A dinghy situation

[MV Wanderlust]

Wondering how other people handle this?

The time change takes place this weekend so it will start getting dark about 5:30 here. The following weekend, we will be participating in a "dinghy poker run" that could put us getting back to our home marina at or after dark.

Some dinghies have a white light on a stalk mounted on top of the motor to comply with USCG regs. We have a pull-start outboard motor on our boat, no battery. Is there a light solution that would work for us? Any suggestions?

Thanks.

John

[Sun and Moon]

Portable navigation lights

This one works for me. People have told me not to let it get wet.
Innovative Lighting LED Portable Bi-Color Bow Navigation Light

I've been stopped before to make sure I had lights. Technically you can't operate the dinghy in the daytime without the lights on board. Nighttime in some locations without lights you are guaranteed to be stopped.

[MV Wanderlust]

Good to know. And good suggestion. Thanks.

[boatman61]

I use a headlamp or a torch (flashlight in the USA)

[jrau18]

Originally Posted by JohnEasley

Good to know. And good suggestion. Thanks.

Previous poster is right: tons of choices on the market for portable navigation lights with their own battery built in.

Where I am, you won't be stopped for not having "proper" nav lights. My solution was a solar "step light" from the hardware store. It was $5 and I dont need to worry about batteries. It isnt as bright, but where I am using the dinghy at night is protected waters with minimal large boat traffic where everybody else is running around with similar lights on their dinghies, so I feel comfortable with it as a solution.

If I were to run around in an area with many larger fast boats around, I would rethink my decision.

Equally important, you should consider a handheld floating vhf, tools, spare gas, life jackets, etc that you might neglect to bring during the day.

[JPA Cate]

What we have is a battery (AAAs) operated tricolor on a stalk, higher than the driver's head, slides down through two pad eyes on the transom. Ours came from Whitworth's, but I'm sure they must be available in the US. Maybe at WM? "NaviSafe portable navigation light."

Ann

[bobnlesley]

I'm another head torch user.

[Jim Cate]

I've been stopped before to make sure I had lights. Technically you can't operate the dinghy in the daytime without the lights on board

Is this true? Seems unlikely to me... sorta like giving you a speeding ticket just because your car can go 100 mph...

I'd like to see the regulation that supports the statement, especially considering the literally thousands of dinghies without nav lights that operate daily around the world.

Jim

[Comogene]

Actually, under the Inland Rules, you need colored sidelights and an all-around white light for your dinghy. The do make battery operated lights with suction cup bases to jury-rig onto inflatables.

You might get away with red and green cyalume sticks for the sidelights even though they probably won't meet the visibility or cut-off requirements.

Gene

[Steven UK]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Is this true? Seems unlikely to me... sorta like giving you a speeding ticket just because your car can go 100 mph...


Jim

Kind of like chewing gum in Singapore... It's not the chewing that's the problem it's the enevatable 'spitting out' that they want to stop.

I've been out on the rib with the best intention of coming home while still light, but somehow managed to stay out late...:^}

Regards Steven

[StuM]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I use a headlamp or a torch (flashlight in the USA)

Doesn't meet the COLREGs requirement of an "all round white light" when motoring. That's only accepted when "under oars".

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by StuM

Doesn't meet the COLREGs requirement of an "all round white light" when motoring. That's only accepted when "under oars".

Stu, when you (and Boatie) are "under the oars" it must be hard to see where you are going, and if you are face down, the headlamp ain't gonna work well anyhow!

Seriously, while it does not meet colregs, a bright headlamp is way better than the nothing at all that is so common in many anchorages.

Our little tri-colour on a stick does not meet the regs, either, due to not providing a forward white (steaming) light, but it does provide good info about which way we are going and where we are located... way better than nothing, and usually adequate to keep authorities at bay. We've had several friends injured in night time dinghy mishaps. None were legally lit, but all had some form of all-round white (or nearly all around). In one case, the high speed motor launch that hit them was running dark when it ran over them. Alcohol was involved... We exercise defensive dinghying at night, believe me!

Jim

[Smokeys Kitchen]

I have used this one before on both my dinghy and on a boat that had their running lights go out. You can use it as one or both running lights or as a tricolor. It has fairly bright led''s and has stored well so far (about a year of owning it)

NAVISAFE | Navilight Tricolor 2NM w/Navimount base

[ranger58sb]

One version of the Navilight can be magnetically attached to a hat. The all-round white light model would meet part of the requirement. Mounted on a hat with chin/neck straps (Tilley, or whatever) it should be secure enough, and given a decent brim, it might not bother the operator with so much glare as other systems maybe do.


The light will also magnetically attach to the outboard cowling, but the lower position from that doesn't seem as useful. It's also possible to eventually mount a stalk on the outboard cowling, so a magnet-on light like this could be raised higher than line of sight...


But clamping it onto a hat should be a fairly quick solution in the meantime.


They also make a version with red/green running lights, but there are many other less expensive solutions to that, too. See West Marine or Defender or etc. Ours mounts on a rubber thing glued to the bow. (Well, it did, 'til we inadvertently ripped that off, a bit ago. Fixable.) But for a quick solution, the passenger can just hold something like that toward the front of the boat... until a real mount base can be glued on eventually. (Or not.)


-Chris

[MV Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

One version of the Navilight can be magnetically attached to a hat. ... But clamping it onto a hat should be a fairly quick solution in the meantime.

Thanks, Chris. Though I totally get the practicality of this approach and it making the light the tallest object on the boat, I doubt I would ever live that down in my family. However, it does give me an idea for magnetically attaching an existing solar powered white light we have.