Beacon Light

[robert19954]

Can anyone tell me how to obtain a new beacon light for the top of my main mast. I had it on blocks for repairs, when some folks cutting the grass drove the riding mower into the top end of the mast breaking the light. I have a 23 foot sailboat from around 1980, It looks good, needs a little pain but I want to sail it but I would like to have a new beacon light.

Robert Sylvester

 

[kpgraci]

Well...no shortage of online options...

http://www.google.com/products?hl=e...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CEIQrQQwAg


You might also need some of these..

http://www.google.com/products?q=sa...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CD4QrQQwAA

 

[Chilidog]

It looks good, needs a little pain

Painting hurts?

 

[Seattle Scott]

Robert, you only turn that light on when anchored at night, so if not anchoring at night, you can go sailing day/ night without it.

 

[Ross]

In the absence of the light on the top of the mast you may hang a lantern where it may best be seen when you are at anchor. You must however light the lantern.

 

[zeehag]

ace hardware or your local wally world or a chandlery.. or look online at defender or sbo .....sbo be a good place to start. get a "no parking or mowing" sign to go with it.....goood luck...ebay. they are called masthead anchor light.
now, if you are broke or cheap as me, go to costco and find walkway lights that hang on a holder--solar ones. these are bright. use it hanging from boom. mast head anchor lights are not mandatory--the cockpit kind are more easily seen. as i dont trust folks like per-duck, i use as many as i can get away with.....i WILL be seen (if i wanna be..)..

 

[rgranger]

I always carry a red, a green and several white glow sticks on board for emergencies (battery dies etc). On one of my cruises the anchor light failed and I ran the white glow stick up the mast on a string. worked great and lasted all night. CG did not bust me (or did not see me) so ... ???? I guess it is a quick fix in a pinch!?

 

[Winkfish]

At K-marts, Wal-Marts, or most stores with marine departments (or of course on line), you can get battery powered lights that look like flashlights, but with different covers on them. I've got two as spare nav lights, one with w red/green cover, and one with a white cover. They come on posts, or with clips, etc. Great if your regular one goes out, and some of the small sailboats around here use them as their main lights.

 

[kenn]

For the heck of it, I have re-lamped our anchor and nav lights of our small boat with home-made assemblies of appropriate colour hi-intensity LEDs (and the appropriate resistor). The anchor light is 3 white LEDs facing 120 degrees apart, stern light is also 3 white LEDs, the red side of the bow light is 4 red LEDs and the green side is 3 green LEDs.

Mandatory disclaimer - obviously these are not USCG certified nav lights, and anyone doing the same as I have, does so at their own risk. For insurance compliance and maximum protection, you should only use certified fixtures.

Nonetheless... the results are actually pretty good... and I suspect that they might be visible for nearly a mile in clear calm conditions. They are certainly an improvement on the original (and also uncertified) nav lights that were factory-installed on the boat.