Futura: Running lights?

Northern Pike · 16 September 2010, 05:28

For a while now I've been pondering how best to make some compact and easily removable running lights for my Futura Mk III. Maybe you guys can help. What have you come up with?
I made a bracket for the stern out of ABS plumbing pipe. It fits on to the launch wheel mounts, and serves the dual purposes of mounting flags or a light. I can even mount them all at once or in any combination since they have a female fitting on the top end. I usually fly an Alpha above a Diver Down when diving. It was originally higher but I shortened it to fit a cover.
I have a pair of sidelights I'd like to mount somewhere near the front handles or the rear bow bag D ring. Any ideas? Show us your lights.

jyasaki · 18 September 2010, 16:55

The advantage for a small boat is that the lights position don't have to conform to the letter of the law.

I would use your existing pole (assuming it's tall enough), and mount the nav lights on that. Less wiring that way. Try to position them such that they aren't obscured by passengers and baggage when running, though.

jky

Northern Pike · 18 September 2010, 23:21

Thanks jky, Are we the only ones on here who use lights? What do you guys do at night? :^)

m chappelow · 19 September 2010, 21:16

i have started using the emergency type nav lights that are powered by the 1.5 volt dumpy torch batterys, i have the all around white up on a 2 meter high aluminium pole mounted as yours is on the transom and for the red/green i made a bi/comined red green that clips onto the edge of the bow spray dodger,

if you look back down the threads to 4 th september i posted a couple of photos .,,mart.

Northern Pike · 19 September 2010, 21:43

Yes I saw that. My old boat had a dodger but this one doesn't. I liked it for several reasons. I made a little compass bracket that screwed into one of the eyelets on my dodger with a stainless wingnut.
And I had a nice dry spot beneath the dodger.
My old Zodiac also had a mast mount on top of the bow. I made a beautiful bow light which screwed right into it. Thanks to Zodiac service manager Ian Marshall who answered my request for a broken off mast so I could use the base. I wish I had a picture of that mount; it was a work of art.
I'm formulating a plan. It will be cool and I'll post when I'm done, but I was hoping you guys might show me something I hadn't thought of.
I like to keep things simple.
I also made a really simple but cool stern light for my old boat. It was a rope start so I didn't need a battery so a 6 volt lantern battery fulfilled all my needs, and was handy as a spare for my 6 volt Dacor light.
We have a legal requirement here in Ontario to have a working water proof flashlight (Torch for you UK guys) on board all boats. I used a nice ABS bodied 2 AA light and glued a female plumbing fitting to the end. It simply screwed onto the top of the mast to be used as a stern light, or stowed to keep things legal. I love plumbing fittings because they're cheap, plentiful, and easily glued.
Cheers

m chappelow · 19 September 2010, 22:24

yes we made a few out of pvc plumming pipe and fittings over the years though it did have a habit of flexing if too long a peices and a radar relector was fitted ,,lol ,,abs stuff and glued as you have done is better, i even bolted some pipe clips on the lighting board for the trailer that just pushed on .
,,best one i made was from an old aluminium constuction/builders scaffold,walkway that fell from a building in high winds and was written off along with a dozen parked cars ,,got it from the local scrap/junk yard ,then spent the next few weeks working out the best ways that i could use the fittings in one way or another ,but on that one i mounted 12 volt lights,

funny you mentioned the zodiac flag mount as we did something on the same lines though i am not too sure if at one time you could get lights to fit the flag mount from zodiac ,think i might have seen them in a zodiac spares catalouge,,,think they cost more than i paid for the boat second hand so i dident bother ,lol ,
on an open decked hard fishing boat i once had used a single ali scaff pole about 15 foot tall in the centre of the boat bolted to the floor ,with the nav/ running lights mounted on that and with a radar reflector and the vhf aierial fixed to the top ,

just found another late 70s photo of the zodiac with a decoraters paint roller extension pole that we used with i think was an ww2 lifejacket light on top .
funny we spent hours and hours looking and making all this stuff then only went out in the dark about once every 10 years or so ..lol

mirssant · 23 September 2010, 03:31

Last Year I bougth the Scotty rod holder glue on pad to fit the 12 volts perco red/green ligth over the bow it works very well, as soon as posible i´w post some pics, i contact directly to Scotty in Canada because there is not dealers in my country and the atention was exellent.

http://www.scotty.com/about-scotty/p...-catalogue.htm

tumnus · 07 October 2010, 16:58

Hi - been browsing this brilliant site for a while now, and just signed up......

I'm not sure that us in smal boats are exempt from the letter of the law...... the colregs say something along the lines of

A power-driven vessel of less than 12 metres (39.4 ft) may display only an all-round white light and sidelights.
A power-driven vessel of less than 7 metres (23.0 ft) whose maximum speed does not exceed 7 knots (13 km/h; 8 mph) may display only an all-round white light.

so the way I've always read it is that is that lights are required - and the allround white should also be at least 1m above the side lights. Or am I missing something ?- I would hate for anyones insurance to be exempt because they were not showing the correct lights ( especially as now you can get the battery ones cheaply )

Any ideas ?

thanks

jyasaki · 07 October 2010, 18:46

Tumnus; I think you misunderstood what I was saying.

The lights are required; the positioning of them on a small boat (at least in the US - I can't speak to the UK/Europe) is given leeway, as many small boats are arranged such that "proper" positioning is either impossible or unfeasable. As an example, the all-around light should ideally be placed on center-line; on many small boats it's placed on the gunwale line. I've seen other small boats that have the red/green nav lights placed on one side as well (though personally I would try hard to avoid that.)

jky

kelson · 07 October 2010, 22:29

The plastic tube for the all around light didn't work for long for me. I extended a short all around pole using aluminum tube. The tube fits into a Hollaender Speed-Rail fitting and secures with set screws. Very durable and easily removed (the wire exits from the side of the tube making removal from the fitting no problem). My front red/green light is a nice 2nm light mounted onto a cutting board. Cheaper than buying the material and cutting holes for the shock cords. Those two d rings up front for the bow bag make great attachment points for the cords. The other ends attach to the tow ring up front. Has never come off and I'm allowed to exceed 7 knots at night. Everything plugs into a 12 volt socket under my console.

Eh, What's up with kayak fishermen on the bay with no lights? Between me and the Navy seals zipping around that is not a great idea...

Northern Pike · 07 October 2010, 23:21

Now we're getting somewhere. That's what I was looking for, creative solutions. Thanks again Kelson! What else have you guys come up with?

tumnus · 08 October 2010, 15:48

jyasaki - my apolgies, you're right - I had misunderstood your point.

jyasaki · 08 October 2010, 16:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelson

My front red/green light is a nice 2nm light mounted onto a cutting board.

Added bonus is the area to slice things up if you happen to land one of the rare wild salami's.

Quote:

Eh, What's up with kayak fishermen on the bay with no lights? Between me and the Navy seals zipping around that is not a great idea...

By law, they're only required to carry a flashlight or similar to warn others of their presence.

That said, I was on a lobster trip on a 80-something foot boat that almost ran over a group of a dozen kayakers while exiting the Santa Barbara harbor at about 11pm. Not a light among them as far as I could tell. I was impressed that the captain saw them in time to evade them, as I had trouble making them out when I knew they were there.

jky

Northern Pike · 06 September 2011, 18:02

Well, after a great deal of pondering and head scratching, this is what I've come up with.
I wanted something easily removable, stowable, and unbreakable. I used some thick rubber matting that I had laying around. The natural curvature of it fit the tubes nicely. The lights are attached with countersunk nylon flathead machine screws.