Adding second set of side navigation lights

[FabioC]

My boat (a Jeanneau) comes with a single set of side navigation lights on the mast, as the majority of current production boats.
There are several reasons why I would find very desirable to have a second set of navigation lights at deck level, mounted on the pulpit (there are many situations in which you would want to show the navigation lights at deck level, not at mast level; in addition, in the case of Jeanneau's such as mine, the specific location of the navigation lights on the mast is problematic, as they get knocked off all the time by the spinnaker halyards, even with a light guard, as confirmed by other Jeanneau's owners; so it has happened that I turned the navigation lights on, only to realize that they were not there anymore).

In any event, I looked at what it would take to add lights to the pulpit. In the case of my boat, and I assume many other production boats as well, routing wires from the control panel all the way to the bow and through the deck to the pulpit is not an easy task at all. Currently, the foremost wiring is the one for the windlass, which stops several feet aft of the bow. There is not much space nor paneling that can be easily removed to route a wire further than that. Also, the area under the pulpit (where you would want wiring to come out to reach the lights) is blocked.

I see many boats that have deck-level nav lights at my marina, but not many Jeanneau's/Beneteau's and similar.

If you were successful in adding pulpit nav lights to one of these production boats, could you please share the experience and how you went to solve this installation issue?

[Mickeyrouse]

Our boat was originally launched with deck level lights. Despite best efforts with gaskets, sealant, etc. water was constantly intruding to the sockets, thus a constant replacement hassle. When we did a complete refit, I glassed over the light niches and mounted lights on the pulpit. I cut a couple pieces of 1/8” stainless the suitable size and shape ( prox. 3x4 or so) and ran power thru the pulpit rail, exiting at the light position. This is better, not perfect. The lights are at risk of brushing against piling in a wind-shift in a docking maneuver.
To be safe, though admittedly of questionable legality, I also have a truck-mounted masthead light. I suspect what the answer may be, but I wonder about showing two sets of navigation lights.
I think there is not much difference between having deck-level lights and not having lights at all when under sail. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen boats heeled- even slightly- with the lee lights obscured by toe rails, Genoa, or just the angle itself. And depending on the boat design, I have also noticed obscured lights on the weather side. And rail-mounted lights are much easier to re-bulb.

[FabioC]

@Mickeyrouse Thank you for the feedback. That is not very encouraging..., and it confirms one of my main concerns, that adding deck-level lights at the pulpit may cause infiltration problems and other issues...

Perhaps an easier solution is to carry battery-powered nav lights, in the event that the mast nav lights are not operating or not visible for some reason (in our boat, the nav lights are obscured by the asymmetric spinnaker, for example).

For me, realizing that I am "invisible" at night (when that happens, even if it is a rare event) makes me extremely uncomfortable.

Does anybody have experience with battery-powered nav lights?

[CassidyNZ]

Unless I’m mistaken (fair chance of that), running two sets of nav lights at the same time breaches Colregs. I often see boats running deck level lights and a masthead tricolour at the same time and the message it sends to other boats at night can be confusing. So if you fit a second pair, switch them separately.

The new LED nav lights I have bought are completely sealed units so seawater ingress is a thing of the past, even on a pulpit-mounted lamp. As long as the cable connection is watertight (quite easily done) there should be no maintenance issues.

[FabioC]

@CassidyNZ Yes, I was not suggesting of running the two sets at the same time, simply having two sets so as to be able to choose which one is more likely to be visible depending on the situation, or simply having redundancy in case the nav lights on the mast are not operating for any reason.

[wingssail]

We use AQUA SIGNAL–Series 40 Navigation Lights and have a deck level Bi-Color light at the bow and another light at the stern. The bulbs are LED.

The light at the bow is mounted on a stainless stand up bracket I had built, it is not on the pulpit. The wire goes through the deck into the extreme forward area of the forepeak (they do not go into a pulpit pipe) and I ran the wires to that location myself. It is sealed with standard sealant where it penetrates the deck. Running the wires is difficult but it can be done. We've run ALL the wires on the boat and they are ALL difficult, but it can be done.

