Changing the anchor light

[Hard Rock Candy]

When coming back from town, The normal mast type anchor light is almost undefinable against a background of stars or city lights. It is especially a bad way to see a boat on a foggy night. I ran spreader lights that were quite bright shining down on the cabin top. Of course I also had a very modern power supply that allowed me to draw the amperage to run those lights. Mac

[jamestholtzinge]

Quick easy fix to get through go to home Depoe and buy one of their yard solar lights ranges from $3 to $5.00 or go whole hog and buy one in a casing runs approx. $39.99 for two in a box. Some are brighter than others check there alum rating. I have 10 of the $20 variety on each side of my boat, they last about 8 hours after dark. I feel it wards off drunk pirates leaving the bars late at night in Key West. If your going for a long time fix a good fixture is in the West Marine catalog for approx. $199.00. Changing the bulb to LED will not work unless you use a resister to lower the volts. LED lights vary but most draw about .06 volts and using a 12.0 volt system will burn the bulb out. If you purchase a fixture from West Marine they are wired to handle the 12 V reduced to what they need and most have a sensor for light and it comes on automatically and shuts when the sun comes up. Mine also has a SOS signal or a strobe for emergencies. Set it and leave it.

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by walkintheplank

Apparently the FWC officer thought I needed an anchor light when he wrote me up for not having proper navigational lighting. I'm kinda stuck right now with one hand out of service from surgery. Makes it a little challenging to climb the ladder. Thats why I was looking for someone that might know the bulb base style so I could limit the trips to the top. For now I'm trying to squeak by using a yard light on the main halyard. Just not very bright.


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As others have said, put it at deck level. Problem solved

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by walkintheplank

Apparently the FWC officer thought I needed an anchor light when he wrote me up for not having proper navigational lighting. I'm kinda stuck right now with one hand out of service from surgery. Makes it a little challenging to climb the ladder. Thats why I was looking for someone that might know the bulb base style so I could limit the trips to the top. For now I'm trying to squeak by using a yard light on the main halyard. Just not very bright.


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As Benz replied, if your on a mooring how do you get 'written' up for not having an anchor light? Are all the other boats on moorings have anchor lights on?

I'd find this odd as most boats still have manual switch on at dark anchor lights, which means the lights are on 24 hrs when left.

I find it a bit odd, like someone else on another thread got pinged for not having a bell on his boat. And yet boats under 12 m by law in most places don't need a bell at all?

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by jamestholtzinge

... Changing the bulb to LED will not work unless you use a resister to lower the volts. LED lights vary but most draw about .06 volts and using a 12.0 volt system will burn the bulb out. If you purchase a fixture from West Marine they are wired to handle the 12 V reduced to what they need and most have a sensor for light and it comes on automatically and shuts when the sun comes up. Mine also has a SOS signal or a strobe for emergencies. Set it and leave it.

Not true. Drop in LED replacement bulbs are cheap, dead simple to install and work great. They have built in voltage converters and are specifically designed as anchor lights.

Easy to find at any Chandler

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[rwidman]

Well the responses are all over the place as are the possible solutions but I would say that even though the price will be higher, an LED fixture, designed as an anchor light, with a built in dusk to dawn feature will be the most reliable solution in the long run.


Install it and turn the switch on and you're done.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by jamestholtzinge

.......Changing the bulb to LED will not work unless you use a resister to lower the volts. LED lights vary but most draw about .06 volts and using a 12.0 volt system will burn the bulb out..

Individual LEDs need a means of controlling the current (not voltage)through the LED or they will burn out. Anything you buy mounted in a socket will already have some form of current limiting built in. A dropping resistor is the least sophisticated of several methods of limiting the current to one or more LEDs.

[Benz]

The FWC is either abusing his authority or there's something about you're location that's unique. COLREGS requires NO lights on boats moored in designated areas; if you're on a legally placed mooring, it IS in a designated area. If you have the energy to do so, complain to the FWC's boss and to the Coast Guard--they must not be allowed to continue abusing with impunity.
Back to the topic, whatever light option you choose, consider having it lower down and more accessible.
Ben
zartmancruising dot com

[Ard Righ]

Hi, instead of putting the light sensor at the top of the mast, put one in the wiring where you can reach it at cabin level. just make sure the light sensor can see the sky clearly with no obstructions.

[boeing1]

if you go with a led light on your mast I would suggest get a led light assy. instead of just replacing bulb....

[rwidman]

The light sensor does not need to see the sky, only to see if it's light or dark. Under an overhang looking horizontally will work just fine and the overhang will protect it from sun and rain.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Benz

COLREGS requires NO lights on boats moored in designated areas

The lighting requirements of the Colregs were written before low power consumption LEDs and solar panels were available. They are a minimum requirement, not best practice.

Having a light on a moored boat is sensible. I wish more people would do it. Boats entering the anchorage after dark will thank you for your consideration. It will reduce the chance of collision, theft and make your boat easier to find. A small solar panel will replace the self discharge of your batteries and keep up with the power requirements of the light.

The Feb 2015 issue of Practical Boat Owner has a simple DIY circuit to convert an anchor light to automatic.

The other option are to fit a slightly larger solar panel and leave the light on all the time, or some solar regulators have a load output that can be programmed to turn a light off and on.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

.........Having a light on a moored boat is sensible. I wish more people would do it. Boats entering the anchorage after dark will thank you for your consideration. It will reduce the chance of collision, theft and make your boat easier to find...................

I agree. Rather than try to decide if I should turn my anchor light on, I make it a practice no matter where I'm anchored (but not at a dock or marina). I figure the light is protecting my boat and my family.

[Jim Krause]

I replaced my anchor light with one by Dr LED. They make replacement all-around anchor lights to fit most standard bayonet bases. Which one fit your boat? I've no clue- but swapping mine out was as easy as changing bulbs. But ditto on the suggestions for commonly found solar/LED fixtures.

[hellosailor]

"COLREGS requires NO lights on boats moored in designated areas"
So what? You guys should try reading the US Coast Pilot books. In some areas there are "special anchorages" versus "designated anchorages" and, under federal and local law, vessels may be required to keep a radio watch as well as show an anchoring light--depending on which anchorage type they are in. And that probably can include mooring fields, if the person in charge so dictates.


Not that FWC can't be wrong, but COLREGS are not the be-all and end-all of regulations on boaters here in the US.