Nav. lights for a small boat.

[majdrew]

Hi Folks!
I wonder if I could get some advice on this..

I bought a 23' steel sloop [pic] last summer which I'm planning to go liveaboard cruising this year across the pond.

Lights situation is .. tricolour at masthead and steaming light on mast.
No riding light and no lights at bow and no stern light.

What's the least painful and easiest way to make myself legal do you think?
I don't want to be drilling holes in my deck at the bow for elect. cables if at all possible, the stern light would be no problem.
Also, I'm not sure how I'd get another wire down the mast for the riding light..
Would it be possible to get battery lights for the bow just for steaming?

Also, I was thinking, my boat is exactly 7M long.[but says 7.2M on the SSR cert.] Do you think I could get away with just one white light at masthead? Maybe here but abroad..?

Thanks, any thoughts really appreciated.
All the best!

 

[planteater]

An anchor light that plugs into a deck fitting and you're done.

 

[snowleopard]

I had a Sonata with a combined tricolour & all-round white at the masthead so the legal option was to use the tricolour for sailing and the white for motoring. As to whether you would get away with it abroad, it's a gamble but some officials abroad can be over-zealous. An alternative is to get your SSR certificate 'corrected', ideally to 6.99 metres.

Mine says 11.99 m which means I can use an all-round white for steaming. Another 2 cm and I'd need separate steaming and stern lights.

 

[deep denial]

No you're not - you need to have port/starboard and stern lights as well for motoring - a tricolour won't do

 

[Mariner69]

If the anchor light sits immediately above the tricolour then, for all practical purposes, you can put both lights on. The anchor light, being all around, will fill in for the bit missing from the tricolour. At a distance it will look OK.

 

[planteater]

Under 20m a tricolour at the masthead can replace bow and stern lights (rule 25 note b)


Technically, a sail boat under 7m doesn't need any fixed lights (rule 25 d(i))

 

[planteater]

[ QUOTE ]
No you're not - you need to have port/starboard and stern lights as well for motoring - a tricolour won't do

[/ QUOTE ]

Your right - my mistake. I assumed that a motoring light at night would supplement the tricolour.

 

[FullCircle]

[ QUOTE ]
Under 20m a tricolour at the masthead can replace bow and stern lights (rule 25 note b)


Technically, a sail boat under 7m doesn't need any fixed lights (rule 25 d(i))

[/ QUOTE ]

Correct advice, however the recommendation is to have a powerful torch to play over the sails.
Alternatively an all round white at the masthead.


Sensibly though, if you put couloured lights on, then you will need the lot.

Triclour for sailing, but not motoring

Bow Red/Green and Stern, plus mast steaming light for motoring.

Up to you really.

 

[VicS]

The diagram below shows the legal combinations of lights that you may choose from for both sailing and motoring

I have to add, because the pedants will if I dont, that vessels under 7metres with a speed not exceeding 7knots may carry only an all-round white but should display the lights shown in the diagram if practicable.

Check the Colregs for all the details including visible ranges and arcs of visibility.

 

[majdrew]

Thanks everyone. Maybe the best way to go is get my SSR length corrected, then replace the tricolour with an all round white light. Then I can use this for sailing, steaming and anchoring.. I think..

 

[Malcb]

My boat is 23 foot long, but it comes in at 7.0104 metres, so I'm equipped with tricolour for sailing plus combined P/S light on the bow, plus stern light and steaming light.

 

[majdrew]

Hmm.. that diagram is interesting. Maybe I could replace my steaming light with sidelights, then get an all round white light at masthead.

 

[Roach1948]

I am 6.7 metres and have all-round white LED at the masthead - works very well. I think it would be fine in deep ocean, but I mostly sail coastal and rivers and often ppl get confused when they see me. I will be adding light boards sometime...

 

[VicS]

Remember that a light at the masthead is difficult to see from the bridge of a ship against the clutter of shore lights. Deck level lights are much preferred in those circumstances where that would apply, entering or leaving a commercial harbour for example.

My preference is for a full set of deck level lights and a steaming light, plus a tricolour or maybe a tri and white combined.

The allround white alone is only acceptable if it is not practicable to display the full set of lights.

 

[Seanick]

I would really consider low level lights as well. On two occasions we have had a close shave with the hovercraft off Pompey. We only had a tricolour, which probably blended with thw background lights of Pompey.

A simple solution is to fit one deck plug fwd and one aft. Plug in the bi-colour fwd only when needed, and mount on the mast or pulpit. This keeps the lights in good cond, away from damage, and in the case of classic boats, look better.

For the stern light mount the deck plug in the cockpit or locker, and fit the light to a small staff that fits your ensign socket.

You can of course use the sockets for other things, such as dinghy inflators or welly warmers!

After the Ouzo accident, the message is SEE AND BE SEEN, or drown!

For anchoring, use a parrafin light, hoisted 12' off the deck.
At this height it is easier for approaching vessels to judge the distance to you. A masthead anchor light is too high, and may welcome your morning with a flat battery.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

"My preference is for a full set of deck level lights and a steaming light, plus a tricolour or maybe a tri and white combined. "

Thats what I've got (Tri and white at masthead), and I quite agree.... it gives you several options in the event of bulb failure, plus the ability to select the best light combination for visibility in prevailing situation

 

[Roach1948]

[ QUOTE ]
The allround white alone is only acceptable if it is not practicable to display the full set of lights.

[/ QUOTE ]Which is often the case in small older yachts - hence the rule I suspect.

 

[beneteau_305_553]

One way is to replace the tricolour with a 10 W allround white at masthead.

replace the steaming light with a combined red and white bow light half way up the mast. Also 10W

This saves 5 watts when sailing or 15 w when motoring , keeps the bow light out of the way of spray and waves etc and you have an anchor light also.

Be careful though as other boats will think you are motoring. To get the correct light when sailing just add a light at the stern and turn off the all round white.

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
fit the light to a small staff that fits your ensign socket.


[/ QUOTE ] You bin spying on my boat ? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif You did not notice though that the socket is drilled for a pin that fixes the staff in position so that it does not rotate.

 

[Seanick]

No I haven't, yet to figure out which one it is?

Great minds...etc

The last one I did like this has no pin, but it does have a little cleat.

I like the act of taking down the ensign at sunset and replacing it with the light.
I also rather like the act of filling the anchor light, lighting it, and setting it to!