Supplementing internal lighting for teaching chartwork

Durcott

Durcott

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Hi Folks,

I could do a product search - but I reckon someone here will know what I need for this...

I've been trying to teach chartwork inside the saloon of your typical mid-price, mid-spec, mid-appeal, mid-performance yacht.

I usually start with a 'what does this symbol mean' game, which usually degenerates into an 'I can't see the chart, let alone the symbol' shambles when it's dark enough for the cabin lights to be on. There's enough light for sipping gin, but barely enough to read by, let alone dechiper symbols.

I want a decent, small sized, 12 Volt lamp that I can use to direct a good pool of bright light onto a chart - a torch has too tight a beam - it's not really a solution. No need to worry about losing night vision, this is done while hooked up to a pontoon. Even a lightweight mains lamp would work, but I don't want too much 'glare', and there's precious little room to stand anything up on, particulalry when a full size chart is on the table.

Can anyone recommend a particular useful lamp, or even a place to look?

Thanks in advance

Jeff
 
12 Volt light.

I use one of these over the chart table. I use the cool white. It is very bright, has a wide angle, even distribution and only draws about 300mA
 
Replace the bulbs in your cabin lighting with LEDS with a decent output! I wouldn't put up with an installation that didn't allow me to read in comfort, and one of the first things I did was to replace the festoon bulbs with high intensity LEDs like these. My saloon is now capable of being lit by up to 6 of thee at once. Before, the situation matched your description; afterwards I could see (and read) without any problems.

Incidentally, I find the cool white LEDs better for reading than the "Warm White", and I think that (power for power) they have a slightly higher intensity.
 
I think it would be worth Jeff clarifying whether he's after something portable or something to be installed in one particular boat. I read it as the former (assuming an instructor moving between yachts) but others seem to be assuming the latter.

Pete
 
Hi Pete,

Yes - you were correct - I was looking for something portable, but if the actions are relatively cheap, I could just get the owners of the various boats that I get to use to upgrade the lights.

However, I do note that certain boat yards have an interior designer, who clearly doesn't talk to the lighting designer.

On this particular boat that causes the most problems, the chart table is consigned to darkness, while the little bit of shelf that is just big enough to prop up a fully laden tumbler is magnificantly bathed in light.

(It's the same boat that has the hook for wet oilies directly against the heads. A good idea on paper, but not after the head's been used by 6 or 7 big lads :eek: I think some things are best left separated :D)

Jeff
 
Thanks everyone - some really good ideas there. I particulalry like the Maplin unit, mainly 'cos it's cheap :)

I thought about head torches, but I don't think I could keep a straight face with two or three students peering into the gloom, all equipped with head torches. If any were particularly competitive, they'd be stealing the light from the others at the critical moment.
 
I've got 2 ikea desk lamps, i use the ones with a big heavy 6" round base, but there are these ones with a clothes peg type clip, they run on 4.5v dc from a tiny mains transformer with a plug and socket on, one of them i have modified to run off 3 aa batteries so is extremely bright and portable and the flexible neck means you can point it anywhere
If you bounce the light off the ceiling they can light the whole room up too

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00169635/
 
Are we to assume that none of these boats is properly equipped for night navigation, and it wasn't discovered until you tried to run a course on board?
Surely if there are running lights fitted there should also be a facility for driving safely while they are in use?

shouldn't you be demonstrating what a chart looks like under red light?
 
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