Even paranoid kayakers have enemies
I have liitle experience here, however, I have followed many posts on several forums and read David Burch’s book on Kayak Navigation.
Danger- There are laws here, with big big fines, and big consequences in terms of our life being messed with, bigs costs if you cause or contribute to any negative outcome, confusion about whether to go with your own local interpretation, state, coast guard, etc. Big nasty stuff here and we come to this often as folks look for fun and enter a world of commercial legal seamanship laws. Burch opened my eyes, if you go where the big ships go, ignorance will not save you, and huge fines in the offing. I personally am going to really learn about this stuff.
Around Fort Lauderdale
My understanding is a paddler is required only to have a flashlight or similiar to turn on as needed to warn other approaching watercraft.
Of course meeting the requirments of larger motorcraft isn’t a bad idea nor do I think any law enforcement agency would have a problem red/green on the bow and white light astern.
One bad idea though is to shine a bright light at the operator of the approaching craft because they will lose their night vision for a moment and often upset them terribly. Second hand experience I had.
Brian
Home built system
Here is a link to a great site on homebuilt light systems for bicycles. (sidestepping the whole legal thing.)
http://nordicgroup.us/s78/
perhaps some of it is relevant.
I’m in SE FL - regs state
that you (as a vessel under oars) can have a light you can direct at other vessels (flashlight) - or you can outfit with running lights like other small boats -or of course both.
As for running lights, the other boats really appreciate it - and fixed lights sure beat grabbing for a flashlight!
***Boats look out for other boats at night - not some invisible kook who suddenly starts waving a flashlight.***
Inland paddlers (non-CG areas)- do what ever you want. I paddle ICW and other heavily traveled areas and have a CG station 2.5 miles from my put in. Waters here are mostly empty at night except Water Taxi, etc. Those guys get really pissed if you’re out at night with no fixed lights - regs or not!
Requirement vs. reality
Yeah, flashlight may be legal minimum - but sucks for lots of reasons. Do the bare minimum at your own risk - and based on where and how you paddle. I use two hands - and using a flashlight means stopping. If I’m about to be run down - I ain’t stopping to mess with no flashlight!
Added lights are perfectly legal - as long as they follow the guidelines on color and location (and NO STROBES!) for smaller vessels.
I thought that was implied
"or what you’ll use for signalling when a strobe isn’t appropriate. Ideally for that rescue situation it should be a strobe "
Now that we’re off daylight savings time
I still try to get in 60-90minutes worth of paddling in after work at least 2-3 times/wk. I bought flashlight (D-cell)type running lights from Walmart for $15 and mounted them fore & aft on my Minn II. I also have reflective tape along the gunwhales and on my paddle blade. I also wear reflective bands on my clothing and PFD. If I’m paddling my Perception Carolina, I usually wear a headlamp. There’s not much after dark boat traffic on Lake Norman, but 40mph bass boaters are always a potential danger. That’s why I always have a red strobe attached to my PFD if needed.
basics needed
Basic questions: should i have a white light on the back of my PFD or try to mount one on the rear of the boat. I’m not going to put the green/red lights or similar reflectors on the bow. I may add reflective tape. But, is a constant white light toward the rear of my boat enough to get me by?
Don’t anyone steel my invention
Radio Shack has all kinds of doohickies that can be turned into running lights.
They have nifty little boxes, drill 3 holes for red and 3 holes for green LED’s, add silicone, attach nifty little battery box or connector for AA’s or 9 volt, manufacture a little blinder for between the red and greens lights to seperate them and badabing, you have a running light that might work. Some one let me know, I haven’t made one yet but they have all the fixins and wouldn’t cost but about $ 8-10 dollars.
and rig up a toggle or push button switch. I know it will work but will it be bright enough ?
Brian
Too much work, and then…
even more work to make something like that stand up to my requirements for paddling gear (submersible, reliable, accessible from cockpit, etc.).
But I already have something tough, light weight, and simple that works. Worth a little more $ to me.
Agree and not
Kris,
I totally agree with you a flash light is not the safest way but I don’t agree with your system either.
