Those regulations specify minimum requirements but do not address specific maximums other than the light interfering with you seeing somebody else's navigation lights or the color of the light you were displaying and where it is at on the boat. Rather than get some fancy light meter just grab a buddy and go out in the middle someplace where you are two and half statute miles or 4 kilometers apart from each other and take a picture of the other 's boat with your cell phones. If the Coasties or the courts question your lamp choice just showed them the picture of your equipment which was verified by inspection that you have recorded. Save it to the Internet or grandmas cookie jar or wherever it might be accessible in some unknown future. Always carry a spare.
Rewiring masthead and forward steaming light
- Thread starter PK123
- Start date
Most of this has been covered but here is what I did when I rewired my mast. It should be noted that my mast has a full height conduit with a 12" gap at the spreaders.
- Used 4-conductor Ancor 14/4 flat cable in a sheath. One went to the masthead for anchor, tricolor, windex and common ground. a seperate one went to the spreader for spreader, bow, steaming and common ground. That way, the weight of the wire was supported by the sheath. I also tied a loose overhand knot at the top of each cable so that it could not slide down into the conduit.
- Changed all lights up the mast to LED.
- Ran both cables all the way back to the electrical panel. To pull the mast I disconnect the wires from the panel and pull the two cables back to the bilge with a mousing line attached before the mast is pulled. Once the mast comes up a few inches, I pull the cables up through the compression post. That what I have no connections anywhere from the light to the panel.
Output is just part of the requirement though. Another important part is off-angle visibility. This is especially important on sailboats as they heel. Putting an LED into a fixture designed for a differently shaped/sized bulb might mean the lens doesn’t refract the light to the right angles anymore. More specifics at https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/Alerts/0219.pdf , and an article on the topic at Coast Guard Nav Light Safety Alert - Practical Sailor .