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!!!
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.
Lost in the dark!
Headlamps bad - read the article!
fishboat operator
In SF I came back to the marina with six other paddlers,the first thing the operator said from up top was “I can’t see anyone of you m******f******s out there!!”
Everyone had some combination of AAcell headlamps and 2AAcell 360degree lights. It was at that point I started carrying 4C cell halogen dive lights.
I finally put in an order for red/green LED lights. That with a 4AA 1watt white LED light for the stern should do it.
It’s worth having a VERY BRIGHT light as standby beyond the regular running lights.