This light is subject to frequent drenching by heavy water when the vessel is going to windward in stong winds and big seas. The construction of the light though prevents water from entering and the bulbs last about 5 years before corrosion gets them.

Of course a mast head light is more often visable when the deck level light is often obsucred by seas, however I don't want wires and light fixture going up the mast so we have kept with the deck level light alone.

If you want a deck level light you'll have to suck it up and run the wires, however perhaps side lights at the shrouds would be easier.

[Mickeyrouse]

Originally Posted by FabioC

Does anybody have experience with battery-powered nav lights?

Interesting as it may seem, many( most?all?) of the barges we see on the ICW use battery powered lights. I would imagine they install a fresh set of batteries nightly- just a minor expense for them. They’re pretty big.

We ( and probably everyone else) use battery lights on our dinghy. Probably legal. I have not seen battery-powered lights that have the range requirements for larger boats.

[CassidyNZ]

Battery powered lights are mandatory as “emergency” nav lights if you need to get an NZ Cat1 certification. I have an inexpensive set that work remarkably well and a good set of AA batteries will see them work for a decent time.

[FabioC]

Originally Posted by wingssail

If you want a deck level light you'll have to suck it up and run the wires, however perhaps side lights at the shrouds would be easier.

It makes sense to me as well, side lights at the shrouds should be easier to install/route the wires to. Why are deck-level side lights at the shrouds very rare in sailboats? Almost all the sailboats I see that have deck-level lights have them on the bow/pulpit. I can see that lights at the shrouds may be tricky to keep out of the way, but certainly doable, so I am not sure I have an answer of why it is not a popular solution. Anybody has a definitive answer?

[Pandor]

Foresail will interfere with one side when motor sailing.

[Adelie]

I got a fitting that clamps to the pulpit at the top center. Bi-color LED fixture mounts in the fitting.

At the aft end of the pulpit I drilled up thru the aft most baseplate to feed the wire into the pulpit tubing then up the tube to top center where another hole was drilled to let the wire out into the bracket for the light.

I prefer bow lights because the can’t be obscured by sails unless you have a bowsprit that projects forward of the pulpit.

Being on the pulpit raises them higher from the water which decreases water intrusion and increases visibility range, especially when there are higher waves.

[chrisr]

not sure if the mast mounted sidelights you mention are a masthead tri-colour or not (?) but irrespective you really should have deck level side lights for use when motoring

your white masthead light (carried when motoring) needs to be above your side lights. i suppose you could still do this with yr mast mounted side lights but it would be very interesting for another vessel trying to interpret !

btw, if the mast mounted side lights are NOT a masthead tri-colour, how do you avoid the headsail obscuring them ??

cheers,

[jakkum]

For ships over 20 m, sailing, an all round red and one meter lower an all round ggreen( 2 180o vreen will do) is othe official alternative.
You could just think big about yourself.

[Donald Bryden]

On my boat, I mounted pin-rails between the two lower shrouds P & S. On the aft end of the pin-rail I built a frame that forms a right angle with the open part facing forward. I installed my sidelights in these frames. These have worked well for the lights. Also, having pin-rails has been very useful for tying off halyards, and hanging lines to dry. It is all wood construction. One request when adding new lights is to buy the brightest light you can reasonably get. Some lights that are rated for visibility that meets the COLREGS are hardly up to the task.

[Clivevon]

Drip loop. You need a drip loop. My last pulpit mounted Aquasignal bicolour light lasted 35 trouble free years. The mounting clamp finally broke so I replaced 3 years ago with a new Aquasignal stainless LED bicolour.

The wiring comes out of the pulpit by the light, then down in a drip loop & up into the light - which is not particularly sealed, the socket fitting just screws in - so all moisture on the cable drips off before it gets to the socket. Spray doesnt seem to cause a problem - I've never buried my pulpit.

I've never had cause to check where the wire enters the pulpit.