Which flashlight d'you keep with you in the cockpit?

[Greenheart]

Is there a single standard favourite waterproof spotlight/torch for buoy-identification and emergency signalling? There are so many multi-million candle-power rechargeable lamps these days, I hardly know which is best, or whether the most powerful are really practical.

 

[sailorman]

Lenser

 

[colvic987]

sealed beam spotlight on homemade handle, on a long cable with driplug, which then plugs into the 12v supply in cockpit.

 

[duncan99210]

We keep a white flare clipped to the side of the companionway hatch. If that doesn't get the attention of a closing merchant vessel, nothing will! For light to complete a complex task in the dark, we've got LED dive torches which last forever on a set of batteries and are sealed to prevent damp causing problems.

 

[awol]

A "single" torch - nae chance. There is the mega-blaster with a 9" glass and a 55W halogen bulb; the 4 D-cell 3W halogen, the 1W Cree LED with dim mode; a couple of Lidl dive LED torches and a cheap LED head band light, white with a red mode (with flash disabled). The tri-colour illuminates the windex, and that's all!

 

[Greenheart]

A "single" torch - nae chance. There is the mega-blaster with a 9" glass and a 55W halogen bulb; the 4 D-cell 3W halogen, the 1W Cree LED with dim mode; a couple of Lidl dive LED torches and a cheap LED head band light, white with a red mode (with flash disabled). The tri-colour illuminates the windex, and that's all!

Sounds very thorough. Which of them would you grab before leaping into the tender on a moonless night, south of St Catherine's?

 

[ssjpiv]

Torch

The LED Lenser range of products are fantastic I keep a p7 close to hand and also have a couple of the head torches

 

[HinewaisMan]

A "single" torch - nae chance. There is the mega-blaster with a 9" glass and a 55W halogen bulb; the 4 D-cell 3W halogen, the 1W Cree LED with dim mode; a couple of Lidl dive LED torches and a cheap LED head band light, white with a red mode (with flash disabled). The tri-colour illuminates the windex, and that's all!

Likewise "single" - nah!

On passage, we each carry small LED torches, plus those flashing lights on our pfds.

But in the cockpit, we have 4 big 9V Dolfin waterproof floating lamps. Not only great for checking the sail, or illuminating it if need be, if one of us had gone over the side at night, the Dolfins would have followed.

 

[Greenheart]

...if one of us had gone over the side at night, the Dolfins would have followed.

Smart idea...a big floating lamp ready for jettisoning close to the man o/b, beats the weak little lights attached to everyone's L-Js.

 

[[70521]]

Lenser

+1, one of their head torches so its a hands free operation

 

[Greenheart]

The Lenser P7 sounds fantastic, if rather compact. How much power is 200 lumens?

 

[awol]

Sounds very thorough. Which of them would you grab before leaping into the tender on a moonless night, south of St Catherine's?

St Catherine's? No idea what you're on about so have no idea why I would be leaping into a tender there. I do use the 1W Cree for the hazardous late night travel 'tween the Troosers and Puilladhobrain, a journey beset with perils like man-swallowing swamps and ravenous hieland coos, a trip so dangerous I even leave the anchor light on.

 

[LittleSister]

The Lenser P7 sounds fantastic, if rather compact. How much power is 200 lumens?

Somewhat less than a quarter of the 860 lumens from a Phenix TK35!

 

[Greenheart]

St Catherine's? No idea what you're on about so have no idea why I would be leaping into a tender there. I do use the 1W Cree for the hazardous late night travel 'tween the Troosers and Puilladhobrain, a journey beset with perils like man-swallowing swamps and ravenous hieland coos, a trip so dangerous I even leave the anchor light on.

Ach, mon! We too haff a few wee dangers doon heere - pair-ills, ye'd know 'em as...

...I was thinking, if you had to abandon the cockpit with its choice of half a dozen lamps and use just one whilst bounding about in a small boat in lumpy conditions, which of your stable would you grab? I'm looking for something that's properly powerful and robust.

 

[capnsensible]

I know its just me, but I have never felt the requirement for anything more than a small maglite in my pocket.

Got lots of other torches spread around the boats, but I always come back to the simple option.

Head torches though are the spawn of the devil!!!!

 

[awol]

Head torches though are the spawn of the devil!!!!

Only when worn by other people!

 

[Greenheart]

Somewhat less than a quarter of the 860 lumens from a Phenix TK35!

How about the Phenix's bigger brother, the TK70? http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/led_torches/fenix-tk70.html

Two hours at 2,000 lumens...I wonder what it weighs?

 

[awol]

Ach, mon! We too haff a few wee dangers doon heere - pair-ills, ye'd know 'em as...

...I was thinking, if you had to abandon the cockpit with its choice of half a dozen lamps and use just one whilst bounding about in a small boat in lumpy conditions, which of your stable would you grab? I'm looking for something that's properly powerful and robust.

None of them, I'm no that daft. Liferaft has its own strobe and torch inside.

 

[Greenheart]

Somewhat less than a quarter of the 860 lumens from a Phenix TK35!

I'm still 'in the dark' on how much a lumen actually is. How many lumens would a modest, 2 D-cell 3v torch with a 2" lens provide?

And how many lumens does the average car full-beam create?

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Trio LED by Nightsearch; non waterproof but splashproof.