Last year in the BVI we were anchored about 100 yards away from an accident
where a dinghy with 3 kids in it was run over by a powerboat. It got me
thinking about a portable running light that could be clamped to the transom
of an inflatable. I found a couple of all round white which is OK for under
7 meters and under sail or oars. With the outboard running white is better
than nothing but legally it should be a tri-color if it is capable of better
than 7 knots. COLREG 23(c).

Anyone seen such a thing? Ideally an LED type with D cells in the staff.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

There are actually a bunch of ok choices with dingy lights. None of
them that I have tried are great for several reasons. First, most just
die in a short time due to poor construction. Second, they tend to eat
batteries. And lastly, they don't stay on.

When you get up into dinghies with hard bottoms AND transoms you have a
better chace at making it work because a lot of the newer hard bottoms
have a place to mount a 12 volt battery - if you want to.

My way of doing it is a bit jimmied. I bought a water proof flashlight
(the type with the rubber jacket) and found one of those dingy
flashlights at a flee market that was broken. I took the red/green lens
off of it, slid the rubber cover off of the waterproof light and slid
the r/g lens over the front of the flashlight. When I slid the rubber
back over the top it was so tight that it was still waterproof. I made
the light 2 years ago and it still works. The rubber is looking a lot
like a dead rubber band now since it has been in the sun so long but
the light has not given out. It still eats batteries but my solution to
that was to buy some rechargeable batteries and use those until they
die without notice and then I have the regular batteries as back up. I
use those until I recharge and so far I think I have only gone through
2 sets of normal batteries in the 2 years.

The stern light was a bit more conventional. I bought a normal stern
light from walmart for about $12 or so. It is on a pole with a cheap
clamp but it works fine with a little care. My outboard probably has a
way to get voltage from it but I never tried to do it. I just buy
batteries as needed for that. A friend, though, made a light with a
translucent 35mm film container and a bunch of LED's The battery he
has seems to last forever. It is bright and knowing him it was cheap to
make.

As for your story, there was a dingy in Mag bay in about 1993 or so
that was run over by a Panga. The Panga was bow high at night with no
lights and the dingy had no lights. Both of the elderly people on board
were killed. It's no fun to know about those things but knowing has
made me use lights all the time - in FL you get a big ticket but
elsewhere you can get killed.

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in
news:5gn_e.28417$hp.24483@lakeread08:

With the outboard running white is better
than nothing but legally it should be a tri-color if it is capable of
better than 7 knots. COLREG 23(c).


ER, ah, a tri-color only shows white aft. That would be a sailboat, right?
Outboard boats are required to have an all-around white light aft and
red/green lights on the bow. West marine has them for your dink. Looks
like a flashlight with a clamp on it.

Carry a bright searchlight, too! 1,000,000 candle power will even get a
drunks attention in a cigarette boat, when he would ignore your running
lights.....(c;

--
Larry

On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 09:33:06 -0400, Larry wrote:

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in
news:5gn_e.28417$hp.24483@lakeread08:

With the outboard running white is better
than nothing but legally it should be a tri-color if it is capable of
better than 7 knots. COLREG 23(c).


ER, ah, a tri-color only shows white aft. That would be a sailboat, right?
Outboard boats are required to have an all-around white light aft and
red/green lights on the bow. West marine has them for your dink. Looks
like a flashlight with a clamp on it.

Carry a bright searchlight, too! 1,000,000 candle power will even get a
drunks attention in a cigarette boat, when he would ignore your running
lights.....(c;

Although as I have a 9.9 Honda on my Zodiac 310 RIB, I am not required
to have running lights, I go out at night frequently enough (no A/C at
home and am a bit of an insomniac) to have devised the following.

Harley-Davidson 12 volt AGM shock-corded to the lashed fuel tank.
This is charged by the magneto on the 9.9...usually suffices.
Stern light on four foot pole on hard transom...all around white.
Red/green light on bow. Both are wired to the AGM with water-resistant
fuse holders (2 Amp, I think) in line. The boat is highly visible at
night...marine unit cops pull me over thinking I'm one of them...or a
drug runner to the local islands G

Refinement: Put in a 12 V cigarette lighter adapter thingie under the
seat (Velcro'd). Bring a bright searchlight instead of the Garrity 6v
box-type flashlight I currently bring.

