Seems all nav lights are NOT created equal

[Will Gilmore]

You can test your visible angle to a fairly accurate degree with a small mirror and a tape measure. Locate the mirror a known distance out from the light and above or below. Can you see the light in the mirror?
4' out with a 2' elevation change gives you an angle of about 26.5 degrees. Check this at the forward position, the aft position and a mid position.

Here's a calculator that will help you locate your sighting points: https://www.calculator.net/triangle-calculator.html

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Michael Davis]

That's MUCH easier than pulling the boat over to 25 degrees of heel.

 

[Daveinet]

Mine does hang from the bow rail, so nothing blocks it. I think the best way to test would be to simply unscrew it and rotate it 25 degrees. Your cell phone with a level app will tell you the tilt angle. Cell phone should also have a good light meter. While it may not be able to display a quantifiable brightness, it should easily be able to measure the difference in intensity.

 

[capta]

nder

Maybe sailors were buying lights that didn’t have enough angle whenever they heel over. I’ve seen a few that didn’t show until I was about 1/4 mile away. I thought “Maybe overloaded so I couldn’t see the stern light when overtaking.”

You were overtaking a few other sailboats that were under sail?

 

[Jackdaw]

MarineBeam also doest say anything about this. But try sending orders of magnitude brighter than my old aqua signals

Marinebean DOES state that their LED switching 360/tricolor bulb has been tested by Bureau Veritas and meets horizontal AND vertical angle requirements. A little homebrew triangle testing with confirms, you could see this baby from SPACE.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Mine does hang from the bow rail, so nothing blocks it.

Not even your asym? That's the kind of thing I fail to think about sometimes. That's why threads like this are so helpful.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Jackdaw]

I've always felt the navigational light requirements were too minimalistic to be practical. At distance, all the light washes together. While the light can be seen, the surface area is so small, you can't distinguish color or even judge distance. I don't know if that is an LED issue, or just the nature of light at distance.

I don't understand this. The lighting requirement for boats have to balance many things, and on the whole I've found them satisfactory under a ton of conditions and locations. They are never going to be perfect for all conditions. If you need to confirm aspect of a vessel that is far away, use binoculars. No boat should be out at night without a good pair.

Is there something specific you don't like?

 

[All U Get]

nder
You were overtaking a few other sailboats that were under sail?

Couldn’t tell if they had sails since it was so dark and 3-4 foot following seas. I just took it as stern heavy but I got a good echo on radar so I could track him. I get a little anxious within a half mile at night.

 

[JRacer]

AIS!

 

[capta]

No boat should be out at night without a good pair.

Which brings up the question of a pair of what? lol
And yes, I definitely agree with you the binos thing. I went to 10X50 stabilized some years back, and it is one of the best expenditures I've ever made in the safety department, never mind another kind of pair department.

 

[Daveinet]

I don't understand this. The lighting requirement for boats have to balance many things, and on the whole I've found them satisfactory under a ton of conditions and locations. They are never going to be perfect for all conditions. If you need to confirm aspect of a vessel that is far away, use binoculars. No boat should be out at night without a good pair.

Is there something specific you don't like?

Although I've been out several times at night, only one other time when another boat was present. It was a small fishing boat. The light was just a tiny spec, there was not enough surface area to detect color. Could not tell if it was a stern light or a bow light. The light was too tiny to judge distance. They actually looked much farther away, because the light was so small. I don't really trust other boaters, especially at night, as one never knows if they are sober. Can't assume they would obey no wake rule.

 

[jssailem]

no wake rule.

What is that? They are like the 800 pound gorilla on the water.
They steam toward a buoy ignoring everything, crab pots, logs... The safest place is to follow them in in their wake.