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There is a big difference between blindly following the regulations,
and trying to find something that is appropriate the works better and
is cheaper. Trying to find a better way is NOT stupid. Blindly
following the regulations IS. The regulations were written many
years ago. They are NOT written so that you will be protected, they
are written to establish liability which is a whole different arena.
The regulations state that you should have an anchor light that meets
certain specifications. The way that boat manufacturers and sailors
have chosen to comply with those regulations in the past are not
necessarily the best way to do it now.
Some ways that folks try to save on current draw and expense ARE
stupid, and shortsighted, but you cannot conclude that all of them
are. Using a kerosine light in the rigging (especially if it is dim
and/or goes out before morning) is IMHO penny wise and pound foolish.
Using an LED light with a solar on/off switch if it can be seen from
the required distance, even if it is not 'approved' is an intelligent
way to save battery power.
I don't think that an actual night light as an anchor light will be
effective to protect the boat from drunk or disoriented boaters (and
it sounds like it would be way more work than it's worth - depending
on how valuable your time is), but there are LED anchor lights as I
described which take very little power and do meet the regulations.
Inside the boat, you might want to use one of the night lights, but
we've got a CO monitor in our aft cabin which works pretty well as a
night light.
"Ed B." wrote:
How much is your life worth? You have got to be a rag man. Always looking
for something cheap, the cheaper the better that's your credo never mind if
it works. That's just plain stupid, the regulations are there for a reason
and the reason is not so some cheapskate can cobble up a 50 cent night
light.
Ed
"Dave Erickson" wrote in message
news:2Lxkb.817241$YN5.825132@sccrnsc01...
I was in Costco and saw white LED night nights at 6 for $10. I bought
them,
took a few apart. With slight modifications they will work on 12VDC
instead
of 120VAC. They automatically turn on at dark, and use a whopping 30mA
when
on, 150uA when off. They can be used as inside night lights, utility
lights
and even as anchor lights albeit not very bright, probably in violation of
a
handful of admiralty laws. The light output is pretty good thanks to the
lens, a diffuser, and a reflector. They can be used without the optics or
even without the base cover.
Compared to the Davis lights they're lower power, cost 5% as much, so when
you step on one, the expensive and hard to find Davis lamp burns out, or
lightning causes it to explode, you will have a couple of spares.
If you happen to find the same type of night lights I did, here's the
mods:
Take out the one screw and pry apart the two lens halves carefully. After
you take the first one apart you'll get the hang of it.
Unsolder the AC plug pins and pull them out with pliers while unsoldering.
Remove the little circuit board.
Short out the big film cap C1 with a small wire.
Change Rxx from 560K to 68K.
Apply +12 to the AC pin that has R1 on it.
Apply GND to the other AC pin with the two diodes.
Put it back together. Test it first, then apply lots of epoxy to seal it
up.
Since it's LED you should never have to take it apart again.
I ran a red and black wire out the holes formerly used for the AC pins.
18GA
zip cord would work fine.
Remember to fuse it externally. If you want to fuse it internally, replace
C1 with a 1A picofuse instead of a wire.
Have fun with your new $2.00 anchor light.
Dave Erickson
Apache 37 "Second Sojourn"
www.djerickson.com for lots of Bahamas and ICW pictures
Disclaimer:
If you hurt yourself, blow up your boat, or get rammed at night, it's not
my
fault.
grandma Rosalie