Navigation Lights

[pbryant]

My source was www.mastlight.com

(...)

May well have the same tilt issues - of which I was completely unaware!

The +/- 25 degree requirement is in Annex I of the COLREGs:

10. Vertical sectors
(a) The vertical sectors of electric lights as fitted, with the exception of lights
on sailing vessels underway shall ensure that:
(i) at least the required minimum intensity is maintained at all angles
from 5 degrees above to 5 degrees below the horizontal;
(ii) at least 60 percent of the required minimum intensity is maintained
from 7.5 degrees above to 7.5 degrees below the horizontal.
(b) In the case of sailing vessels underway the vertical sectors of electric
lights as fitted shall ensure that:
(i) at least the required minimum intensity is maintained at all angles
from 5 degrees above to 5 degrees below the horizontal;
(ii) at least 50 percent of the required minimum intensity is maintained
from 25 degrees above to 25 degrees below the horizontal.

Why? Sailboats heel. The side lights shouldn't vanish as seen by another vessel at reasonable degrees of heel.

(Note that when the light intensity is reduced to 50%, it's visibility is reduced to 25%, i.e., if the light is visible at 2 miles when viewed straight on, it is visible for only 1/2 mile at 50% intensity.)

It requires brighter lights (or more LED lamps) to project the same amount of light over the less concentrated +/- 25 degree vertical arc. So the lights meeting the standards for sailboats are more expensive to manufacture. If the manufacturer can pawn off motorboat lights onto the sailing community, they make a bigger profit. But if you ever have a collision, you can expect the USCG to go over your lights with a fine toothed comb, and YOU are responsible for installing the correct lights. The manufacturer will shrug off responsibility for the accident saying: "we didn't claim those lights could be used on a sailboat".

If the lights aren't specifically labelled for sailboats and made by a reputable firm that specializes in navigation lights (unlike Dr. LED), expect them to be inappropriate for sailboats.

[pbryant]

Since I sail mostly in the Pacific away from city lights that would otherwise degrade my night vision, I personally disliked the location of the side lights on the cabin sides: the lights (especially the green starboard light) reflected off the side deck and ruined my night vision. So I placed my red and green lights at the bow. Below are photos. The black masking on the toe rail top prevents the lights from reflecting off the white paint and then off the bow railing back at my eyes.

I used the Hella marine NaviLED Port & Starboard Navigation Light Twin Pack. Order info here: http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?...557&id=1342750, datasheet here: http://www.defender.com/pdf/NaviLED_...tion_Sheet.pdf. The lights are certified by the manufacturer as suitable for sailing vessels, and I personally set them up on a jig and verified the vertical sectors were greater than +/- 25 degrees.

On the datasheet, note the "CE" seal and the statement: "The electrical circuits contain components that suppress possible interference, both emission as well as susceptibility, to the limits prescribed in EN 60945." That's a European standard. There sadly are no U.S. standards. That's "deregulation" at work here! If the time ever comes that you can't hear the Coast Guard calling you over the radio frequency trash your LEDs are causing, you can thank the Grand Obstructionist Party in Congress for the lack of regulations (we all know who that is). That leaves you with only one reliable choice for LEDs: Buy European.