Stern light Q’s

[fred1diver]

Hello again all
We are trying to make the stern top panel more user friendly when boarding the swim ladder, our stern light is right where we can step

so we were thinking of replacing it for a transom mounted one.
now the question, does it have to be centered of can it be mounted about a foot to the starboard position?
I cut out the template for it and put it where we think would be best (green tape)
What do you think?
in the center there is the backstay chain plate, so I do not want to weaken that area

 

[jssailem]

The CG has a statement about this.

(c) “Sternlight” means a white light placed as nearly as practicable at the​

stern showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 135 degrees​

and so fixed as to show the light 67.5 degrees from right aft on each side of​

the vessel.​

Found at this site Rules20-31.pdf

 

[kloudie1]

There is no requirement that the light be mounted on centerline..as John says..
My H-34 has it on the stern stanchion just to port of the swimladder opening.. you could put it on a bracket on your starboard stanchion just above the tape line. The regulation states that the stern light throw an unbroken arc of 135 degrees, white light, dead astern. The swimladder would interrupt the arc of light if the light were to be mounted on the transom. Straught up from the "D" in "CLOUD" you can see the light mounted simply on a small tab welded to the horizontal rail. The wire is run through the tubing
.

 

[dLj]

My stern light is mounted on pole on the starboard side of my stern. It only needs to be visible from the stern of the boat at the angles required by col regs. It shouldn't be so high it could be confused with a steaming light.

dj

 

[fred1diver]

Ok, so would under the backstay’s chainplate be too low? Or would the ladder be in the way?

 

[dLj]

Ok, so would under the backstay’s chainplate be too low? Or would the ladder be in the way?

You'd have to see but it looks like it could work. It does look a little low.

I don't think I'd want it there - but that's because I think I'd possibly hit it somehow with either a foot, or something else as I use my ladder for a lot of things. But you know how you use your boat.

dj

 

[Project_Mayhem]

My O'Day had it on the coaming. The replacement one was so bright that bugs followed us everywhere. I ended up putting a dimmer on it

 

[FastOlson]

Ours is on the radar post. Really great place to be seen, and the glow from it does not fall into the cockpit.

 

[jssailem]

It can be anyplace as long as the light is not obstructed. Think about the issue from a boater who is a thousand yards behind you. e sees youlight.

Ok there is a boat out there.

Then the light goes out.

Where did he go?

He doesn’t know that the light was obstructed. Then the light blinks on again. Now he is confused. Is there one light or two lights - meaning possibly 2 boats.

The Coast Guard stated that the light must be solid ( unbroken light) for the 135 degrees behind you.

 

[Rick Webb]

I've seen many placed just as you are planning. the obstruction from the swim ladder would be virtually impossible to distinguish. If it was something you were truly concerned about you could add a block behind the stern light so it protruded further out. PVC lumber is great for this or Starboard.

 

[smokey73]

Ours is on the radar post. Really great place to be seen, and the glow from it does not fall into the cockpit.

Same here.

 

[Joe]

You can put it anywhere, as long as it can be seen correctly. Some people have it as part of a masthead fixture... a single tri color device, red for port side, green for starboard, white for stern. (Although I don't think it's a good system, since the mast will move around considerably and could cause some confusion. The light colors and arrangement are intended to tell other boaters which direction your vessel is moving. Read the col regs. If you buy a ight it will have the explanation and mounting instruction

 

[dLj]

You can put it anywhere, as long as it can be seen correctly. Some people have it as part of a masthead fixture... a single tri color device, red for port side, green for starboard, white for stern. (Although I don't think it's a good system, since the mast will move around considerably and could cause some confusion. The light colors and arrangement are intended to tell other boaters which direction your vessel is moving. Read the col regs. If you buy a ight it will have the explanation and mounting instruction

When placed at the mast head - all three red, green and white are there. It's preferred to have the three lights run at approximately the same height above water. That said, a few feet difference will be invisible at a distance.

As to the mast head tricolor being confusing moving around - that's not been my experience. From the distances that lights are used, that movement is not a problem. An advantage is that it raises the lights high enough so with waves/swell you usually still see the lights. Sailboats tend to have low freeboard so deck mounted lights can be hard to see due to waves/swell. In coastal or inland lakes, the mast head light can be too high for small boats to see (they don't look up). I think the best (if sailing in all conditions) is to have a masthead tri and deck mounted lights - of course you can only run one set at a time - but depending on where you are, you can turn on the more visible option.

dj

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I've found that the problem with the stern light is that very often there are too many obstructions to easily find an unobstructed location. I have a grill, an outboard motor and a lifesling mounted on the aft end of my pushpit and the plate that Catalina provided just below the upper rail of the pushpit just wouldn't work. I mounted a Scanstrut single instrument pod above the top rail to house the light. It was a bit pricey to do it this way but it was a satisfying result. I was always annoyed by the amount of light that kicked back into the cockpit via the cheap plate that Catalina installed. With the back of the light completely encased, there is no light spillage and I have to peer over the back just to make sure the light is on! I Installed a Marinebeam LED stern light that really does the job well.

Many of the larger boats have the dinghy hanging off the davits, which could be a total obstruction. I'm guessing they need to get the light above the dinghy.

 

[fred1diver]

Ok, so quick update, I looked inside the stern lazarette and found there is no backing plates for the backstay’s chainplate, so it will be installed a bit to the right of the chainplate above the top rung of the swim ladder
I checked thoroughly inside and no obstruction at all, easy for the wiring as well.
Also found my blower motor
The blue picture shows 3 inline bolts, those are what hold my chainplate.

 

[FastOlson]

found there is no backing plates for the backstay’s chainplate,

That might be concerning on a cheaper boat, but Peason was known to build solid boats so perhaps the whole transom has a lot of layers of glass.
(On our boat the center lay-up of the transom where the back stay tang is attached is measurably heaver than the outer sections in order to carry the load.) When the bolts are out for checking that SS plate for cracking, measure the thickness of the transom holes. If the layup is about a half inch or more, that's a good sign.
And it's always best to add a backing plate for stuff you later install, just to be sure. I use G10 plate for that purpose, set in epoxy mush.

 

[BigEasy]

Ours is on the radar post. Really great place to be seen, and the glow from it does not fall into the cockpit.

Mine is located off center on transom, low enough that it doesn’t cast any light into cockpit. I once had a an aluminum run about that had a pole mounted stern light that seriously affected my night vision when heading to my duck hunting site @ 5:00 in morning. Couldn’t see where I was heading. My modification rendered the stern light not within USCG regs; however, at least it prevented me from going aground!

 

[MFD]

Mine from the factory is located towards the starboard side, about 40/60, on the stern above the swim step.

I have one of those backlog projects to get it moved up onto the stern solar panel framing which will also raise its height which can be useful in heavier seas (yes, a traditional masthead tri would also fix that but can be deceiving in local waters).

The primary reason for my move is I sometimes lash down ‘junk on the trunk’ like Jerry cans and such which blocks a good chunk of visibility. I have to move that stuff when sailing at night. Also prevents from stern lashing the dinghy at night.

I would say do not fixate on it being dead center, or minor blocking items such as a stanchion or something where the light will become visible quickly again.

By the very fact that you are thinking about this and asking around says you are most likely on the right track?

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I agree that there is no need to worry about centering the light. Most boat manufacturers mount it to one side or the other. Basically, I never see the stern light mounted in the center. I also think it is a bad idea to mount it any lower than the gunnel. The higher off the rail, the better.

 

[fred1diver]

Here are the results, just need to finish the wiring