Navigation Light

sanjiv

sanjiv

New Member
Feb 17, 2009
10
Spot Light

Has anyone installed Spot Light on 340 DA? How difficult is it? How useful is it to have Nav Lights? Any suggestions or comments are welcome.

I apologize for not using correct term, I meant Spot light. I am new to boating.
 
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sanjiv said:
Has anyone installed Navigation Light on 340 DA? How difficult is it? How useful is it to have Nav Lights? Any suggestions or comments are welcome.
Click to expand...

You have a boat?
 
Hopefully the OP means spot light or search light???
John
 
sanjiv said:
Has anyone installed Navigation Light on 340 DA? How difficult is it? How useful is it to have Nav Lights? Any suggestions or comments are welcome.
Click to expand...

Hopefully we are dealing with a semantics issue here. The term "Navigation Lights" is generally referring to the green light showing to starboard, the red light showing to port and the white light showing to stern.

Perhaps you meant to use the term "Spot or Search light" which is often times a remote controlled high intensity light located at the bow generally used for additional visability at night.

Correct?:huh:
 
sprink56 said:
....The term "Navigation Lights" is generally referring to the green light showing to starboard, the red light showing to port and the white light showing to stern......
Click to expand...

I have seen boats with perdy’ blue ones that flash or strobe. Those look cool. Where can I get those? (kidding)
 
I find a high powered hand held spotlight , used from the cockpit, is much more effective than the built in spot on the bow.
 
Ok, I thought something was wrong, Spot light makes sense.
IMHO - The hand held spot light is the way to go. You should only use in short burst/spots to confirm what you are seeing or to highlight markers, etc.
 
Guess I’ll go against the grain.

I have the built in remote operated spot light and I use it. I’m glad I have it.

The thing I like most is the fact that it’s in front of me a good 12-14 feet so if I toggle it on briefly I find it does minimal damage to natural night vision.

Places I have used it:

Boating on the river at night. I’ll toggle the light on in the flood position then off briefly to spot buoys. It really causes the buoys conspicuity tape to stand out. This is another aid, like Radar, to help avoid collision in restricted visibility conditions like night boating.

When beaching after dark. I’ll leave it on as I get off the boat and bury the anchor. Also, it provides some light if I’m making a campfire on the beach or cleaning up before we go to bed.

When I fear another boater does not see us. I’ll toggle it on briefly, not aimed directly at the other boater so I don’t ruin their night vision. This is another safety thing.

Docking at night and after I have docked to provide some light.

Both of my hands are busy when I’m docking so I don’t want to loose a hand to holding a spot light.

I’m sure if I think real hard I can think of more.
 
I use mine on the dark areas of the ICW - it's great for spotting bouys, rocks, etc and on the open sea, there have been times where I've flicked it on and off to alert other boaters that seemed to be on an intersecting course. Better safe than sorry, and I'm glad I have it.

It's good for reading poorly marked signs in unfamiliar waters too, i.e. directions to a backwater marina.


Presentation said:
Guess I’ll go against the grain.

I have the built in remote operated spot light and I use it. I’m glad I have it.

The thing I like most is the fact that it’s in front of me a good 12-14 feet so if I toggle it on briefly I find it does minimal damage to natural night vision.

Places I have used it:

Boating on the river at night. I’ll toggle the light on in the flood position then off briefly to spot buoys. It really causes the buoys conspicuity tape to stand out. This is another aid, like Radar, to help avoid collision in restricted visibility conditions like night boating.

When beaching after dark. I’ll leave it on as I get off the boat and bury the anchor. Also, it provides some light if I’m making a campfire on the beach or cleaning up before we go to bed.

When I fear another boater does not see us. I’ll toggle it on briefly, not aimed directly at the other boater so I don’t ruin their night vision. This is another safety thing.

Docking at night and after I have docked to provide some light.

Both of my hands are busy when I’m docking so I don’t want to loose a hand to holding a spot light.

I’m sure if I think real hard I can think of more.
Click to expand...
 
Presentation said:
Guess I’ll go against the grain.

I have the built in remote operated spot light and I use it. I’m glad I have it.
Click to expand...


I agree, and I use mine as well. While radar is the best tool for boating at night my spot light comes in handy when coming home in tight channels. The ground clutter makes the radar unusable, so flicking on the spot light momentarily helps in tight quarters. Last season caught fishermen dead in front of me in the middle of a very narrow channel with no lights.

Anyone that leaves the damn thing on at night I would like to shoot. Had that happen to me once as well, I just had to stop completely, as I could not see at all.
 
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Re: Spot Light

sanjiv said:
Has anyone installed Spot Light on 340 DA? How difficult is it? How useful is it to have Nav Lights? Any suggestions or comments are welcome.

I apologize for not using correct term, I meant Spot light. I am new to boating.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the board and boating. You will get much useful information here.
As a new boater, I would highly recommend taking a basic boater safety and basic navigation course.

Oh, and don't ever call the things you hang off the boat 'bumpers" or your will get reamed here.

Have fun.
 
What does everyone recommend for a remote control spot light? I see that Jim (BOEMarine) has an ACR remote control spotlight for sale at 217. Is this a good buy?
 
We use our spot light all the time when docking at night. On a moonless night the slip is very hard to see as we have no neighbors to light things up. It's also useful when picking up a channel marker at night.
 
Most of the time I find the bow-mounted remote spotlight is enough. But for the few occasions it wasn't, a handheld is great. Trouble is the rechargeable ones can't usually work directly from 12vdc. That and they can't usually stay plugged in constantly (cheap design). Thus I find it's better to just have an inexpensive corded 12vdc spotlight handy. No worries about it being charged, no great loss if it craps out.
 
I use mine any time I am out at night. On the trip down from Melbourne to West Palm Beach it was a real life saver in the dark stretces of ICW behind Jupiter Island.
 
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