"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
news
I have an aluminum skiff ("cartopper") that I want to run at night, so I
need to put some nav lights on it. the front is no problem: deck-mount
red/green on the little "deck" at the bow. But the stern light...

It's supposed to be white, visible 360 degrees. But that would mean a VERY
tall pole, that would get in the way were I ever to catch a fish! So what
do you guys do on inflatables, Whalers, etc. with nav lights? Removable
pole? Fold-down? Short one and live with the visibility problems?

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12


On my 14' Lund yacht, the stern light is a removable 36" model. Unless I'm
standing, it's not obstructed. Besides, if I'm fishing at night, I make the
same assumption I make when I'm driving: Everyone else is either blind,
drunk, or clinically dead but the family hasn't gotten around to removing
the person from behind the wheel. I tend to choose out of the way spots for
night fishing, but even so, I have the canned air horn mounted where
everyone can reach it.

As far as getting in the way of fishing, it's a non-issue. Stand up and lead
the fish around the light post, or remove the light for a couple of minutes.
The biggest problem I have is with glare in the boat. I keep a couple of
ancient white tube socks in the boat to slip over the light. If boats are
headed my way, off comes the sock.