It probably won’t hold up too long, but I liked how my quick and dirty light holder turned out.
http://chipwalsh.org/Misc/K-Light-Holder1.jpg
http://chipwalsh.org/Misc/K-Light-Holder2.jpg
I was ready to go kayaking and it is getting dark earlier, so I knew I’d need a light, but I really have never had a good way to mount the light. I usually just stick the light in the exit port of my bilge pump and tuck the pump under the bungees on the back deck. I wanted something better, and I wanted it quick.
I’m not sure how much better this will be, but it only took about 15 minutes with a hot-glue gun to make this. Does hot glue hold up in the marine environment? It worked well last night.
It’s a piece of pool noodle and a couple of triangular shaped pieces of foam, hot glued to a piece of stiff plastic.
~~Chip
What happened to Luci?
I was looking to see your Luci mount.
Luci was too bright
If paddling with other people, Luci is really too bright. Everybody behind gets blinded. And, I need to make a bag for Luci. Plastic grocery bag works, but kind of tacky.
How was the Western Trip? But, that’s another thread, eh?
~~Chip
Here’s a Western snippet
On a day I opted not to paddle, 8 of 12 paddlers were out of their canoes in Snake canyon of the Wind River.
Wonderful trip.
good for you for displaying white light
in time to avoid a collision. Is there reason for having in front of cockpit? I find behind is better for me to preserve my vision. I do tote a hand held flashlight to shine both for being able to see and to be seen by other boaters under power.
Oops, make that
Fish Canyon on the Wind River
Stern deck
I agree with you, as do most people I have paddled with after dark, that the light is better on the stern deck, and that is where I place mine, and where it is pictured.
Of course, the light is not visible from 360 degrees around, so I wear a head lamp, which I pull down so it loosely hangs around my neck. If approached head on by another boat, I can quickly turn on the light and shine it in the direction of the oncoming boat.
I recently paddled with a fellow who had a 3’ tall stanchion set up on his stern deck, so the light was visible above his head even from the front. I don’t think I’d like that, as I prefer to have the light blocked by my torso so that I am paddling in the dark. With the tall stanchion the beacon casts a light in front of the boat, and the eyes are going to adjust to that light, which is going to degrade vision in the darker distance. So, like you, I prefer to paddle with the light behind, except when you need it.
~~Chip
Luci holder
Chip,
I’ve found that my Luci Light fits handily in a 4.5 liter clear plastic roll-top dry bag that is then easy to clip to the deck lines. The bag I have is an off brand but it is similar to the Sealline 5 liter one you can find lots of places:
https://www.rei.com/product/784156/sealline-eco-see-dry-bag-5-liters
Since the bottom of the bag is black plastic you can invert the Luci so the bulbs face that opaque area and block the glare. The clear plastic acts as sort of a diffuser for the light too. Mine is kind of a “ripstop” patterned clear plastic (brand is “Clear Choice” but bought many years ago in a discount store – doesn’t turn up in web searches.) Paid less than $10 for this one.
I suspected a pool noodle
was involved! I use them for many projects. ;O}