Farrari 4 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 I have two anchor light options on Farrari. I have a Hella LED Tri light/anchor light combo at the top of the mast and I have a marine outdoor light (from Burnsco) that has a sensor on it so it turns itself on and off as required. The latter uses a cigarette lighter adapter and also works well as an outdoor light for the cockpit at night time. The LED anchor light is awesome. It uses so little power that even if I forget to turn it off it doesn't matter. The colour of it also meens it doesn't get confused with either stars or lights on the shore. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 But no one has said what is actually wrong with them????? Link to post Share on other sites
Fogg 427 Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 But no one has said what is actually wrong with them????? What's wrong with them? 1. They are designed to create a soft glow ambient light to help you see the area close to the lamp e.g. the footpath up to your front door. They are not designed to emit a distinctive white anchor light visible over any distance. In other words they have totally different purposes and hence designs. By all means use them to augment a proper anchor light but not as a substitute. 2. Also, how reliable is the solar rechargeable element e.g. if you'd had a few consecutive dull days would they hold sufficient charge to last a long night once they are no longer brand new? You get up in the morning and the light has gone off but what time did it go out - at dawn or earlier when it was still dark? You don't know for sure. The two objections (1) I am too forgetful to remember to turn an anchor light on and off and (2) I am worried about heavy current drain on my battery are blown out of the water by the modern technology. The LED lights draw so little they hardly register on an ammeter (less than 0.1A) and as someone else pointed out you can even buy idiot-proof bulbs with built in sensor's to do the on/off bit for you. So again, how hard can it be to do it properly? I just don't get why so many people are making heavy weather of what should be a open and shut case. Stop looking for excuses and objections, proper anchor and nav lights are a legal requirement, you're taking risks for yourself and others if you don't have them and it's not even difficult or expensive. Why not just do it properly once and then relax and forget about it. Link to post Share on other sites
Bimini Babe 0 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 When it's dark enough that I need to turn on my cabin lights, I know it's time to also switch on my anchor light. And the reverse routine in the morning. How hard can it be? Erm... don't know about you AC but I tend to turn my cabin lights off before I go to bed, rather than in the morning! But I see your point. Will add it to my shopping list. Rather not be rudely awakened by a cold, hard pulpit protruding into my bunk... OK now let the smutty euphemisms commence... Link to post Share on other sites
Fogg 427 Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 Hahaha... What I meant about the cabin lights is that there is a master switch on my switch panel, so as dusk comes I need to flick the cabin master switch on so we can turn on the individual cabin lights. When I go down to the switch panel to activate cabin lights, it's also my cue to flick on the anchor light. Both switches stay on all night cos I turn off my reading light at the individual light switch before going to sleep. Then at dawn it's the reverse, both the cabin lights master switch and anchor light switch get flicked off. Easy. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 I had a quick google to see what the regs said. All I could come up with was "an all round white light". Can anyone do better? So AC - your objection is simply that they aren't bright enough? sh*t stirring alert - maybe the problem lies more with pissed boaties zooming around at night in over powered inflatables? Link to post Share on other sites
Fogg 427 Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 I had a quick google to see what the regs said. All I could come up with was "an all round white light". Can anyone do better? So AC - your objection is simply that they aren't bright enough? sh*t stirring alert - maybe the problem lies more with pissed boaties zooming around at night in over powered inflatables? No. If you re-read my post above starting "What's wrong with them?" you'll see it's more than just brightness. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 You made two points, the other was reliability, but without information on the reliability of these items we can't discuss it intelligently. So the only legal requirement is "an all round white light"?? Link to post Share on other sites
Bimini Babe 0 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Whoa AC is that your instrument panel??! Noice! Reminder to self... must stop getting boat-envy over every minute aspect of other people's boats... Link to post Share on other sites
Bimini Babe 0 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 By the way your battery's looking a little low... Did you leave the anchor light on all day again? Link to post Share on other sites
Terry B 71 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 According to the "Boaties Book", all white lights on boats up to 12 metres in length should have a 2 mile range. Side lights have 1 mile. See last para on page 59. An awful lot of lights that aren't specifically designed wouldn't have that range. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 I was looking for something like that, but in colregs that was only for running lights, for an anchor light it was as I quoted. Link to post Share on other sites
Terry B 71 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 jpeg of relevant page I quoted earlier. Link to post Share on other sites
idlerboat 116 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 ....coming into Westernport the other night.... No moon and there was little fishing boats everywhere..Problem was the ones who had no light on at all. You would just see the occasional torch come on for a few seconds... Now I was coming in fast on an incoming tide and doing 9.4 knots...My 10 tons of steel versus a plastic half cab ??No contest .... I agree with AC but would rather something....anything than a black hole.. ...and unlit crab/cray/lobster pots litter the east coast of OZ... at night its just roulette...diving over the side of a boat...to cut a line off your prop....at night...solo....on a lee shore ??.... Link to post Share on other sites
Farrari 4 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 I was looking for something like that, but in colregs that was only for running lights, for an anchor light it was as I quoted. I found this definition of lights for Col Regs. Admittidly it was from wikipedia but it looks to have good references. Also the anchor light is refered to an all round white light with 360 deg visibility. Technically I'm not sure how you could achieve 360 degree visibility without the light being on the top of the mast for a yacht. I was always concerned about blind spots with the one I wrap over the boom. Sooo unless you are going to put a garden light (with 2nm visibility) at the top of your mast I can't see how they would technically comply. I do agree with ib that something is better than nothing however. Link to post Share on other sites
Grinna 2 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 The solar garden lights aren't bright enough, they tend to be a blueish glow rather than a white light and very few if any have enough power to last throughout the night. We use two solar garden lights in the cockpit for soft cockpit lighting (though they can be turned off as necessary) but they are supplemental to a proper anchor light. On passage on another boat I found the solar garden lights to be very distracting on night watches .... they rapidly got chucked in a locker. Link to post Share on other sites
darkside 61 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 The mast head is probably needed to comply with the 360 degrees But for the late arrival a glow from something reflecting off the boat is probably more use as you get close. It is absolute nonsense that solar lights are no good. My one is even coast guard approved Link to post Share on other sites
Fogg 427 Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Whoa AC is that your instrument panel??! Noice! Reminder to self... must stop getting boat-envy over every minute aspect of other people's boats... No it's not mine.... mine is the same (BEP) but without the boat pic (which I think is a good idea btw if it helpls people remember what they should be showing). Link to post Share on other sites
Fogg 427 Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 It is absolute nonsense that solar lights are no good.My one is even coast guard approved. That's fine darkside. I was objecting to the other suggestions that a 6 pack of garden lights from the hardware store would be satisfactory. And has someone else has pointed it, they also fail the 'all round light' requirement unless you dot units all over the boat..... and how is that easier than just flicking one switch for a simple, compliant masthead light? Link to post Share on other sites
Grinna 2 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 That's not a garden solar light Darkside. The sorts of units you buy at the Warehouse aren't suitable as your only anchor light. Link to post Share on other sites
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