Any recommendations for a portable led anchor light?

Make your own. You can decide on internal batteries or wired to the ships battery. Sunlight auto turn off or manual.
LED obviously. If you go for internal battery you need at least 4.5v or 3 cells. You can use a glass jar for the light. Weather proof. Larger obviously if you go for internal batteries to fit batteries in. If you go for rechargeable look for 3xSub c size NiMH with tags as used in drills.
You can get individual LEDs from Christmas lights or those solar garden lights. You need individual ones for low volts operation.
You need at least 4 preferably more mounted in all directions. You need a resistor in series with each LED about 47 ohms would be good.
If you go for 12v supply then a LED bulb will be fine. Check out Ebay from China or Banggood Even the smallest will be very bright. For 12v operation you can wire 3 LED in series with a single 150 ohm resistor in series. Each LED should take about 20 milliamps. Check back previous posts on home made anchor lights. good luck olewill
 
Purchase a pair of value range 'weatherproof' lanterns which you'll find on Amazon, DIY stores, etc. I use one or both of them in addition to the mathead light when anchoring --the second bringing the advantage that both batteries are unlikely to fail at the same time.
 
We've got something similar to the Boatlamps one, albeit that it was not bought from them and originally had an incandescent bulb. Can't for the life of me remember where it came from but it was off the internet somewhere..... Fitted it with an LED bulb not long after we bought it.
YM did a review of this sort of kit not too long ago. The review is here http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/gear/anchor-lights-test-33105.
 
Steve_N said:
I've been using one of these for a couple of years now. Very bright even one click down from maximum and still going strong come morning.
http://www.tesco.com/direct/summit-12-led-camping-lantern/532-7332.prd?source=others

The exact same lantern was in Aldi a couple of weeks ago for £1.99 so I bought a couple of spare ones. They may still have stock.
Click to expand...

I use the Aldi ones, two of them with rechargeable batteries fitted. They don't look particularly waterproof but I've been using them for a couple of years with no problem. At full brightness they stay on till morning, and they are very bright. I recharge the batteries during the day from a small inverter run off the boat domestic batteries. You could possibly get a couple of nights out of a set of batteries because the light always seems just as bright in the morning. Aldi had them again a couple of weeks ago and I have bought another one, it was £2.99 I wanted the LED array for a project and it was probably cheaper than buying loose LEDs. Interestingly when I took it apart there was a one ohm resister connected to one end of the 4.5 volt battery pack. I'm struggling to understand why it's there. Current limitation perhaps? How much current would you get from three AA batteries under short circuit conditions?
 
Neat little LED lantern from Lidl or Aldi for £2,99.
Use one or other of the pennant halyards to hoist it up - even has a 'dimmer' in case it is too bright.

Now know it is Aldi and they are good.
 
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I bought an incredibly bright LED anchor light from the poster Sailingsaves.

I don't know whether he is still making them, but I have been very pleased with it.

Might be worth asking him for details.
 
NealB said:
I bought an incredibly bright LED anchor light from the poster Sailingsaves.

I don't know whether he is still making them, but I have been very pleased with it.

Might be worth asking him for details.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that and glad you are pleased with yours.

Yes, I still make them. Have not heard a negative word about them. I don't post a link in my signature, but my profile does show the awfully designed website where one can buy a super dooper anchor light with lifetime guarantee at the click of a button (but I am out of town for the next week).
 
AngusMcDoon said:
'ow much!??!
Click to expand...

I know. Ridiculous.

I do Google searches for "Best xyz-thing", read all the tests and reviews, find the very best xyz-thing and my brain goes "MUST HAVE BEST XYZ-THING NO MATTER WHAT THE COST". Which, considering I am a currently a full-time novelist and poet and have the income to match (i.e. none) could be seen as being rather, ahem, impulsive...
 
sniffyjenkins said:
I know. Ridiculous.

I do Google searches for "Best xyz-thing", read all the tests and reviews, find the very best xyz-thing and my brain goes "MUST HAVE BEST XYZ-THING NO MATTER WHAT THE COST". Which, considering I am a currently a full-time novelist and poet and have the income to match (i.e. none) could be seen as being rather, ahem, impulsive...
Click to expand...

You need to get some Lopolights then ?
 
If you aren't near a Lidl, something like this works well (I've got one). Battery life is outstanding

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1PC-Porta...204462?hash=item43f087402e:g:~DEAAOSwd0BVp1qY

I'm not entirely sure why people want a really bright anchor light :confused: If it is so dark that your boat can't be seen then a fairly mild light will easily light up the boat (unless you're prone to anchoring against a backdrop of filmset lighting)
 
Most inveterate anchorers here in the Med, seem to use PV-powered garden lights, usually mounted on a rear arch with PV panels etc.
Knowing that, in the Med, anchoring is considered an everyday occurrence and not a once-a-season celebration of seafaring freedom, I hesitate to suggest that such a simple, everyday product can be considered for marine use. Mine is on its 4th year, has done some 4000nm and about 400 nights @ anchor.
 
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