and the lights to do that
are red/green with 135degree stern light. The white light shining forward,which I’ve done a LOT will illuminate your boat as will the one shining aft on the stern. Except it’s not legally a running light and the bright light will mess with your night vision.
When I don’t have a red/green/stern light that’s exactly what I’ve done with two Princeton tec LED lights, one shining forward and one shining aft with the center of the beam on the ends of the kayak.
I think your concern about being misinterpreted as a boat far away does not hold because the larger boat you are concerned with is looking DOWN and seeing you below the horizon. That identifies your size and distance more than anything. Also the faster boat sees a parallax kind of movement with you that defines your distance. The boat far away moves with you like the moon, the object close to you moves relative to objects around it providing depth.
All I can say is that there’s a few other folks who have been through the decision making process and experimentation you’re going through. I can’t find the web page but with searching you might find it on www.conyak.org referencing a concerted effort by a club to try different combinations and the one that worked best was the one that made your kayak look like other appropriately rigged vessels.
Once you go off on creative tangents you get further from standard practice confusing those around you as opposed to providing clear information “I’m a small sailboat/rowboat” as opposed to “a lit thing on the water”
It’s like justifying bike messager riding skills as something every cyclist should do. If everyone does it folks get into accidents more often.
yr skinny
feedback re. red/green
all I can contribute is my experience. The cover of the tek-tite light can be folded in such a way that you do not directly view the lens and the only light you see is the reflected light off the deck. I’ve used this on a light grey deck and the light reflected off the deck was not as bothersome on night vision as any intermittently used white light(torch).
The direct feedback I’ve receieved from other people was that from THEIR view the red/green led lights were VERY bright. From what I"ve seen of small ski boats and some sailboats with 5watt incandescents and thick lenses the tek-tite surpassed them in visibility. I’ve seen it and had the same feedback back from folks.
The second thing that’s most important to me and may not be an issue for others is that these lights will continue to work no matter the conditions, they will work if a wave knocks over them and will work througout any rescue. My problem with all the vertically mounted light systems is that for a person being rescued they will quite likely be paddling back to safety without a functioning light in the conditions that knocked them over.
Seems to me that safety equipment shouldn’t leave you more vulnerable than when you got into a capsize situation or complicate conventional rescues.
“where’s your light?”
“I don’t know”
“wait, let me get your light back in position”
etc.
If one truly is in a situation where being seen is a priority then it shouldn’t be compromised in normal use just as your kayak should still be paddlable after a rescue the lights shouldn’t require rescueing or reinstallation.
Agreed…
Rule number one:
TWO is ONE
ONE is NONE
(Backup/redundant)
I use a pole mounted light to my left rear, above my shoulder…and I wear a 3 watt led headlamp, with a 3 watt tactical light at my waist in a belt pouch…
for the record, I am a sailing vessel when my masted sail is physically mounted to the boat, that’s why I display registration numbers on my yak in a state that does not require paddlecraft to be registered.
WHEN I’m under sail at night I display RED/GREEN on the bow (It’s LAW)…caught out after dark unexpectedly…I’d dismast the sail and return to paddling…(Hasn’t happened but I’ll not tempt fate by saying it couldn’t).
it’s so easy now with LEDs
there’s been enough times cycling or paddling where I ended up returning at dusk, after dark, or when the batteries ran out. Those little 3AAA Princeton tec head lamps are killer. Small, waterproof and BRIGHT. The 4AAA flashlights are bombproof, long lasting and bright enough for signaling. But when it comes to needing over a watt it takes 4AA.
I wish!
More likely mathematically challenged.