GHA
Well-Known Member
We're not on a hill, in theory IPRCS land, even more exact
Subjective testing of nav lights
- Thread starter Graham_Wright
- Start date
fisherman
Well-Known Member
or r/g masthead, plus a forepeak porthole with red curtain.
GrahamM376
Well-Known Member
In moderate to big seas, the masthead tricolour is far more visible as the lowers disappear in troughs.
prv
Well-Known Member
So they say, though I'm not sure how much of a difference it really makes. Maybe I just haven't spent enough time looking at other yachts at night in a long enough swell. But yes, that's a reason not to get rid of a tricolour, and to use it when conditions make sense.
It's not, however, a reason to always automatically choose the tricolour when under sail in all circumstances.
Pete
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
My first tricolour ( bought early 70's had a fluorescent bulb about 9 inches long set vertically. The unit was great because it had a hole in the bottom & a beam of white light shone out the bottom & lit the top third of the luff of the main sail very well.
It would be a useful addition to a modern one if it could be mounted on an arm extended slightly aft of the mast like mine was
It would be a useful addition to a modern one if it could be mounted on an arm extended slightly aft of the mast like mine was
jwilson
Well-Known Member
When I had one of those fluorescent tricolours on the masthead it was the only electric light on the boat: it meant I could take the battery out of the car, put it aboard, and do a 3-4 week cruise with a very visible nav light. Always parked the car facing down a slope so I could bump-start it if need be...... When I got richer I bought a second car battery and swapped them round every now and again, and even bought a Seafarer echo sounder.
lpdsn
Well-Known Member
Sensible to consider using the Tricolour by preference when well offshore in large ocean swells.
Sensible to use the lower nav lights by preference when sailing near the coast with lots of shipping and lots of shorelights, even when it is a bit choppy.
I suspect the latter applies more often for most forumites, so makes sense for them (us) to have LEDs for the lower lights too.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
Ahh the seafarer echo sounder, What a joke that was - 4 years ago I bought an echopilot echo sounder to replace my knackered simrad one. After i bought it they told me that it was they that made the Seafarer. Sure enough I have just had to buy a new Raymarine sounder !!!!!
If only they had told me first.
Spirit (of Glenans)
Well-Known Member
In light (no pun intended) of the advent of LEDs with their low current requirements, I think the tricolour light with one lampholder and three coloured lenses, and the necessity to match lens colour with LED light temperature, is out of date. What's needed now is one with three separate LED arrays, of the requisite colours, in segregated, reflective compartments with plain lenses. Time to reinvent the wheel!
Graham_Wright
Well-Known Member
Er…………Nasa's done it. Been around for a long time!
lw395
Well-Known Member
Under sail the masthead tri colour has a couple of advantages.
Firstly, it's not obstructed by sails.
Secondly it doesn't light up your sails or pulpit, reducing your night vision.
Also over the years, I've had a lot of unreliabilty from bow lights at pulpit level, they get wet, they get knocked by mooring ropes and racing crew. It's good to have two sets of lights. I think the racing regs often require it?
The stern sector of the tri lighting up the windex is also far better than any instrument.
The experiment showing how badly a white LED is filtered to green by the lens was well done.
LED light is not a full spectrum. it is a mix of distinct wavelengths which our eyes hopefully perceive as 'cool white' or 'warm white'.
The dyes in the green plastic do not give the same result as with an actual full-spectrum white light.
A green LED will have a very small spectrum, all of which is perceived as 'green'.
Firstly, it's not obstructed by sails.
Secondly it doesn't light up your sails or pulpit, reducing your night vision.
Also over the years, I've had a lot of unreliabilty from bow lights at pulpit level, they get wet, they get knocked by mooring ropes and racing crew. It's good to have two sets of lights. I think the racing regs often require it?
The stern sector of the tri lighting up the windex is also far better than any instrument.
The experiment showing how badly a white LED is filtered to green by the lens was well done.
LED light is not a full spectrum. it is a mix of distinct wavelengths which our eyes hopefully perceive as 'cool white' or 'warm white'.
The dyes in the green plastic do not give the same result as with an actual full-spectrum white light.
A green LED will have a very small spectrum, all of which is perceived as 'green'.
fisherman
Well-Known Member
Oil lamps in the shrouds, surely?
lw395
Well-Known Member
With proper boards to protect the sectors and prevent illumination of your own sails etc.
The sails would probably not be shiny white anyway.
Might set fire to my spinnaker!
The old ways do normally work well, if done properly....
fisherman
Well-Known Member
A local GP had a big old fashioned pressure (tilley?) lamp, it was extraordinarily bright, turned out he got it in the US and it ran on petrol.......
Spirit (of Glenans)
Well-Known Member
prv
Well-Known Member
Hmmm.....I try not to read ads, so wasn't aware of this
Not just NASA, there are plenty of LED nav lights out there. The replacement "bulbs" that go into a lampholder are for people who want to be able to reuse their existing housing, not for new installation. Modern nav lights are simply arrays of LEDs of the correct colour(s) and have been for years.
Pete
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
Bearing how useless NASA stuff can be at deck level, do you really want to rely on it at masthead height????
Graham_Wright
Well-Known Member
I do wish people would stop knocking Nasa. They have had some problems admittedly but I have loads of their kit on board without a problem.
I guess we only hear the bad stories.
They are British.
I do have their masthead tri and it is extremely well made.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
Well I have the
weatherman- useless rarely gets reception after the first year ( admittedly worked perfect first year perhaps you have to buy a new one annually)
Wind- full of water & sent back paid £ 30-00 & still U/S. Changed masthead unit wasted £ 106-00
Our sailing club NASA wind instrument packed up after 2 years as well.& the display is inside the race box.
GPS repeater- fogged with water
Compass- full of water & has never shown the right course
Dumped the lot.
Bloke at NASA said he was surprised water ever got into one of his instruments. Told a mate & he said he had dumped his NASA gear due to water also.
Can only say what i have found
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