Navigation Lights

[ebb]

Patrick,
Thanks for taking the time to set us straight on this very important safety issue.
Really appreciate your research and expertise.
And getting in the face of those who short cut sailors for profit.

Internet forums - give-&-take discussion - seem to be the final stronghold against incompetence and fraud.
What other social outlet is there?
This Pearson Ariel/Commander sailboat site gets, what seems to me, a huge number of visitors.
Whenever I come aboard, any time of day or night or day of week, there are always
20 or 30 'users' listed...usually 'guests'...and a fair amount of spider activity. There is constant visitor turnover activity 24/7.
Obviously, a lot of folks are looking in.

Just trying to say that if response to your navlight revelations seems sparse, it isn't!

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Looked around for those honkin LED headlamps on your pulpit....are they commercially available ?
Thanks!

[Commander227]

Thanks for the insight on the LEDs, never would have considered those issues. Wow, you got some forward firepower, what ya got to cover the stern? And say... What kind of game are we playing with the blue line in your deck? Asym tack?
How about the red line that goes thru the block on your stem fitting, jib douser?

[pbryant]

Thanks for the insight on the LEDs, never would have considered those issues. Wow, you got some forward firepower, what ya got to cover the stern? And say... What kind of game are we playing with the blue line in your deck? Asym tack?
How about the red line that goes thru the block on your stem fitting, jib douser?

I'm using a Hella Marine 2 NM NaviLED PRO Stern Navigation Lamp on the stern. (Order info here: http://search.defender.com/?expression=700834&x=0&y=0, datasheet here: http://www.defender.com/pdf/NaviLED_...tion_Sheet.pdf).

The blue line is my pendant that I use to haul the anchor rode to the bow while I toss it over from the cockpit. Full details are here: http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...6711#post26711. And yes, as you surmised, the red line is my jib douser.

Note that Rule 22 of the COLREGs requires that the minimum visibility of the stern light for a vessel less than 12 meters (I count an Ariel as being 8 meters) is 2 NM. That minimum is met with the light above. The sidelights (red and green) only need to be 1 NM to satisfy the COLREGs, but I opted for 2 NM lights. I reason that, considering how little power the LEDs draw, there's not much gained by using less-intense lights.

[pbryant]

> Looked around for those honkin LED headlamps on your pulpit....are they commercially available ?

The larger 6 LED assembly is Larson Electronics model LEDP3W-6-F-WHT and the two smaller 3 LED assemblies are model LEDP3W-3-F-WHT. The clamps are model BC-3-WHT-1. Put lots of anti-seize grease on the stainless steel screws before you install them in the aluminum clamps. I didn't, and regretted the omission.

Be sure you're sitting down before you see the price on those lamps. They are pricey, but they've held up to years of being struck by boarding waves and still continue to function. They are very, very bright. Since I've had them, I haven't had to untangle a crab pot line from my outboard prop, and they sure are nice when coming into port and docking.

[Commander 147]

Hey guys I have found some LED's that look like they will work in our original fixtures. I worked with John Gamble from Hotwire Enterprises (link below) and this is what he came up with for me.


White stern TW-BA-15-SM white
red port light TW-BA-15-SM red
and green starboard TW-BA-15-SM green


They come from MarineBeam and this is the link.

http://store.marinebeam.com/bayonet-...lacenment.html


Hotwire's website is here....

http://svhotwire.com/