More Searchlights

[John Orentas]

Here's a rather more serious 'cabin control' type waiting for a bit of restoration.

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...si&img=2233

 

Model FR 10 inch (searchlight sizes relate to reflector diameter) Up to 250 watt tungsten halogen all brass construction, class parabolic reflector with adjustable beam divergence.

[carlt]

My heart says this one:

 

My rubbing arm says the one I've got is just fine.

[John Orentas]

Here's another. Not a Francis but a mass produced Jabsco remote control. Got it in for repair but haven't opened it up yet the pan / tilt motors may be knackered.

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...si&img=2232

[John Orentas]

Quite an interesting one this, I have restored many of them, I always saw it as something of a design classic. We supplied them to the RNLI for their lifeboats, in the 60's they had a standard 'roll test' for all the boats and of course all above deck equipment had to withstand the same.

 

You will notice it has 6 bezel fixings (swing bolts) rather that the more normal 3, this was necessary to keep it totally waterproof, not an easy thing to do under 12 ft under water, all fixings were soldered for the same reason.

 

I still have a couple awaiting restoration, very pricey I am afraid.

Edited September 6, 2007 by John Orentas

[Amicus]

John,

That thru deck control light. When installed, what is involved to remove the light and outside gubbins leaving the deck fitting?

Could one be modified to make it quickly detachable?

Just thinking is all.

[John Orentas]

Hi Ami.

 

They were never made to do that but anything is possible, they were of course made for the commercial market. I spent a lot of time trying to sell lights to the leisure boating market. All the builders ever wanted were those cheap little remote controlled Japanese things.

 

I even designed and built a radio controlled one. One of the big builders once said to me "these people rarely go out of harbour in daylight, never at night". Poseurs are not confined to the canals.

 

The above deck control types of course can simply be lifted off and taken home, that's what I always did.

 

Someone mentioned the Thames River police, a spent a good day on one of their boats when we were making a company video. My sort of job that, patrolling up and down the river all day, but yes they do spend a lot of time pulling well decomposed corpses out of the water.

[DHutch]

We've just got a cheap (static) durite one, 50watt, and not much light output.

- Its ok for tunnels, point it at the roof and whack the galley light on to see the sides routine.

- But i have wondered about something with some more poke for a bit of night-boating.

 

I have a pair of 250watt, 24v, OHP bulbs raided out of a skip at burton collage, which might have to turn into somthing.

 

 

 

Daniel

[Alan Saunders]

We've just got a cheap (static) durite one, 50watt, and not much light output.

- Its ok for tunnels, point it at the roof and whack the galley light on to see the sides routine.

- But i have wondered about something with some more poke for a bit of night-boating.

 

I have a pair of 250watt, 24v, OHP bulbs raided out of a skip at burton collage, which might have to turn into somthing.

Daniel

You mostly do not need lights for navigation on a river or canal at night. Some night boaters coming the other way will complain loudly about even a dim tunnel light as it will destroy their night vision for perhaps twenty minutes. I don't complain out loud, just shut one eye and swear quietly. For tunnels your set-up is ideal; it will not blind the oncoming steerer. You should have the required navigation lights - just white on the canal, a cabin light will do.

 

I did plan to have an all round light mounted on a telescopic mast for lock operating at night but I now tend to think it not worth the risk and rarely pass through a lock after dusk.

 

OHP bulbs have a very limited life unless you de-rate them - voltage drop in long undersized cables will do the trick.

 

Alan

[Gary Stacey]

My heart says this one:

 

My rubbing arm says the one I've got is just fine.

 

 

I was lucky enough to be given a light very similar to this the other day. Made by lucas, with a beam adjustment thingy on the back.

 

Gary

[pagan witch]

You mostly do not need lights for navigation on a river or canal at night. Some night boaters coming the other way will complain loudly about even a dim tunnel light as it will destroy their night vision for perhaps twenty minutes.

 

Agreed. We tend to do a fair bit of night cruising and don't use the tunnel light for this. One or two of the posers around here have insanely bright lights that destroy your night vision and are so bright that you can't see their nav lights to work out where the hell they are.

[John Orentas]

I was lucky enough to be given a light very similar to this the other day. Made by lucas, with a beam adjustment thingy on the back.

 

Gary

 

 

Hi Gary.

 

Yours will still be a Francis Searchlight product. Lucas Marine purchased Francis many years ago but things didn't work out and it reverted to the status of a private company after a couple of years. If you give me a bit more detail of your unit I can give you some more info about it, there were many minor variations for alternative uses.