kerosene lanterns

Kestle

Kestle

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Jun 12, 2011
702
MacGregor 25 San Pedro
Am looking at different kerosene lanterns, and all the light out of the non-pressurized ones were pretty weak. Anyone who would actually use one for general illumination?

I'm looking fir one to use in the cockpit, but so far all are too dim.

Jeff
 
Roadking Larry

Roadking Larry

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Mar 30, 2013
700
Allied Seawind MK II 32' Oologah Lake, Oklahoma
Need to find you one of them Hollywood oil lamps. When the cowboy would light one it was like the sun came out in the room.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,982
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
There are two kinds of wicks: straight (flat) or circular. The circular ones put out much more light. Usually found in trawler lamps.
 
E

Erik V

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Mar 14, 2012
104
Macgregor 25 Stony Point NY
Why deal with kerosene in the cabin, it’s a fire hazard and stinks when you light and extinguish it. The ones that use a mantel burn very brightly but are noisy. LED lighting works well and draws very little power. Even the portable units work very well, a couple of batteries last a long time.
 
Bowedtoothdoc

Bowedtoothdoc

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Oct 24, 2011
278
Hunter Passage 450 Lake Lanier, GA
Erik V said:
Why deal with kerosene in the cabin, it’s a fire hazard and stinks when you light and extinguish it. The ones that use a mantel burn very brightly but are noisy. LED lighting works well and draws very little power. Even the portable units work very well, a couple of batteries last a long time.
Click to expand
I would have to second the above comments. If you want the authenticity of some kind of nautical lamp aka "Weems and Plath" brass lamps, these are oil lamps and use a paraffin based fuel that has little odor. You should also check the local walmart for some LED lighting in the camping section as I purchased a nice LED camping light for around $10 that we use in the cockpit.
You can find it here:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-A2855/15599760
 
topcat0399

topcat0399

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Aug 22, 2011
1,113
MacGregor Venture V224 Cheeseland
Bowedtoothdoc said:
I would have to second the above comments. If you want the authenticity of some kind of nautical lamp aka "Weems and Plath" brass lamps, these are oil lamps and use a paraffin based fuel that has little odor. You should also check the local walmart for some LED lighting in the camping section as I purchased a nice LED camping light for around $10 that we use in the cockpit.
You can find it here:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-A2855/15599760
Click to expand


Triple That. We bought some CHEEP led light strips, rolls of 20 feet I think with stick on backing (will probably hot glue them at some point). Went with a set of soft white and a set of blue (I value night vision greatly).

Stuck the white up around the groove of the pop top and the blue all the way around under where the side decks are. I try to avoid having a bulb exposed to the eye). A switch for each color and it works out great.
 
vizwhiz

vizwhiz

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Aug 7, 2011
496
MacGregor 26S Lakeland, FL
Would love to hear more from others on how they light the cockpit and if anyone else uses fuel-based lighting instead of electric.
 
MrBill_FLL

MrBill_FLL

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May 4, 2005
4,062
Macgregor 26d Ft Lauderdale, Fl
I'm using a davis mega light. dusk to dawn plugs in a cigarette lighter.

very low amps, I use it as my anchor light. tie if off the backstay and the mast pigtail, and raise or lower as needed.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00144BCYY...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3p59zwa8rk_b

but its not very bright.

I'm also using a weems and plath mini yacht lamp. a little pain to light, but very happy with it.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...gclid=COiC8rzsj7sCFfPm7AodQTEA_w#.UpuZ3-I0D_Y

for task lighting I like to use headlamps.
 
P

Piotr

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Dec 6, 2010
848
MacGregor 25 Rock Hall, MD
Using kerosene is just asking for a test of your insurance and the "abandon ship " drill...
 
S

seaStan

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Jul 22, 2009
44
2 26M Pilot
the kerosene lamps are very hot and need a deflector on the ceiling to keep from melting the roof. I have actually put a grate over one of mine and boiled water on it. It was an aladdin lamp and was about as bright as a 40 watt bulb. What I use is some really neat led strips from 3m company that are 12 volt, come in 15 ft rolls, waterproof and have adhesive on the back. they can be plugged together or cut to length. They come in white or 3 color rolls and can be used with a remote. The red in particular is nice at night so it does not affect your night vision. They can even do color fades and chase like christmas lights do. I have a roll of them in the cabin and a roll in the cockpit on one side of the seats. The adhesive is really strong and I even used them to fix a big 2 door freezer when it's lights went out. Plenty of light and the adhesive even sticks tight in the freezer.
 
timebandit

timebandit

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Jun 3, 2004
1,863
Macgregor 25 So. Cal.
I use several different lights.

A candle lantern with liquid candles with centronella to keep the bugs away. Very low light but enuff to get around when very dark. Good for talking and drinking. Does not spill or blow out.

Oil latern with PURE OIL. A little brighter than the candle. Good for eating and drinking, kinna romatic. Can be hoisted up the forestay and used for an anchor lignt, won't blow out. Produces a good deal of heat above, so don't get it too closeto the top or boom with the cover on, about 9 inches is safe, less if a good breeze.

I have two Coleman propane lanterns. They are the small single mantle ones that just screw on to the cylinder. They produce enuff light to be able to read by but throw off a lot of heat. They won't blow out and can be used as a anchor light.

You can see sort of a comparison here on pages 4 and 5.

http://s361.photobucket.com/user/Tmebandt/library/?sort=6&page=1
 
timebandit

timebandit

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Jun 3, 2004
1,863
Macgregor 25 So. Cal.
Watch out!!

Those cheap $5 huracane lanterns have holes in the tank where the sides are welded on so that they will leak if tilted to far when full.
 
philwsailz

philwsailz

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Dec 11, 2008
1,338
catalina C27 stillwater
I had not pondered cockpit lighting but a brief brain-storming says that a strip of LED could somehow be permanently affixed somewhere? You can get it in colors; red would be ideal for the cockpit. It is dimmable too...

My first thought was to simply glue it to the bottom of the boom, but a sail cover is going to cause problems there. A broom-handle or other straight cheap free item could be suspended under the boom, with a simple plug. I could see the apparatus being very quick to install after anchoring, and it could plug in to a simple plug with a variable resistor in-line with tthe +12V to control brightness.


Whatever you do, don't gor for blue, regardless how pretty you think it is. What color are the lights in bug zappers? ...... Trust me I know.:cussing: If you are in-land do not use blue unless you want to be considered dinner....
 
I

IStream

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Nov 14, 2013
200
Catalina 50 Seattle
If you want to stick with a kerosene lantern, go with a high quality hurricane style. They won't leak like the $5 cheapos, they self-extinguish if tipped over, and they put out a lot more light and a lot less soot than the traditional brass ship's lanterns. In a small boat, they'll even take the chill off when it's cold out. Dietz brand are good, as are the ones that W.T. Kirkman has made in China under their own brand. Neither will top $20. If you want one in brass you'll pay a steep premium (like 3-4X the price), I like the Dietz #76:

http://www.lanternnet.com/Merchant2..._Code=WKL&Product_Code=DHL76&Category_Code=DL

W.T. Kirkman is the best shop I've found but Vermont Lanterns is good too, if a bit more expensive.
 
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