Legal nav lights on the Mac?

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

What part of the West Marine picture do you feel is wrong? There has been no change in the rules recently. It's been the same for years. The picture illustrates the coastal USCG rules exactly as described in Rule 25.

[billadams]

Duane,

What kind of LED light have you used? how many LEDs does it include?

Where is it available and how much does it cost?

I have used solar garden LED lights four of them mounted on a piece of plywood as an anchor light but it was not too bright.

On the web I have seen the barge lights offered for commercial or coast guard use that are several hundred dollars but are very bright.

Thanks

Bill

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Mine is a single luxeon LED. It's a stainless version of this light.

All Around Light



I got it at Boaters World, but I don't see the exact one available any more.

You can see mine in this picture. It's the light up above the GPS antenna and the VHF antenna base. It's CG approved, very bright, very low current draw.

[Catigale]

for vessels less than 65.6 feet/20 meters in length the anchor light is not required “in a special anchorage designated by the Secretary of Transportation.”

I wonder if a 'designated anchorage; on a chart is the same as the designated anchorage per the above? I bet not.

WHen in doubt, do what the neighbors are doing. When we gunk hole overnight on the Hudson off the channel, we dont light up

Will be out tonight on the full moon!!

[Greg]

I also use the previously mentioned Davis Masthead Light. If the rules state that the anchor light must be visible for 2 miles and the light is visible for 2 miles, what difference does it make if it is USCG approved??

Also, what is the proper overnight lighting if you are

1. Not anchored but tied off to a tree on shore
2. Beached (aground)?

[James V]

I don't really know. I would play it safe. Do you think somebody will hit you with their boat if you do not have one on? Better tuen it on then. Most police/coast guard are to busy to worry about this unless something else is going on.

In most anchorages in Fl, about 1/2 do have an anchor light on every night.

[DLT]

I wonder if a 'designated anchorage; on a chart is the same as the designated anchorage per the above? I bet not.

I'd go the other way on this. If its designated on an offically published chart, then I'd think it was a 'designated' anchorage for all purposes...

[mike uk]

As with so many things, sellers of products will often invent their own descriptions - usually to disguise the fact that the product isn't quite what it appears. The essential governing legislation is the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. These regulations stipulate the colour, distance and intensity of light to be used for each purpose. It would be nice if manufacturers and retailers said on the packaging that their light complied with the requirements of the Col Regs for the intended use ie "masthead light", "stern light", etc. Anything else is not guaranteed to mean the same thing.

Keeping the CG happy is one thing, but the other worry is what happens when things go wrong - even if the main cause is some other idiot steaming into you - then all vaguenesses go out of the window and suddenly everyone becomes very precise about what YOU should or should not have been doing and they are very quick to point you in the direction of the exact regulation - breach the rules and you run a risk.

For a boat under 12m length it is OK just to show the normal anchor light when aground (boats over 12m aground require two all round red in a vertical line as well as the anchor light) when aground.

I am fairly sure "at anchor" includes being tied to a tree although "at anchor" isn't actually defined in the regs. Or look at it another way, if you are not anchored or aground or tied to something ashore, then you are considered to be "underway" and should be showing sidelights etc.

Have fun

Mike

[Moe]

Keeping the CG happy is one thing, but the other worry is what happens when things go wrong - even if the main cause is some other idiot steaming into you - then all vaguenesses go out of the window and suddenly everyone becomes very precise about what YOU should or should not have been doing and they are very quick to point you in the direction of the exact regulation - breach the rules and you run a risk.

My ex's law firm was very good at this. Even when their client was cited for violating regulations or criminal law, their investigator was very good at digging up all the little things the uncited "victim" did wrong and getting him assigned partial liability, which reduced their client's civil damages. In one case I recall, the "victim" (or his insurance company) wound up paying the cited party damages, and there were probably more cases like that.

Designated area or not, we're going to display a light the manufacturer advertises is "certified" (usually by an independent testing lab) to meet the standards and requirements for the intended use. A "real" anchor light costs what, $10-$15 plus maybe that much for wire and a plug?

--
Moe

[mtc]

Has anyone rebuilt their lights with LEDs?

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Mine is a single luxeon LED. It's a stainless version of this light.

All Around Light

So is there a conclusion that people are using stern nav lights as mast-top anchor lights? Are there any specs published (like for the light Duane linked) on the visibility distance of these LED lights?

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

My LED light is Coast Guard approved for use an all around underway navigation light on boats under 12 meters (39.4ft). It was officially labeled as such on the package. An anchor light has the exact same brightness and visibility requirements which is 2 miles of visibility. The LED is noticably brighter than the stock mac lights.

Chapmans even states that an anchor light is to be installed like and subject to the same requirements as the all around navigation light. The requirements for both the anchor light and the all around navigation light allow it to be obscured by no more than 6 degrees of blockage out of the 360 degrees of visibility. Also if you are installing a dual purpose one like my all around, it must be at least 1 meter above the red and green lights to qualify as an under way all around light.

As I think I mentioned, when out WITH the mast I use the standard Mac masthead, red /green, and stern light for under way navigation. The LED on the pole is purly an anchor light. When out WITHOUT the mast the LED now becomes the white all around navigation light required in conjunction with the red / green. I block the white stern light to avoid showing extra confusing lights.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

I'm still debating the Davis Mega light versus an LED type like Duane bought. I see that Davis likes to put their draw in amps and the LED's like to say in watts. But when I do the calculations, it seems the Davis (incadescent?) light draws a good deal less than the LED's. How can that be, did I make a math mistake?

I figure an anchor light on top of the mast could light up the windex if I was ever night sailing too. Yea, I know...not supposed to have an anchor light on while moving, but just for momentary bursts of light, I don't think you would get pulled over.

[Chip Hindes]

For a 12 volt system, watts/12=amps. This is approximate, since the battery is seldom exactly 12v, but so are the calculations of those who quote in amps.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Yea, so even if you use 13, then the Davis Megalight is .110 amps X 13 volts = 1.43 watts which is less than half as much as the 3watt Luxeon LED all-around light mentioned above. So how can that be? I understand the Davis is not all that bright, but supposedly, it still gets the job done...plus, it has a light sensor (although every flood light I've ever installed with a sensor eventually goes bad and I have to straight wire it for it to work again).

I guess the LED does have the advantage of a very long service life..although hard to beat the price of this economy anchor light...only 6.95.