Identify Nav Lights

[Tony Button]

Finishing the first twilight race yesterday, I realised that my nav lights (like me) are not as bright as they should be. I have a regular port/starboard light halfway up the mast and what looks like a combined anchor/steaming light on top (see pictures) The masthead light has 2 lenses, so I'm assuming the upper is an anchor light and the lower is the steaming light. Is this right ? On a 2010 boat, are these likely to be LED or regular bulbs ? Has anyone seen this type of masthead light before ? I'd like to know the maker if possible. I guess the nav light uses a single bulb and this is a common design; anyone know what type of bulbs I need for this and the masthead lights ? The boat is a 2010 Beneteau First 35. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Jammer]

2010 probably incandescent


Yes the upper one is anchor over steaming. If you want LED get the Aqua Signal series 40 one, it's what I have. Appearance is slightly different but function is the same




Lower one isn't anything I recognize but if you have to replace it there's an Aqua Signal Series 25 light (also LED) that mounts the same way. You can get Aqua Signal lights in Oz but probably not whatever continental lights Beneteau put on there

It's worth having a LED anchor light since you will run it overnight anytime when you are at anchor. If you are coastal you probably won't sail much at night -- you'll either sail during the day or motor at night -- so the nav lights can be incandescent. If you anticipate offshore passages at night, well, that's different.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Jammer

2010 probably incandescent


Yes the upper one is anchor over steaming. If you want LED get the Aqua Signal series 40 one, it's what I have. Appearance is slightly different but function is the same




Lower one isn't anything I recognize but if you have to replace it there's an Aqua Signal Series 25 light (also LED) that mounts the same way. You can get Aqua Signal lights in Oz but probably not whatever continental lights Beneteau put on there

It's worth having a LED anchor light since you will run it overnight anytime when you are at anchor. If you are coastal you probably won't sail much at night -- you'll either sail during the day or motor at night -- so the nav lights can be incandescent. If you anticipate offshore passages at night, well, that's different.

Are we sure that the light on the masthead is a steaming light? It appears to have the lense facing aft. In that case it might be a stern light, which goes with the other light which is a bow ligh (Red and Green), and on top of it all there could be an all around anchor light.

Recommend switching on and off all your lights from the panel one by one and see which are shining where and when.

[Pandor]

I have to admit your light setup is interesting. I haven’t seen sidelights carried halfway up the mast before. As far as I was aware, that wouldn’t be in accordance with COLREGS.

Do you also have sidelights on the pulpit? Or maybe a wire and mount where they would have been?

The light on top of your mast could very well be a combination led anchor/tricolor On LED tricolors, the sidelights don’t need to have colored lenses and only appear red or green when lit.

If you have or had sidelights at the pulpit, then the spot halfway up your mast was meant for the steaming light. You would use the pulpit mounted sidelights and the steaming lt when under power and the tricolor when under sail.

If this isn’t the setup, I think I’d consider making it this way. How is anyone going to ever see sidelights halfway up the mast if you are under sail with the genny out?

[sv Grateful]

As I understand, side lights half way up the mast and an all around white light at masthead as steaming lights and a tri-color at the masthead as sailing navigation lights fulfil COLREGS requirements for vessels under 12 meters in length.

This is how my Fountaine Pajot Lavezzi 40 was configured by the manufacturer.

[Nicholson58]

Marine Beam on line and IMTRA have replacement LED dedicated bright nav lights and replacement bulbs for old fixtures.

[Pandor]

Yea, after looking at the appendix, I think that arrangement probably would meet COLREG requirements for spacing. But only if you weren't using the combined sidelights halfway up the mast when sailing (due to obstruction from sails). So if that is the case, the light atop the OP's mast must be a combi LED anchor/tricolor.

[Tony Button]

Thanks for all the responses. As the boat is now in the marina, I was able to run through the control panel options last night. Under the Motor option, the lower, forward facing red/green lamp is lit and the lower section of masthead shows 360' white light, which meets Aus regs for a motor boat over 7 metres. Under the Sailing option, the forward facing lamp is off and the lower section of the masthead becomes a sectored light showing red/green forward and white 135' to the stern. This again meets Aus regs and neatly deals with the problem of the forward facing lamp being covered by the jib when under sail. The upper section of the masthead light is simply an anchor light and is off except when that option is selected. So, it appears all the lights are working correctly although I doubt they are visible for 2 nm as the regs require. I certainly see the advantages of switching to LED lights both for power consumption and longevity, but at 67 the prospect of spending time refitting lights 60 ft above the deck is not appealing, so that may wait a while. Your input is much appreciated !

[Nicholson58]

Get the replacement bulbs, find a young guy or two to go up. The kids really like it I’ve found. Ours is 80 feet. Always a daunting job but usually pizza and beer does it.

[Pandor]

Originally Posted by Tony Button

Thanks for all the responses. As the boat is now in the marina, I was able to run through the control panel options last night. Under the Motor option, the lower, forward facing red/green lamp is lit and the lower section of masthead shows 360' white light, which meets Aus regs for a motor boat over 7 metres. Under the Sailing option, the forward facing lamp is off and the lower section of the masthead becomes a sectored light showing red/green forward and white 135' to the stern. This again meets Aus regs and neatly deals with the problem of the forward facing lamp being covered by the jib when under sail. The upper section of the masthead light is simply an anchor light and is off except when that option is selected. So, it appears all the lights are working correctly although I doubt they are visible for 2 nm as the regs require. I certainly see the advantages of switching to LED lights both for power consumption and longevity, but at 67 the prospect of spending time refitting lights 60 ft above the deck is not appealing, so that may wait a while. Your input is much appreciated !

Tony, I think the combination light at the top of your mast is most surely LED already, based on the conspicuous absence of any colored lens in the first photo.

One thing about lights at the top of the mast- they are usually quite brighter to observers on other vessels compared to you observing from the cockpit or even the adjacent dock.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Tony Button

Thanks for all the responses. As the boat is now in the marina, I was able to run through the control panel options last night. Under the Motor option, the lower, forward facing red/green lamp is lit and the lower section of masthead shows 360' white light, which meets Aus regs for a motor boat over 7 metres. Under the Sailing option, the forward facing lamp is off and the lower section of the masthead becomes a sectored light showing red/green forward and white 135' to the stern. This again meets Aus regs

Actually, it meets COLREGs globally, there is nothing special about "Aus regs", they are just national legislation implementing COLREGs, same as every other nation does

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Pandor

One thing about lights at the top of the mast- they are usually quite brighter to observers on other vessels compared to you observing from the cockpit or even the adjacent dock.

Yep, they only need to meet brightness requirements within 5° either side of of horizontal and 60% of required brightness within 7.5° (or 50% within 25° for sailing vessels underway)


So if you are looking up at top-of-mast lights, you need to be a fair distance away to tell how bright they really are.

[Tony Button]

Thanks guys. Pandor, good point about the probability that the lights are LED. I hope they are; from what I've read LEDs last about 25 times as long as incandescent bulbs. I just thought that a 2010 boat was probably pre-LED. Also, agree that the Aussie regs are simply implementing the colregs; it's amazing how many US sites refer to them as US Coast Guard regulations, which is true but incomplete. I checked the lights from a marina arm 200 metres from the boat, as far away as I could get. I did think about swimming two miles from the marina to check again, but the water temperature in Tasmania is 8' C this time of year !