hurricane lights

[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

I am currently scouring jumble sales and attic sales for a good solid hurricane. The chinese crap they sell in the chandleries looks fit to fall to pieces within a season.

My question is, where do you hang yours when at anchor, how hot does it get above the lamp, for instance is it a danger to the boom cover after a few hours burning, can you use rope/string tied to the handle without fear of it catching fire / melting. Worst case senerio, still warm night so all heat rises.

Or am I worrying over nothing.

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

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[Neraida]

Best advice I have, is get surfing on ebay and trawling round the boat jumbles for a "proper" anchor light. Till then buy a £2.99 Hurri lamp from a camping shop and replace it every year.

You can buy a new anchor light from some places, but they cost an arm and a leg, and are no where near the quality of the old stuff.

However, if you find one before I do, I'll sulk!!

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[starboard]

All the rage up here in Scotland is these solar powered garden lights. Come in various forms and can buy a set of four for about 20 quid. Just leave in daylight i.e. on aft rail and come night they work via photo electric cell. Hoist half up forestay with haliyard....no problem,

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[Mirelle]

Hanging it

the yottitextbooks of an earlier age, eg "Cruising Hints", by F.B. Cooke, have nice pictures of how to do this. What one did, then, and those of us who sail nautical antiques still do, was to shackle a big snap shackle to the handle, snap this round the forestay, snap the headsail halyard on and (this is the Important Bit!!!) before hoisting to about head height, tie on a bit of small stuff to act as a downhaul and stop the thing dancing about - ideally triangulate the downhaul to both sides of the foredeck, then hoist the halyard till the downhaul is taut. (no downhaul = lamp and halyard at top of mast in morning!)

Now, you probably have a rolled jib wrapped round your forestay.....

Go to Plan B; loose loop of cordage round rolled sail and through top handle, spinnaker halyard on loop, downhaul as before.

Or Plan C (quite traditional, Cooke mentions it!) hang riding light off the lines stopping your halyards banging the mast, passing between shrouds and halyards, so the light is to one side of the mast (again, don't forget the downhaul, to stabilise the set up).

I have not melted anything yet. And my BIG riding light, rescued by my sister from an antique shop, began life as a ship's NUC light and has a Board of Trade certified range of 3 miles as a red light (maybe 5 now, without red shade?)

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[philmarks]

Look for a brand "Dietz". They are brass. I have two (different sizes), largest £39, smallest £20. Have had them 3-4 years. Spare glasses readily available. I got mine from Hardway Marine in Gosport.
Recommended, although smaller one pushed to burn all night in winter if turned up too high.

MIrele's advice about Cooke's guidelines is good. Also if they are overfilled and tilt, they can drip, so important to get the small stuff attached to the bottom adjusted correctly. We use paraffin in them, even below deck - modern stuff doesn't seem to smell. Much cheaper than lamp oil.



<hr width=100% size=1>Rgds
Phil

 

[TheBoatman]

Ours is an old Hurri lamp and is built quite solidly, however to stop the problem of heating anything above the lamp I added about a foot of stainless wire with a loop in the top. I normally use one of the flag halyards and hoist it just under the cross trees, alternatively I sometimes use the backstay it depends on where I'm anchored and what I expect the tides to do with swinging the boat. I've never had a problem and the lamp will happily burn for 10 hours on a tank of parafin.

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[tom52]

I also thought Hurri Lamp would be the answer for a 0 amp anchor light.

Bought a cheap hardware shop one expecting to have to renew it regularly.

Worried a bit about heat generated but this turned out to be no problem.

The real problem turned out to be more fundamental.............. it blows out in winds

of force4 or greater.

I do not think it is because its a cheap one. It is the traditional design albeit not

rustproof or very heavy gauge metal.



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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

shocked, I thought the ol' hurricane was like its namesake, hurricane proof.

Is this a familiar experience shared by others then?

I have been thinking about position, and think my inner stay will be the place, hoisted with spinny pole lift and anchored somewhere to be found.

Thanks for the advice people, now to find myself a lamp, can I burn diesel by the way or does it have to be esso blue?

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

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[Deep_6]

I was thinking of using LEDs this season coming, use little power and don't have to worry about bulbs or oil

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[clyst]

Ref the cheap Chinese lamps . Bought one 3-4 years ago from market for £1-50p fortunately unpainted . gave it a couple of coats of "Galvafroid" then sprayed with "cheapo" auotpaint .Still as good as new despite living in the cockpit locker along with coils of sometimes damp rope. Worth a try ?? Never blown out either.

Terry

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[roger]

I've had a Chinese one for at least five years. Its still fine. Its also very useful foor warming the cabin in the evening - just make sure you have enough ventilation.

<hr width=100% size=1>Roger

 

[Mirelle]

Chinese lamps

I used to live in China. The reason these lamps are so cheap is....there are 700 million or so peasants in China, many of whom don't have electricity (the 400 million or so non-peasants have electric light!). The Chinese peasant, in my limited experience, is a practical sort of bloke, who does not flash out his hard earned renminbu yuan for something unreliable, but quality control is what you might expect - look carefully when you buy, be sure the cap screws on, etc., just as the Chinese peasant does.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[maxxi]

My Chinese hurricane lamp is now into it's 30th season, well used and tatty but still operational. The appellation 'hurricane' is a bit optimistic as it tends to blow out in force 6 or above, thats when the converted lifejacket light comes into its own - 12 volt but only 0.18amps and with really good visibility.
Reference the garden solar lights, these do seem to be popular but, my own has never managed to stay alight beyond approx 3am even in midsummer - has anyone managed to modify these to provide a decent duration?

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[VicMallows]

The rechargeable cells supplied are usually a pair of AA- size 600mAh NiCd's. If you replace them with a pair of 1800mAh NiMH cells. the lights will easily manage 2 full nights on fully charged cells, even in winter. The trouble is the solar panel will probably not put enough charge back in to fully recharge during the day. You can always carry a few spares and charge the cells at home.

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[clyst]

Re: Chinese lamps

Funny you should say that the bloody top of the cap did spin round whilst the threaded part didn't -----forgot about that !! resolved with a dolop of epoxy though .
Cheers

Terry

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