Recommendations for omnidirectional nav/anchor mast LED

[stevenk2]

I'm thinking of mounting an all-in-one omnidirectional nav/anchor LED light on the top of my wakeboard tower in lieu of the single red/green/clear lights in different locations on my hull. I know I've seen OEM ones sold as a feature on new boats, so I'm pretty sure they're out there to be had. First off, are there any caveats to doing it this way that I should be aware of, both from a safety perspective as well as legally? Second, does anyone have any recommendations for a decent, not hugely expensive light that would suit this purpose?

I find several like this on eBay, but I'm not sure of the quality/durability/legality of them:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TRI-COLOR-...ash=item25b8ef4894:g:HLIAAOxy-W9SPu~a&vxp=mtr

https://www.ebay.com/p/Navisafe-Por...m=263200856776&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Obviously I'll want to be careful to choose something that will be safe and durable for marine use - these are just examples of what I'm thinking of. I also didn't want to run afoul of the USCG legal requirements for vessel lighting.

FYI, I have a 16.5 foot Scarab. For obvious reasons, this vessel is not used for any extensive or serious trips, nor is it used in any kind of heavy weather (or anything but clear skies and relatively calm water, for that matter). It would just be nice to be able to be out for a bit to cool down after sunset after a long hot day on the water and not have to worry about tearing back to the dock to beat the darkness. And also bear in mind that this is just regarding the nav lights only - I'm working on a separate solution for docking lights so I can actually see where the heck I'm going and/or when docking/trailering.

 

[Ilmmct]

http://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/Alerts/1015.pdf

 

[stevenk2]

Understood about the USCG caution/warning regarding following regulations on the nav lights - I will need to reference those to see if I can decipher the regs. However, bear in mind that my boat is tiny compared to what sizes are referenced in the regs, 15.9' LOA, 7.1' beam (4.84 x 2.16 meters). This is the breakdown from Boating Magazine that I was reading:

Powerboats under 12 meters (39.4 feet) in length must have separate or combined red and green sidelights covering 112.5 degrees and visible for 1 nautical mile. The white masthead light must cover 225 degrees, be 1 meter above the sidelights and be visible for 2 nautical miles. The white stern light must cover 135 degrees and be visible for 2 nautical miles, or you can substitute one 360-degree all-around white light. For larger boats, the sidelights must be visible for 2 nautical miles and the masthead light for 3 nautical miles.

The vertical spacing of the white masthead light versus the sidelights would appear to disqualify the single multicolor nav light idea right away, though in theory I could still place a 360 degree white light up there and still be legal, couldn't I?

 

[Bluewater272]

Powerboats must have separate red/green and masthead/stern lights. As we have smaller boats, we can combine to the combined red/green and a separate all-around white light (at least 1m above the navigation lights), but the tricolor light is not appropriate. That tricolor is designed for sailing vessels.

You could, as mentioned, use the tri-color light in combination with a white masthead light, but I think that would be disorienting to you as the white would be directed at you. Would just get the two separate lights.

 

[stevenk2]

Thank you!! That's kind of what I'm seeing as well - to stay legal, I just need to mount the red/green lights on the hull if I'm going to go that route.

The other thing is that on the Scarab 165's, the OEM nav lights are on poles that you plug into sockets on the deck. The red/green are on a foot-long single post/light on the bow, the all-around white is on a longer post, about two- to three-feet long on the starboard side just aft of the transom. From the style of the OEM lights, I can only assume that the horizontal separation of the port and starboard red/green bow lights is not a huge concern (i.e. I could potentially mount a single red/green light on the bow without having to place a red one to port and a green one to starboard, so long as the view angles are correct), but vertically, I would just need to make sure that the stern all-around white light is at least 1 meter above the bow lights. Is there a requirement to have the bow red/green light a certain height above the waterline? My concern there is that the OEM bow light is mounted on a foot-long post that plugs into the socket in the deck, and they made it that length for another reason besides making it easier to stow/handle.

 

[Bluewater272]

Yes, a single red/green light is acceptable for your boat - only boats >65' require separate red/greens. You could replace your bow socket light with something like this and be compliant. There is nothing codified regarding height above water for the navigation light. However, if the shape of your bow is such that a flush-mounted light would not be visible from the required view (i.e., if the center of your bow is recessed), that might explain the pole thing.