Installing Navigation Lights

[oregonmike]

I recently (fall of ?07) purchased a 15? 1996 Smokercraft Alaskan Split-Seat boat and am investigating installing Navigation Lights. Living in Oregon and planning on using the boat for crabbing in the bays as well as routine fishing in the nearby lakes, reservoirs and rivers; I have come to the conclusion I need to install Navigation lights to be legal in the many foggy early mornings we have here and along the coast. According to the State Marine Board literature and from what I read on the coast guard regulations I need the bow sidelights (red/green) and the all around white light in the stern.
Since placing a single two bulb style directly on the top of bow is not an option (currently an anchor system and bimi top cover the area) I am looking something similar to:

http://www.iboats.com/Perko_Vertica...d.362676--list_time.1200457484--view_id.39382

or better yet,

http://www.iboats.com/Attwood_Verti....362676--list_time.1200457598--view_id.237717

For the stern light, I am unclear as to what to look for or get. I was looking at something like this one:

http://www.iboats.com/Adjustable_He....236391--list_time.1200457720--view_id.341472

Does anyone have thoughts/questions/ideas about Navigation Lights? Which are best, how many actually have them on similar boats, or has purchased them for their boats. Installing isn?t really the issue, just figuring out which ones to go with and being legal.

P.S. Sorry the pictures aren?t the greatest, there from when I purchased it and brought it home. I will see if I cant take a few better ones later this week.

 

[DJ]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

Your bow light ideas are good ones.

Your stern light does not have to be on the stern. It can be on top of your canvas top attached to the last bow of the top, if you prefer. Many pontoons are set up that way. The stern light just has to be visible from all directions.

The stern lights on our two "toons" attach to the center of the last top bow. There is a slot in the cnvas to allow this. The wires are inside the top support.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

Look at pictures of pontoons. The all-around light is, as indicated, mounted on the bimini. Bow light(s) whether individual or combined can go most anywhere they will fit and still be visible in their respective quadrants.

 

[oregonmike]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

The idea of placement on the bimi top never occured to me. 90% of the time I do plan on having the top down and not in the up position as indicated in the pictures, at least during times of low visability and/or fog. Therefore I'm not sure where to place the all-around white light.

 

[DJ]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

The idea of placement on the bimi top never occured to me. 90% of the time I do plan on having the top down and not in the up position as indicated in the pictures, at least during times of low visability and/or fog. Therefore I'm not sure where to place the all-around white light.

The "all around" lights that are typically put on biminis have very short masts. They can be folded down when the top is folded. The "all around" lights on our toons can be unplugged.

In your case, you need two "all around" lights. One on the stern and one on the top. Only one can be lit at any one time though. Just remember, that "all around" light means just that. It has to be visible from any direction regardless of the position of your canvas.

You could buy one mast and two recepticles. Put one recepticle on the bimini and one on the stern. Just move the mast depending on whether the top is up or down.

 

[oregonmike]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

DJ,

Thanks so much for your input. I understand your points on needing to have the visablity from all driections no mater where the light is located. I think it might be best to set it up in that way, with two recepticles and one mast. Being a newbie at marine navigation lights and looking at all the possiblies here on this site would you have any recomendations for such a setup.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

You don't need two all around lights. Again, if you look at a pontoon with the bimini down, you will see that the light is canted upward slightly so it is still visible above the bimini.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

Oregonmike,

Another option is to put two lights on your boat with different arcs of visibility. The all around white light is a "short cut" light and functions as a mast head light and a stern light. You could install a 225 degree mast head light in a convenient spot where it would be visible from the front and you could install the 135 degree stern light anywhere facing rear. These are small lights that don't need to be on poles and look similar to your red and green side lights. The all around white "stern" light is not required when underway if you have separate mast head and stern lights.

Here's an example of a stern light you could put "as far aft as is practical" >>http://www.iboats.com/Flush_Mount_T...d.236391--list_time.1200592886--view_id.38683

iboats doesn't sell the masthead lights like I'm talking about, but here is one from another vendor. >> http://www.go2marine.com/product.do...u would wire the lights so they both came on.

 

[JCF350]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

You could install a 225 degree mast head light in a convenient spot where it would be visible from the front and you could install the 135 degree stern light anywhere facing rear.

If you use this configuration for an anchor light your telling people that you are under way and don't have your side lights on.

Anchor light must be an "unbroken arc of 360 degrees" running a stern light and masthead light at different locations for a anchor light doesn't present an unbroken arc.

 

[DJ]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

Here's a link to for typical light mounts (recepticles).

http://www.iboats.com/Light_Mounts/....769331045--*******.460644574--view_id.257972


Here is a link for light poles.

http://www.iboats.com/All_Round_Anc....236393--view_id.236393--search_type.category

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

If you use this configuration for an anchor light your telling people that you are under way and don't have your side lights on.

Anchor light must be an "unbroken arc of 360 degrees" running a stern light and masthead light at different locations for a anchor light doesn't present an unbroken arc.

A 225 degree masthead and 135 degree stern equal 360 degree visibility. It is legal and many larger boats use this configuration. From any point around the boat, you will only see a single white light indicating the boat is at anchor.

 

[JCF350]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

Definition- e) “All-round light” means a light showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 360 degrees.

—INLAND—
Lights and Shapes
RULE 30
Anchored Vessels and Vessels Aground
(a) A vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen:
(i) in the fore part, "an" all-round white light or one ball; and
(ii) at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light prescribed in subparagraph (i), "an" all-round white light.
(b) A vessel of less than 50 meters in length may exhibit "an" all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule.
(c) A vessel at anchor may, and a vessel of 100 meters or more in length shall, also use the available working or equivalent lights to illuminate her decks.

 

[oregonmike]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

Ok,

So upon further thought, I need some more opinions. Looking at the front most portion of the boat where I would put the colored navigation lights I'm not sure if the curvature of the bow would allow for proper (legal) application.

The bow of the boat is curved more than thought to the extent I would think the lights wouldn?t be aimed at the right angles for external viewing.

I would like to buy/install these:

http://www.iboats.com/Attwood_Verti....362676--list_time.1200457598--view_id.237717

Here is a link to the pictures of the bow of my boat, the orange post-its where I would like to install them. [Before anyone says it, directly above would be idea, however the top bimi top covers this up as seen by the grommet clips.]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7711555@N04/

 

[JCF350]

Re: Installing Navigation Lights

Your side lights do not have to be all the way forward you could move them farther back. I would put them topside some where where they are clear of obstruction. Shame they don't allow tri-color lights for power boats.