getting a snake past that foam is the tricky part.

--Russ

[c130king]

Russ,

I am with you...I have the Davis Mega Light. Very simple to use. I attach it to the topping lift as high as I can reach...probably about 7 feet above the deck.

You can see my Davis Mega Light in this short video of a recent overnighter on the Potomac...at the 33 second point in the video.

http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q17/ ... t23Oct.mp4

However, Capncarp's idea sounds very do-able.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König