My "crash box" contains flares and the usual safety stuff, a cheap
GPS, a handheld VHF...and a couple of battery powered nav lights and a
few cable ties.

Works for me, although none of it is required.

R.

rhys wrote in
news
Although as I have a 9.9 Honda on my Zodiac 310 RIB, I am not required
to have running lights

You won't run far in SC that way. EVERY boat, even rowed, is required to
have proper night lighting. Row boats must have an all-around white light.
ANY size motor boat, even one with an electric trolling motor, are required
to have an all-around white light on the stern and a red-green 120 degree
sectored light on the bow.

What country is this you live in without lights??

--
Larry

Larry wrote:
rhys wrote in
news

Although as I have a 9.9 Honda on my Zodiac 310 RIB, I am not required
to have running lights


You won't run far in SC that way. EVERY boat, even rowed, is required to
have proper night lighting. Row boats must have an all-around white light.
ANY size motor boat, even one with an electric trolling motor, are required
to have an all-around white light on the stern and a red-green 120 degree
sectored light on the bow.

What country is this you live in without lights??

Maybe he stays under 7 knots and only means he doesn't need
the red/green?

To quote the COLREGS:

Rule 23

power driven Vessels Underway

(a) A power driven vessel underway shall exhibit:

(i) a masthead light forward;

(iii) sidelights: and

(iv) a sternlight.

stuff snipped

(c)
(i) A power driven vessel of less than 12 meters in
length may in lieu of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a)
of this Rule exhibit an all-round white light and sidelights.

(ii) a power driven vessel of less than 7 meters in
length whose maximum speed does not exceed 7 knots may in
lieu of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule
exhibit an all-round white light and shall, if practicable,
also exhibit sidelights.

Evan Gatehouse

Evan Gatehouse wrote in
:

and shall, if practicable,
also exhibit sidelights.

Nope. The watercops ain't gonna by that one.....(c;

Have cash ready. DNR doesn't accept large checks or credit cards.

Side lights are practicable on that dingy.

--
Larry

On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 12:53:00 -0400, Larry wrote:

rhys wrote in
news
Although as I have a 9.9 Honda on my Zodiac 310 RIB, I am not required
to have running lights

You won't run far in SC that way. EVERY boat, even rowed, is required to
have proper night lighting. Row boats must have an all-around white light.
ANY size motor boat, even one with an electric trolling motor, are required
to have an all-around white light on the stern and a red-green 120 degree
sectored light on the bow.

What country is this you live in without lights??

Lake Ontario at Toronto. There is no requirement for recreational
powered watercraft such as Zodiacs under 9.9 HP to run tri-colour
lights at night. This is not the case, obviously, with sailboats.

R.

Larry wrote:
"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in
news:5gn_e.28417$hp.24483@lakeread08:


With the outboard running white is better
than nothing but legally it should be a tri-color if it is capable of
better than 7 knots. COLREG 23(c).



ER, ah, a tri-color only shows white aft. That would be a sailboat, right?
Outboard boats are required to have an all-around white light aft and
red/green lights on the bow. West marine has them for your dink. Looks
like a flashlight with a clamp on it.

Carry a bright searchlight, too! 1,000,000 candle power will even get a
drunks attention in a cigarette boat, when he would ignore your running
lights.....(c;

Good advice - we used to carry a big Pelican dive light when
in the dinghy at night. Shine it on your own hull and
then at the unlit speedboats to get their attention. Shame
to die in a dinghy accident

Evan Gatehouse

Innovative Lighting offers LEDs for tenders for about $20 each, front
and back. They draw about ten percent of the current that incandescents
do so batteries last a long time. The units are O-ring sealed to keep
out moisture. They shine brightly. I use them on my RIB. See them in
the west marine and defender catalogs on line.