Navigation lights

[Ewan123]

We've got port and starboard nav lights.

 

a) The starboard light tint seems faded and looks a bit close to white. Is there a decent (but cheap) way to tint it green again? Green glass paint? A replacement lens just seems a bit much when it's still intact.

 

b) We need to add a stern light, does anyone have suggestions for a temporary one? There's not many decent places to mount one permanently on our semitrad stern with the gates on the back, without it being really low down at the gunwales.

 

I know we don't generally need them on inland waterways, but we're getting a seaworthiness survey for the Manchester Ship Canal and are crossing the Mersey soon, so I want to do it at least a bit proper.

[cuthound]

Such a pity that Quality Street no longer comes in translucent wrappers.

[Paringa]

Green bulb perhaps?

 

BAY15D 18 LED GREEN Tower bulbs for (Starboard) Navigation lights (bedazzledledlighting.co.uk)

Edited March 14 by Paringa
linky

[blackrose]

I'd probably go for a replacement lens if you can find one. It's not just a matter of making it green it must also be a reasonable lumens value. I don't know the length of your boat but like most narrowboats the chances are the lights are already too small to comply with the Colregs, so you don't really want to add to that reducing brightness by using non-standard bulbs, etc. A green bulb through a faded green lens might reduce brightness.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185507292571?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=sJDQq355SXG&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Edited March 14 by blackrose

[Ewan123]

38 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I'd probably go for a replacement lens if you can find one. It's not just a matter of making it green it must also be a reasonable lumens value. I don't know the length of your boat but like most narrowboats the chances are the lights are already too small to comply with the Colregs, so you don't really want to add to that reducing brightness by using non-standard bulbs, etc. A green bulb through a faded green lens might reduce brightness.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185507292571?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=sJDQq355SXG&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Ah that's more affordable than I saw elsewhere, thanks.

 

Yes reducing brightness was my concern with the painting bodge too.

Edited March 14 by Ewan123

[haggis]

Are navigation lights now essential for a narrow boat on the Manchester Ship Canal? I can't remember if they were required when we did it in 2002 (?). Desirable perhaps but not essential as I don't think Peel Ports  would allow you onto the MSC if the conditions required the use of nav lights. 

[Ronaldo47]

You can get small tins (typically 14ml, = 1/2 fluid ounce in imperial) of transparent paint from shops that sell plastic model kits. I use it for restoring the colour of traditional incandescent christmas tree lights and for colouring clear bulbs when no coloured replacements are available.

Edited March 14 by Ronaldo47

[LadyG]

Nail varnish

[Alan de Enfield]

13 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Nail varnish

 

 

Seriously  ?

[Pie Eater]

4 hours ago, haggis said:

Are navigation lights now essential for a narrow boat on the Manchester Ship Canal? I can't remember if they were required when we did it in 2002 (?). Desirable perhaps but not essential as I don't think Peel Ports  would allow you onto the MSC if the conditions required the use of nav lights. 

We got a set of portable navigation lights but we never used them. This was in 2003 when we got our "Certificate of Seaworthiness" for the Manchester Ship Canal.

[blackrose]

6 hours ago, Ronaldo47 said:

You can get small tins (typically 14ml, = 1/2 fluid ounce in imperial) of transparent paint from shops that sell plastic model kits. I use it for restoring the colour of traditional incandescent christmas tree lights and for colouring clear bulbs when no coloured replacements are available.

 

See above. Painting a navigation light lens may compromise it's brightness. It's better just to replace the lens if possible. 

 

4 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

Seriously  ?

 

Some people insist on spoiling the ship for a ha'porth of tar.

Edited March 14 by blackrose

[Naartjie - Duck Hatch]

16 hours ago, Paringa said:

Green bulb perhaps?

 

BAY15D 18 LED GREEN Tower bulbs for (Starboard) Navigation lights (bedazzledledlighting.co.uk)

https://www.classiccarleds.co.uk/products/38-39-mm-festoon-green-glass-tube-led-bulb-glb254-c5w

[blackrose]

2 hours ago, Naartjie - Duck Hatch said:

https://www.classiccarleds.co.uk/products/38-39-mm-festoon-green-glass-tube-led-bulb-glb254-c5w

 

Mmm, how do we know that green bulb is suitable for a boat navigation light?

 

I'm not sure why people aren't reading the thread. A suitable green bulb might be ok if used in conjunction with a clear lens, but the OP has a faded green lens and using both together may compromise brightness.

[Scholar Gypsy]

This is how I mount my stern light. Feel free to admire the handmade joinery.  I know semi-trad sterns differ in design, might this work?  This is the size required for a boat over 12m.

