Tornado A-frames/navigation lights

[DJL]

I've just spend the last few hours replacing my navigation lights and putting in new marine grade wiring for them. Not the most exciting job trying to thread cable through the A frame and make it exit a 5mm hole the other end.

Anyway, why do Tornado/Barnet Marine fit/sell such strange A-frames? It’s impossible to buy port and starboard lights that fit on a forward facing surface. Previously I had installed two port and starboard lights, but because they were mounted the wrong way round, forward facing not sideways facing, they light crossed over by 25 degrees at the front - highly confusing for other boaters.

So this time I had to buy two bi-colour lights and block out one colour on each. This was achieved by cutting up and old plastic folder and fixing it on the outside of the lens. Works perfectly and looks pretty good too.

[Petrov]

Don`t know if it`s different rules in UK than Sweden but between the top and red/green it has to be 50cm.

[DJL]

Hi Petrov,

I thought it was 1m but I can't find anything about it in the copies of the International Collision Regs I have. Either way it’s not practical on my boat, put the lights any lower and there likely to be obscured by people or other bits of the boat.

Does anyone know what the actual/current regulations are?

[Petrov]

Hi Daniel;

We have 1m if you drive 2M during winter and 3M outside the coast.
If you are in the archipelago (as we have a lot of, only Stockholm archipelago is 30,000 islands) it`s 50cm.

[DGR]

There was a thread on this a couple of weeks ago called 'Lights at Night' started by Noddy (sorry - no idea how to post links to threads!!).

From memory, I think the regulations say that the distance between red/green and the all-round white should be 1m where practical.

Dylan...

[DJL]

Thanks Dylan, I had completely forgotten about that thread.

http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread....t=Lights+Night