Anchor light wattage?

Don't bother replacing. Get one of these:

a3b2_1.JPG


available here and elsewhere. Four advantages:

1. Masthead lights are a real pain to see. Imagine coming into an anchorage and trying to see the boats, you're 3 feet off the water and their lights are 35 feet up. If they are the one above then they are about 6 feet off the deck and partially illuminating the boat

2. It uses an egg cupful of electrickery - even if you leave it on all week it won't drain the batteries. A 10 watt bulb will use about 10 amps in a night.

3. The one above moves slightly as the boat moves and produces a nice twinkling light. We found it helpful when coming back in the dinghy.

4. No need to go up the mast to replace a dead bulb.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Anchor light in the "Fore Triangle" 10 watt

when you buy one buy 2 /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this figure defined somewhere? I would have thought that it would be defined by visible range in which case the wattage required will depend upon bulb type and the presence or otherwise of any Fresnel lens.
 
I couldn't agree more. Not only is this light far brighter than a 10 Watt bulb, it can be placed at eye level rather than high up at the masthead where it is easily missed. We were in a fairly crowded anchorage in Italy two years ago and went ashore to eat. Our anchor light, exactly like the one shown, was far brighter than any other in the anchorage. It is also used on edge for lighting the cockpit during meals at night. An excellent product.
 
But the Real Question is :-

WOT anchor would one use in conjunction with the 10 Watt Aquasignal Light with the Fresnel Lense in the Fore Triangle /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
How many watts should the anchor light at the masthead be?

[/ QUOTE ] Since you presumably want to replace the bulb in the masthead light the arguments in favour of the lower level lights, although perhaps valid, are largely irrelevant.

As said 10 watts is the power normally supplied for 2nm visibility.

However if the power consumption is of concern you could get a LED replacement from for example Ultraleds
 
That is correct, and thanks to all who told me I need a 10 watt bulb. Of couse the marina chandlery has none, so it a quick trip into Marmaris tomorrow morning to buy one.
 
Test the bulb before you go up the mast to change it!

When I was installing my radar several years ago, Whilst the mast was down, I thought I would be clever and replace the working bulb.

After the mast was back up, and connections made the light would not work. Another bulb was bought, and a friend of mine (little man) went up and replaced the bulb.

That one was also duff!!

Guess which bulb is stillthere and working. Yes the original!!

Just proves that not broke don't fix is well and working.

Mj
 
''A resistor in the circuit''? There already is one: the wiring up the mast! It is the longest run in the boat, by far, reducing the working voltage at the masthead significantly: sometimes so much that a nominal 10w bulb is ineffective in poor visibility and therefore unsafe.
A good LED anchor lamp at low level (over foredeck or under boom) is far better.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Would a resistor in the circuit to both lower the power consumption and increase bulblife be useful

[/ QUOTE ] It would do that but it would have a significant effect on the visible range as well.

The boat I used to sail has a tri-white at the masthead and is fitted with a resistor that can be brought into play when using the white light as an anchor light. I dont know if it was someone's clever idea for saving power, if it was something supplied with the original lamp or available as an accessory or for that matter what power bulb is in the lantern. Normally we used the white, at full power of course, as a combined stern and steaming light when motoring.
I realise there is no basis in the regulations for the anchor light to be of a lower power than the stern or steaming lights. All should have a visible range of 2 miles.

In this case I dont think increasing bulb life would have been an issue, reducing the volts a touch when the engine was running would have been more effective at that but then that's the time the power is wanted at maximum.

(To stop any discussion now about the disadvantages of navigation lights at high levels, ships bridges, shore lights and all that let me add that we also had a deck level lights and a steaming light part way up the mast which we used when appropriate.)
 
All you guys give me terrible night-vision problems. A standard 10watt lamp on a neighbouring masthead kills everything behind it (for me) I have no problems seeing a 0.5watt bulb in a mustard jar. Obviously, I don't anchor in fairways so traffic is slow.
Have to agree with the preference for a low lamp at the forepeak rather than masthead, especially in crowded anchorages.
 
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