Cockpit Anchor Light

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
I used to have a nice, D-battery powered light I'd hang from the boom as an anchor light in crowded harbors. It broke.

Any recommendations for a replacement? I've been searching, but haven't found anything that fits the bill.

Thanks,

jv
 
May 4, 2018
23
Catalina 25 SV Colorado
I used a cheap Harbor Freight solar light, the post fit perfectly in the winch. Not legal, I just wanted more light.

I guess you could hoist it or add a solar light on the top of your mast.
 

capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
If the whole point in having an anchor light is to ensure that any other vessel underway at night can see your vessel at anchor, never mind the legalities, why would you bother to put up something that just doesn't do the job?
Those little garden path solar lights are a joke. Colored and flickering solar lights are a joke. They do not do the job! They easily get lost in the background lights. Those stupid things can barely be seen from a dinghy 20 feet away unless you know exactly what they are (because they are on your boat).
Something like this will give your boat the very best chance of being seen, even in inclement weather. A pretty cheap insurance policy, IMO. This light is so bright it actually hurts your eyes if you are looking at it from the deck of a boat 50 to 100 feet away, and can be masthead or temporarily mounted in a variety of ways. And best of all you can identify your own boat when coming back from dinner ashore without having to leave your spreader or navigation lights on until you return.
Hella marine NaviLED 360 All-Round Navigation Light
Hella marine NaviLED 360 All-Round Navigation Light.jpg
 
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TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
I used to have a nice, D-battery powered light I'd hang from the boom as an anchor light in crowded harbors. It broke.

Any recommendations for a replacement? I've been searching, but haven't found anything that fits the bill.

Thanks,

jv
We've used a Davis anchor light for about a decade and like it. It came with 2 bulbs. The lower wattage was a little dim so we use the higher, which is still minimal.

The new ones may come with an LED bulb (I'd like to get that LED replacement).

It's fool proof having a light sensor switch. We have 3 12V receptacles (mostly for USB chargers) around the companionway so there's alway a space for it.

I prefer having the anchor light just above the cockpit. Hung from the topping lift, it doesn't show in the cabin but lights the house making the boat unmistakable to close passing power boats, my main worry in crowded anchorages.
 
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jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Thanks. I'm thinking I might try an LED all-around white light, make a bracket or something to suspend it, upside down, from the bimini, or maybe under the boom.

So many choices!
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
The little $1.98 walkway lights from the dollar store that are solar and have a single led make a great place to start. They do not have an off switch though, and once the solar output drops, the light simply comes on.
 
Sep 14, 2014
1,251
Catalina 22 Pensacola, Florida
Exactly , no fuss no bother, can even put one in each winch top and stick one somewhere on boom , total cost 3 bucks if you get the 99 cent ones as walmart. And if you want to read the cheap dollar 3 led battery lamp that snaps on end of your hat is great too.
 
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
The regulation is 360º viewable at 1 nautical mile. My understanding is that a kerosene lantern will meet that requirement. I think many LED lights nowadays will do fine. I have this from Marine Beam, my preferred choice for LED replacement bulbs. https://store.marinebeam.com/utility-led-anchor-light-w-dusk-to-dawn-photocell-fx-ml-01/ I think a light about 1/3 up the mast height on the main halyard tethered to the backstay works better for my typical night time traffic, which is mostly smaller boats running closer to shore who may not be looking all the way up to mast top height.
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
It would appear that this conversation has gone from anchor light to cockpit light and back again. My comments for $1.98 solar lights were never intended to encompass anchor lights.
(although we did consider that as a possible solution to the whining of the guy a few doors down who seems to think he owns the lake and never goes out after dusk, but we are a significant hazard, you understand) (we are more hazard than he could possibly imagine :) )
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Actually, it was originally for a cockpit-mounted anchor light.
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Ok, but isn't that a bit unobtainable? If the regulation is 360 degrees, how does a cockpit light deal with fixed appliances like the mast, (among others) which will at some point on the compass shield the light? Does it become a liability issue?
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
The compliance anchor light is masthead or hung from the rigging above obstructions like canvas and cabin top for a 360 view. Anything you hang in your cockpit is extra and does improve your visibility for the dreaded drunk dink driver. But it doesn’t meet your legal anchor requirement.
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
I've never heard of anyone getting busted for a non-existent or non-complying anchor light.

I'd like to comply. I could hang it from the boom-end, above the bimini. I think something closer to the water is better than at the top of the mast, for the anchorages I frequent.

I will likely do both.
 
May 17, 2004
5,026
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
I've never heard of anyone getting busted for a non-existent or non-complying anchor light.

I'd like to comply. I could hang it from the boom-end, above the bimini. I think something closer to the water is better than at the top of the mast, for the anchorages I frequent.

I will likely do both.
I think the issue is less about getting cited and more about where liability would fall if you were rammed. If you don't have a compliant light the other guy's insurance company could say you're partially at fault. (Disclaimer - IANAL)
 

jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
I think the issue is less about getting cited and more about where liability would fall if you were rammed. If you don't have a compliant light the other guy's insurance company could say you're partially at fault. (Disclaimer - IANAL)
I hear you, but it's a stretch; drunken or negligent motor boater rams you. Some months after the fact the other guy's insurance company claims your anchor light wasn't on or was non-compliant? Really? Based on what?
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,759
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
I hear you, but it's a stretch; drunken or negligent motor boater rams you. Some months after the fact the other guy's insurance company claims your anchor light wasn't on or was non-compliant? Really? Based on what?
This happened to me a few years ago. I was anchored and an idiot in a 32 foot sailboat rammed right into my starboard beam right amidship. He'd just left a yacht club - draw your own conclusions about his condition. He was, however, quite contrite and his insurance company paid. I had our backstay anchor light up, in a small anchorage right outside a marina/yacht club. This was a very, very low traffic area and an anchorage I'd been visiting regularly for many, many years, well lit by the marina, the Golden Gate Bridge lights, a Coast Gard station and my "down low" so it could be seen anchor light. It evidently wasn't. BUT: he wouldn't have seen one up high either!!!
This "is it legal?" argument has be "raging" across the internet for decades. It's beginning to get tiresome. Why? Because NO ONE has ever been able to come up with an example of anyone being denied compensation because of the lamp being used in any anchor light. And this is internet boating forum-wide; I read lots of boating forums. NONE.
This has been debated on CF in great detail. The conclusions I've drawn are quite simple: You're much better off being seen; if you have any doubts, then simply run BOTH the one at the mast head AND one further down.
What's so hard? It doesn't have to be either or, does it?

Davis Mega-light? You'd need a 12V socket.
I just hard wired mine in. You can do that, ya know. :)
 
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