Navigation lights and travelling in hours of darkness.

[Mike Tee]

They may not be suposed to be seen from the back, but the reflected glow on the tunnel walls is unmistakeable.

[furnessvale]

Only if its navigation lights can actually be seen from directly behind, which often they can't, particularly if there is a powerful rear facing light too.

 

I dislike rear facing white lights in tunnels with a vengeance, and dearly, dearly wish people wouldn't do it.

 

Couldn't agree more! Sat at Barnton Tunnel for ages once waiting for an oncoming boat only to see him exit the other end with his rear facing spotlight!

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[Phil Ambrose]

Couldn't agree more! Sat at Barnton Tunnel for ages once waiting for an oncoming boat only to see him exit the other end with his rear facing spotlight!

 

George ex nb Alton retired

A rear facing spotlight is just so wrong, if you are going to use Nav Lights get it right, correct power bulb,correctly placed lights or don't bother. There is all the info you need out there, just make the effort and do it right.

 

Phil

[Leo No2]

My boat has fitted navigation lights because it was used a lot on the tidal Thames (and it was a requirement on those waters - not just at night but also in conditions of low visibility - for quite understandable reasons). It has roof level port and starboard (or should that be left and right!) lights at the front of the cabin and a low level (rear deck) 21w, I think (but it may be a lower wattage than that), white light - all the lights are housed in appropriate fittings giving the correct angles of vision. Even though the boat is now at Blisworth (and close to the tunnel) I see no reason to use the navigation lights (all operated through one switch) but I am not intending to remove them because they will leave holes (for wires and screws) and they do look quite nice when they are polished!

[nebulae]

I agree that a removeable mast is the answer.My combined port and starboard light and masthead light are mointed on an alluminium pole which fits into the socket otherwise used for the T.V. aerial.My stern light is monted on the top of the cabin.None of these lights can be mounted on narrow canals for obvious reasons.On commercial navigations and rivers they are fine(appart from Osney bridge!).I sympathise with the poster who has issues with vision when facing bright lights.I had not appreciated that this was an issue for some people.

[Ray T]

I agree that a removeable mast is the answer.My combined port and starboard light and masthead light are mointed on an alluminium pole which fits into the socket otherwise used for the T.V. aerial.My stern light is monted on the top of the cabin.None of these lights can be mounted on narrow canals for obvious reasons.On commercial navigations and rivers they are fine(appart from Osney bridge!).I sympathise with the poster who has issues with vision when facing bright lights.I had not appreciated that this was an issue for some people.

 

Is this your set up?

 

[MtB]

I don't show a rear-facing white light in tunnels.

 

I just turn ON the interior lights in the back cabin so I can be seen if SICKLE follows me in.

 

MtB

[Dottyshirl]

We bought some small battery operated torches that when you press the on button each time the colour changes from white, red, green or blue or us it yellow and how very handy me thinks

[nebulae]

I cant remember the details offhand,but I remember that the navigation lights seen on small cruisers and some narrow boats dont meet the regs for a 50ft boat.It may be pedantry,but in the interests of meeting the regs as well as being seen,I have fitted the much larger lights which use a special ,bulb.The port and starboard lights are a bicolour.so its not too bulky. The whole mast fits under a bunk when its not being used.Anything which increases safety must be a good thing. A narrow boat seems big on a narrow canal but is a very small thing on a big river .It can be quite difficult to see even a well lit boat,against a backdrop of other lights. Question,is it possible to meet the new regs using L.E.D. bulbs,will they fit in standard nav. lights.

[Naughty Cal]

I cant remember the details offhand,but I remember that the navigation lights seen on small cruisers and some narrow boats dont meet the regs for a 50ft boat.It may be pedantry,but in the interests of meeting the regs as well as being seen,I have fitted the much larger lights which use a special ,bulb.The port and starboard lights are a bicolour.so its not too bulky. The whole mast fits under a bunk when its not being used.Anything which increases safety must be a good thing. A narrow boat seems big on a narrow canal but is a very small thing on a big river .It can be quite difficult to see even a well lit boat,against a backdrop of other lights. Question,is it possible to meet the new regs using L.E.D. bulbs,will they fit in standard nav. lights.

Why would the lights on a small cruiser need to meet the requirements for a 50ft boat?

[Phil Ambrose]

Why would the lights on a small cruiser need to meet the requirements for a 50ft boat?

Quite right Phylis, if you take the trouble to check the regs they clearly specify the size/wattage of lights for any given size of boats

 

Phil

[bottle]

Question,is it possible to meet the new regs using L.E.Dbulbs. Possibly but not offically at the moment Ibelieve ,will they fit in standard nav. lights.Yes if you buy the right type.

 

 

I think the problem at the moment is the colour shown ie, Red does not show red and green does not show green in the standard ones.

 

There are LED types but they have a different coloured lens to the standard ones.

 

There is one company that I know of, that does sell red and green LED for the standard ones but they have a get out clause.

 

It is your respnsibilty to make sure your navigation lights comply.

[howardang]

For those who might want to know the official requirements Google MGN393 (MCA) which covers, among other things, the fitting of LEDs in Navigation Lights.

 

 

 

Howard

[nebulae]

The lights on a small cruiser dont need to be the same as those for a 50ft boat. Thats why they are different. Most navigation lights I have seen fitted to narrow boats are of the type specified for .smaller boats. As I said,not strictly in line with the regs,but better than nothing.

[Naughty Cal]

 

I think the problem at the moment is the colour shown ie, Red does not show red and green does not show green in the standard ones.

 

There are LED types but they have a different coloured lens to the standard ones.

 

There is one company that I know of, that does sell red and green LED for the standard ones but they have a get out clause.

 

It is your respnsibilty to make sure your navigation lights comply.

I have never fully understood why people would want to change their navigation lights to LED bulbs. They are only used when the engine is running and your are underway so saving power is hardly a consideration.

 

We have changed our anchor light to a powerful LED bulb but that is used whilst at anchor so saving power is a priority.

[by'eck]

On my last sailboat I changed the bulbs in the combined mast head tri-colour/anchor lights (BA15 based with 25/10 watt bulbs) for white multi-LED equivalents consuming 1/40th of the current. This may have been a tad weaker in the case of the tri-colour but the colour cut-off whilst doing a 360° around the boat in a marina seemed fine shining through the standard lens.

 

On a night passage a boat 8 miles behind (confirmed on radar) could still just make out the white sector of the tri-colour whilst we sped through the night under sail at 9 kts.

[nebulae]

I think the benefit of L.E.D. bulbs would be their robustness rather than their power consumption.The bulbs used in the larger nav lights are a specal type .I have found the elements are rather fragile ,Maybe I have just been unlucky.

[bottle]

No, had exactly that problem.

[Naughty Cal]

No, had exactly that problem.

We must have been lucky then

[bargemast]

My boat has fitted navigation lights because it was used a lot on the tidal Thames (and it was a requirement on those waters - not just at night but also in conditions of low visibility - for quite understandable reasons). It has roof level port and starboard (or should that be left and right!) lights at the front of the cabin and a low level (rear deck) 21w, I think (but it may be a lower wattage than that), white light - all the lights are housed in appropriate fittings giving the correct angles of vision. Even though the boat is now at Blisworth (and close to the tunnel) I see no reason to use the navigation lights (all operated through one switch) but I am not intending to remove them because they will leave holes (for wires and screws) and they do look quite nice when they are polished!

 

Normally the nav lights have 25w bulbs, apart from the sternlight which is supposed to be 10w.

 

Peter.