We need to get some battery operated kayak running lights for our big expedition tandem kayak and are wondering what is available ?
Need the red and green for the front, and a short post mounted white for the stern.
Does any one have any and can give us a heads up as to where we can get them.
Any and all info would be helpful, including mounting suggestions.
Jack L
Got mine at
West Marine. They are LED, and suction cup mounted. Light lasts a long tome, and you look like a power boat from a distance at night.
They also stay on when I roll - had to try & see.
I use them quite a bit this time of year, and I like them a lot.
These work
Available in red, green and white:
http://www.rutabaga.com/Guardian-Light_p_286.html
For a white light on a post, either:
http://www.rutabaga.com/HydroStar-Multistrobe_p_399.html
Or:
http://www.austinkayak.com/products/488/Scotty-Sea-Light.html
Running lights
I use the red/green from West Marine.
For the rear white light, I like a white led dive light. I think it’s called “Eco Flare”. They make a strobe version too, but you don’t want that one.
I wear it on the back of my PFD. The rules for running lights require the rear (white) light be visible "from 180 degrees abaft the rear). Worn on my back, the light does not interfere with my night vision.
For the white light
take a small LED flashlight and put some clear caulk in a dome on the lens. That’ll give you 360 degree white light. Then attach the flashlight to a PVC pole. I then put the PVC into one of the rod holders on my boat.
here you go
Navlite, this red/green combo is plenty bright, can be placed in front of you for ease of turning off/on and when secured can handle any manner of rescue/rolling without becoming dislodged. I would discourage you from getting the Seattle Sports running lights. They aren’t very durable or water proof.
http://tek-tite.com/src/product_info.php?id=2162
install with AA lithium batteries and it’ll burn bright for a long time.
here’s a white light for the stern
http://tek-tite.com/src/product_info.php?id=3065
Kayak Lights
I use the Tektite red/green in areas with lots of boat traffic. (same link as posted earlier).
For the stern, it’s hard to beat the Kayalite. This uses the same waterproof Tektite light as above in a versatile base. Usually this is the only running light I carry (along with a good flashlight or headlight).
(http://www.kayalu.com/k/kayalite-portable-LED-kayak-light-boat-light-deck-anchor-stern-light.php).
Greg Stamer
ditto on the Seattle Sports (being junk)
I bought one of the Seattle Sports post lights 3 summers ago (for $35), mounted it on the boat and after two short fair weather evening outings it ceased to work. It had not been dunked, just barely splashed, and wiped off and stored indoors after each use. Took it apart and found the insides were wet and contacts corroded. Should have returned it but couldn’t find the receipt and never got around to it. Meanwhile, got a waterproof LED flashlight at an auto parts store for around $6 (5 LED’s – steady white or strobe) and it has worked like a charm for two years and through much abuse and many immersions. State regs here are for a white light so I use the flashlight strapped to my deck plus a headlamp and a small LED cliplight on the back of my PFD.
Thanks to everyone
We’ll pick up some shortly
Jack L
My kayak running lights have a suction
cup base and have the name Innovative Lighting on them. They have a website, innovativelighting.com, but it looks as if they sell them in packs of 6. Unfortunately, I’ve had them long enough to forget where I purchased them. The bow light has both the red/green lights together, unlike some that are purchased separately.
They work great, and there is a spot on the base where one can connect a lanyard for fastening to a deckline, should they for whatever reason, lose their suction at the base.
I just spent about fifteen minutes
trying to navigate through that site, and could not find any kayak running lights.
jack L
That looks great
Watching the video, I was trying to figure out: is there a suction cup under the bottom?
If not what holds it in place.
It would be nice if they also had the bow red and green lights
Jack l
Everyone loves and buys the lights
we have - The tectite light (white) for rear i think i awesome. We have the REI suction cup version and more recently the Kayalu version with is a rubber base with bungee tightener, much taller albeit a little wobbly attached to our bungees. 2 different style bases - same tectite light. Both work very well. Either one is great.
Hello jack
Hope your expedition goes well. I also have a ball cap from lowes lumber with led lights that went thru the washer and the lights still work
Kayalite mounting
The Kayalite doesn’t have a suction cup (I consider that a plus). The mount has foam on the bottom to fit the contour of your deck. Inside the mast is a length of bungi cord with a clip. You clip to an eyelet or deck lines and then pull the bungi tight and secure with the built-in jamb cleat. This gives a strong mounting AND tethers it to your kayak. You can add an eyelet easily if your kayak doesn’t have one where you need it. The Kayalite is available on Amazon if you care to read the reviews.
The Kayalite uses the Tektite light, that is rated for diving use. For the bow, Tektite makes the Navlite, which is two separate lights, a red and green, in a velcro-closure nylon case (http://www.tek-tite.com/src/product_info.php?id=2162). I picked this unit after Marty Sullivan (Salty Frog) recommended it for Watertribe races. The only thing that is a bit “rube goldberg” is that since this has two individual lights, you must twist each light to turn it on/off, but I can live with that. It is very lightweight, compact and very bright.
Greg Stamer
Thanks
Marty just sent us his trip list and way points for the Everglades challenge.
Jack L
here’s another choice
Navisafe. It’s what Seattle Sports could have been making. They have a red/green/white unit that can be mounted on a pole or separate red/green for the bow and white for the stern. Personally I’d rather have the tek-tites for rough use laying flat on the deck with the option of a pole mount on the stern. One of the nice features for the Navi-Safe 360 white light is the option of a low illumination level with four white leds for longer battery life as well as various degrees of coverage. With all 16leds going it’s BRIGHT. Just guessing that it won’t burn as long as the tek-tites.
http://www.navisafe.net/en/index.html
http://www.navisafe.net/en/products_360.html
finally
the fixed mounts make no sense for a kayak.
if you are like me,
you are short on money and look for cheaper ways to do the job.
Coleman makes acorn-LEDs with a clip in differnt colors. I clip the red and green to my bow-lines.
Visible at a quarter-mile.
Every once in awhile, Target sells glo-sticks… the kind that connect into necklaces for kids. I get them i nthe dollar-bin.
A couple wrapped around my paddle between blade and drip-ring works better than you would think. The paddle motion attracts attention and they don’t damage night-vision.
Plus hang these from the sides and grab-handles.
Also from my PFD.We looped some from a dog collar on a terrier and when he jumped overboard, we found him easily.
One thing we did with our plastic boats was to turn on a couple D-cell mag-lights and toss them into the boat, one pointing bow and one pointing stern.
They made the entire kayak glow!