 

 

[truckcab79]

Translucent paint as suggested or just buy a new light unless it’s something really special in which case buy the material and form your own in the oven or with a heat gun if it’s a simple shape. 
 

Pretty sure the ‘navigation light police’ aren’t going to shoot you if you just chuck a green lamp in it though. 

[Ronaldo47]

It has been mentioned on another thread about navigation lights that you can't just replace a filament bulb by a LED. The design of traditional navigation lights requires the presence of the compact filament of a tungsten bulb positioned accurately with respect to the refracting elements of the lens in order to produce the necessary sharp cut-off in beam angle. 

[blackrose]

1 hour ago, truckcab79 said:

Translucent paint as suggested or just buy a new light unless it’s something really special in which case buy the material and form your own in the oven or with a heat gun if it’s a simple shape. 
 

Pretty sure the ‘navigation light police’ aren’t going to shoot you if you just chuck a green lamp in it though. 

 

Most people wouldn't dream of botching any other piece of navigational equipment on their boats so I'm not quite sure why we have so many  suggestions to that effect on this subject?

 

It's not about whether you're going to get into trouble for having an incorrect navigation light, it's a more about making sure the light is the correct colour and brightness to actually be seen and function as a navigation light.

 

For that reason forget about green bulbs, green paint, nail varnish, moulding your own lens 😂, and either replace the lens or the whole light with a new one.

Edited March 15 by blackrose

[truckcab79]

21 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Most people wouldn't dream of botching any other piece of navigational equipment on their boats so I'm not quite sure why we have so many  suggestions to that effect on this subject?

 

It's not about whether you're going to get into trouble for having an incorrect navigation light, it's a more about making sure the light is the correct colour and brightness to actually be seen and function as a navigation light.

 

For that reason forget about green bulbs, green paint, nail varnish, moulding your own lens 😂, and either replace the lens or the whole light with a new one.

Replacement would be the obvious answer as I suggested. Alternatives of course more appropriate if it’s something irreplaceable. Pretty much anything can be repaired or replaced if you have a need or mind to. 

[Naartjie - Duck Hatch]

5 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

Mmm, how do we know that green bulb is suitable for a boat navigation light?

 

I'm not sure why people aren't reading the thread. A suitable green bulb might be ok if used in conjunction with a clear lens, but the OP has a faded green lens and using both together may compromise brightness.

🥱

Well then, how many Lumens/Candela are required.

https://boatlamps.co.uk/pages/navigation-lights-led-replacement-bulb-information

Edited March 15 by Naartjie - Duck Hatch

[blackrose]

41 minutes ago, Naartjie - Duck Hatch said:

🥱

Well then, how many Lumens/Candela are required.

https://boatlamps.co.uk/pages/navigation-lights-led-replacement-bulb-information

 

Except unlike the bulbs you've linked to, the green light bulb that someone posted above which I commented on was just a random car bulb and not specifically calibrated for navigation lights.

 

However, as had been stated several times, if you have a faded nav light lens then a new bulb isn't really going to help and a coloured bulb could make matters worse. I'm not sure why that seems so difficult to understand?

Edited March 15 by blackrose

[Naartjie - Duck Hatch]

57 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Except unlike the bulbs you've linked to, the green light bulb that someone posted above which I commented on was just a random car bulb and not specifically calibrated for navigation lights.

 

However, as had been stated several times, if you have a faded nav light lens then a new bulb isn't really going to help and a coloured bulb could make matters worse. I'm not sure why that seems so difficult to understand?

So surely if you up the wattage of the bulb you can compensate for faded lenses.🤔 

As in the link I posted!

 

Edited March 15 by Naartjie - Duck Hatch

[truckcab79]

22 minutes ago, Naartjie - Duck Hatch said:

So surely if you up the wattage of the bulb you can compensate for faded lenses.🤔 

As in the link I posted!

 

Yep.  Pretty much.   Think this is being massively over-thought as usual.  😂. The only thing you will find is that the coloured lamps aren’t very coloured when they actually light up. Hence lots of vehicles with orange lamps and clear lenses looking very pale / almost white.   A white lamp and green lens will work better. Basically buy a new light or put a new lens in. Could have ordered, received and fitted one quicker than this tbh   😂

[Tony Brooks]

Although much here is perfectly valid I think that as the OP is only wishing to meet and MSC rules and is unlikely to be allowed on when nav lights are required than at least two suggestion would work for that. Even if not strictly in accordance with COLREGs.

[bizzard]

What colours do colour blind folk see red and green as?

[IanD]

17 minutes ago, bizzard said:

What colours do colour blind folk see red and green as?

Kind of greeny-yellow, according to my son...