trailing log/solar nav lights

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Drece

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Hi all quit new here but have been getting some very useful info off the site for a while just from reading old threads so thanks for that.
Anyway I'm just on the brink of my first boat (Leisure 23sl if anybody's interested) and looking at ways to keep the electric burden down as a solar panel with outboard charging is the most likely means I'll have of charging and as far as I know an outboard will do little more then a trickle! Hence I've been thinking of a trailing log and solar powered nav lights.
Does anbody know anywhere to get a trailing log? and does anybody have any experience with solar powered nav lights, do they even exist? I just assumed they did, but google has been less helpfull than usual!
comments appreciated.
 
Welcome to the forum!

Never heard of solar powered Nav lights, unfortunately.

A plea - please don't consider using garden solar lights for an anchor light though - not nearly bright enough and will not comply with regs.

Best you can do is google 'searolf' and have a look at the LED nav light packages they do (approx £30 for 3-pack of R/G/W). They consume almost no power, are very bright and won't blow.

You can see trailing logs advertised occasionally, but they are almost always pricey. We have one as a back-up and it's extremely accurate. Try googling 'walker trailing log'.

Best of luck with the Leisure.
 
You can get battery powered small boat nav lights which run from ordinary alkaline batteries.

Otherwise, just fit a small sealed battery connected to a solar panel and run ordinary 12V nav lights from that.

Presumably you will have some other small 12V needs (internal light ?), so the battery won't be wasted.

Similarly, an impeller log won't take much power.
 
Walker log, see below, If you really must have a trailing one.
BUT a simple GPS is more sensible. It'll tell you the distance over the ground rather than through the water but for navigation thats what you need anyway. It'll always tell you where you are as well!

No such thing as solar powered nav lights. AFAIK. Fit LED tricolour light for sailing but for motoring the outboard will power ordinary lights..

Fit a siutable ( Leisure ?) battery charge it from the outboard plus a solar panel. Dont fit a sealed one. A solar panel is likely to overcharge a bit unless you fit a regulator so you need to be able to top it up.

Fit the largest solar panel you have room to mount permanently. Up to 1 watt per 10Ah does not need a regulator, but generally advised for panels over 10 watts regardless

Clicky:
 
Lots of info on the forums on this if you do a search. As a sailing vessel < 7m, you can display an allround white light. I swear by this bit of kit

41CqTnMLl7L._SL500_AA300_.jpg


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Varta-Watt-...4S90/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1310772061&sr=8-7

No connection etc.
 
Last edited:
RobF said:
Lots of info on the forums on this if you do a search. As a sailing vessel < 7m, you can display an allround white light. I swear by this bit of kit
No connection etc.
Click to expand...

But "proper " port starboard and stern lights should be used where practicable.

Actually 300 lumens is far more than actually necessary so battery consumption will be more than necessary... I bought something similar recently to try as an anchor light. :eek:
 
VicS said:
But "proper " port starboard and stern lights should be used where practicable.

Actually 300 lumens is far more than actually necessary so battery consumption will be more than necessary... I bought something similar recently to try as an anchor light. :eek:
Click to expand...

Which is why there are two power settings with 150 hours of light in low power mode :-) Enough to last a fortnight of sailing / anchoring in the summer.
 
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