The purpose of the red/green light is to understand the course of the other boat, which side are they showing us, basicly where is the other boat going.
Anybody with a point of view more “elevated” then your kayak (all power boats) will just see both lights, just one of top of the other.
Mario
Really?
1. They other boat would have to be pretty close. Closer that you are assuming. Close enough that I’d hope they’d seen me long before getting that close. Those lights are pretty close to the shearline. I see many small boats here that have both R/G visible from various angles. Causes no problems. If it did, some electrical tape on one side of the cone would correct.
2. Seeing both colors would indicate I’m approaching them - which only makes them more cautions. If there was confusion - let it be that.
4. Closing speeds where I’d night paddle are not going to be over 10-12 knows MAX (both vessels combined). Tons of time to see and be seen - and use the first line of defense: MANEUVERING!
5. Using my setup does not preclude also having a flashlight. Rely on one at your own risk. I’d paddle faster and clear the other boat long before I’d stop to get out a flashlight! Can you say “siting duck”?
Lights on a kayak are a courtesy more than a real safety device. On a kayak, unless you want a full electrical system to maintain and carry around, you have to make some compromises. My compromised lean toward functionality/durability/simplicity.
An article you should read:
http://home.earthlink.net/~taterka/LightMemo.html
Read this!!!
– Last Updated: Nov-12-04 4:22 PM EST –
http://home.earthlink.net/~taterka/LightMemo.html
Might help some of you understand why I use what I use.
A snippet: "The red/green running light concept gets rid of one of the problem facing an urban paddler at night: How to avoid his/her white light being lost in the confusion of bright lights of a city? The US Coast Guard requirement that small human-powered vessels have a white light ready to turn on when approached by oncoming traffic is totally inadequate except on some small lake somewhere."
I’m still
trying to come up with the “perfect system” but I’m aiming at a simple piece of pipe, about 3 feet long with a suction cup on one side and 1 bulb on the other. The side with the light would be round with red/green/white sections. It will be tethered and easily attached on deck behind the cockpit.
Mario
Some folks
have suggested using a bright flashlight inside the hull of a light-colored plastic kayak.
A headlight will keep your hands free.
Don’t try to hold the approaching boat in the beam. Sweep across them a couple of times to get their attention, then light up your own foredeck so they know what you are. It’s hard to judge the location of a single point of light on a dark night.
Good luck - read the article
Don’t think I didn’t experiment with a few things before ending up where I am.
One you see how much a suction cupped mast wobbles around (and right off the deck!), and what a pain it is to reach and change batteries, I think you’ll consider other options.
Maybe for very short quiet paddles you could rig something OK, but a simple white light on a hat is suffucient and a lot simpler.
On my SOT I had the battery lights from the boat stores. R/G lens one attached to front carry handle, white one on a mast at the stern (screwwed into a metal brtacket). Looked fine - but I had to turn them on while off the boat. They worked OK for one paddle, but both got dim very quickly. Second time I used them the white one crapped out and never worked again. These are sealed lights made for boating - better than most could rig themselves - but are still just cheap flashlights with a gasket.
You get what you pay for.
The LED version of same lights are a bit better, but are still more than I really want on deck.
I’m a clean decks paddler these days. Too many reasons for that to go into here. Masts and bulky fixed lights are not going to cut it.
For minimal, just get an ACR C-Light and attach it high on the back of PFD or to a hat. OK brightness and has a lens that shows 360 degrees and is directional out the tip for using to see what your doing. I have kept one on my PFD for 2 years now - but will ride too low on new PFD so may skip it. Only used it twice anyway.
Basic option
For minimal, just get an ACR C-Light and attach it high on the back of PFD or to a hat. OK brightness and has a lens that shows 360 degrees and is directional out the tip for using to see what your doing too.
Awesome article Greyak!!!
The article link is simply awesome, those people stepped back, got rid of any hide bound opinions, axes, and narrow views, looked at the big picture and really thought it through. Allot of good information and solutions that can work in different locales, not just Big Apple. Thanks!
What happened to number 3?
that’s what i was looking for
think i’ll go with that and a headlamp to signal other boaters. thanks for the help.