Stern Light (running) question.

[Star-Lord]

2 years before Covid LOPO light supplier gave me a replacement stern light and having just checked lights before leaving marina end of month and it (stern light) has stopped working again. The placement is quite low on the stern and when motoring the exhaust kicks up water and has obviously damaged light... second time it has failed in this position. All other LOPO lights (deck/running,anchor,tri-colour) have worked singe 2014.
So the placement of my stern light needs changing - and move higher up. The ideal place would be off centre on the wind gen / outboard crane pole to starboard.

Question: Should the stern light be in the centre of the yacht or is it OK to off-set it to the starboard side? This would increase visibility for others ships as the current position is 2-3 foot from the water line.

 

[wingcommander]

Anywhere unobstructed on the stern, let's face it if moving it four or five feet off centre is gonna make any difference to an overtaking vessel, I reckon he / she / neutral is a tad too close anyhow.
Mine is off centre starboard side .

 

[jamie N]

Mine's 'offcentre', but being as it's a Folkboat, that's about 15cms, and doesn't matter at all! It's irrelevant so long as it's 'pretty much' at the stern, and pointing astern I'd say.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Mine is off-set to Stb‘ by about 15 ’’, as wing commander says in #2 if an approaching boat feels it makes a difference then it’s a bit close for comfort.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

2 years before Covid LOPO light supplier gave me a replacement stern light and having just checked lights before leaving marina end of month and it (stern light) has stopped working again. The placement is quite low on the stern and when motoring the exhaust kicks up water and has obviously damaged light... second time it has failed in this position. All other LOPO lights (deck/running,anchor,tri-colour) have worked singe 2014.
So the placement of my stern light needs changing - and move higher up. The ideal place would be off centre on the wind gen / outboard crane pole to starboard.

Question: Should the stern light be in the centre of the yacht or is it OK to off-set it to the starboard side? This would increase visibility for others ships as the current position is 2-3 foot from the water line.

On the pole would be a perfect location, as it would be much less likely to be obscured by waves/swell and would hence be more continuously visible. After all, if you were using a masthead tricolour light, your stern light would actually be at the top of your mast

 

[VicS]

2 years before Covid LOPO light supplier gave me a replacement stern light and having just checked lights before leaving marina end of month and it (stern light) has stopped working again. The placement is quite low on the stern and when motoring the exhaust kicks up water and has obviously damaged light... second time it has failed in this position. All other LOPO lights (deck/running,anchor,tri-colour) have worked singe 2014.
So the placement of my stern light needs changing - and move higher up. The ideal place would be off centre on the wind gen / outboard crane pole to starboard.

Question: Should the stern light be in the centre of the yacht or is it OK to off-set it to the starboard side? This would increase visibility for others ships as the current position is 2-3 foot from the water line.

The regulations merely state

Sternlight means a white light placed as nearly as practicable at the stern showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 135 degrees and so fixed as to show the light 67.5 degrees from right aft on each side of the vessel.​

AFAICS there is no further qualification of the position even in ANNEX I: Positioning and technical details of lights and shapes.

See your own copy of the regs or view at
https://assets.publishing.service.g...loads/attachment_data/file/281965/msn1781.pdf

.

 

[[70521]]

I replaced my stern light on the transom with a new one on the radar pole. I took the opportunity go up a size as the original was piddly. This now sits three meters above the waterline.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Practically it will make no difference because there is always a theoretical dark band when the stern light is not in the same spot as the port and stbd but the lenses are not accurate enough in reality so fill your boots!

 

[Biggles Wader]

Wherever it is placed ensuring it is waterproof should prevent the same problems in future.

 

[johnalison]

Mine is almost at the port quarter. It has never occurred to me that there could ever be a problem with this. I can’t imagine another boat, even two bat-lengths away being confused by this.

 

[Star-Lord]

Wherever it is placed ensuring it is waterproof should prevent the same problems in future.

The last two were waterproof. Lopolights have recently changed stern light design to round (so no flat side to mount on transom) so maybe this is a design fault. Maybe the vibrations did them both in.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Just like the others say. Mine is offset by maybe a couple of feet. Fitted there by the boatyard in Denmark from new.