led nav lights

[netmaker]

hi all,

don't know how many boaties have trouble with nav lights but i have had a crappy time of keeping em working. i have gone through 3 sets in 3 years. started out with normal festoon bulb type which involve attaching a base plate to the outside of the boat and then screwing the outer lens onto the base plate. each and every time my starboard light has taken in water with the inevitable result. last set i bought were leds which i siliconed on at base plate level, then lens level and finally a bead the whole way round the outside. this set which cost me $50 lasted 2 months before same s#%&t happened again. now i know a lot of people are happy with this type of light and have no problems but surely there must be others out there that have experienced this problem. i believe that i will now no longer have this problem thanks to the marvels of the internet. ebay has saved me yet again with leds that come as a fully sealed unit - the leds are actually on the outside of the unit and the wiring comes out of the bolt which gets inserted through the side of the hull. they are the brightest leds i have come across and even in the day you cannot look at them directly. these marvellous units cost me the princely sum of $31.50 including freight from the US. the below link shows what these things look like (i have never seen this type over here)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWNX%3AIT

have a look. to me they seem infallible.

cheers

davo

[Luc]

Did you mount them inside a lens or simply bolted them on?

If you simply bolted them on, I image there could be issues about the angle they would be visible.

The wire coming out through the bolt is a great idea.

Luc

[Noelm]

yep, nothing legal about those lights, except they are red and green, beyond that they are NOT navigation lights.

[peterbo3]

According to the ebay site these are suited to specific brands of US boats. I am thinking that they are for use in a housing that restricts their arc of visibility to 112.5 degrees. US port & stbd lights are set up the same as here.
http://www.nmsc.gov.au/recreational_...?MID=78&CID=75
I am with luc & noel..............in their present state they are non compliant.

[netmaker]

i did not mount inside a lens, but if you look closely you will notice that there are also leds facing outwards from the sides. i believe that b4 i bought them i read that they are visible from 180 degrees. it would definately take a zealous cop with a fine protractor to state that they are not visible enough. they are a lot brighter and more visible than any i have previously owned. in addition they do not have to be side mounted, they can be top mounted if you so wish.

cheers

davo

[netmaker]

found this:

Brand new, one green, one red, ultra bright LED lights for your boat are up for auction.

High quality, chrome coated aluminum housing.

Each has ultra bright 18 LED + 6 side LED lights for maximum visibility from 180 degrees!
12v dc, 100% waterproof.
High intensity LED's will consume substantially less power compared to standard halogen lights.

to be honest, i didn't much consider compliance as i figured nav rules are pretty much standardized. reckon i'd be real unlucky to get nabbed and as far as safety is concerned you wont miss me. i'm the bloke who looks like a freakin christmas tree. either way i would suggest that even if modification were required it would probably be well worth the effort.

cheers

davo

[Tickleish]

Yeah you might have modify them - I think 180 degrees is too much for a red & green nav light.

[jason p]

Yeah you might have modify them - I think 180 degrees is too much for a red & green nav light.

lol hahaha, i guess the weather has been bad so alternate fishing methods are adaptable.

jp

[Luc]

Except for the fact that I have recently bought a set of led nav lights, I'd buy a set of those and fit them is the housing of the old bulb style nav light housings.

That could be a way to fix the angle/visibility issue.

As an alternative, it shouldn't be too hard to design a suitable housing for them.

Luc

[netmaker]

not a bad idea luc. as i have bolted them flush through the hull up towards the bow, i estimate they are both pointing in at about 45 degrees off centre which should drop the visibility angle to about 135. think i'll run the gauntlet and go to the extra trouble if i get pinged. i have never actually heard of anyone being chipped for incorrect angle display,(but plenty for none at all). reckon i could try ignorance and get away with a promise to fix......... makes me wonder how many boats actually display their lights to "the correct" degrees, especially those mounted along the curve of the bow rather than on a flat mounting plate. reckon they could have a field day if they were actually policing it. i for one would be laughing myself silly right up till one of em pulled out a protractor. even then it must be a relatively difficult thing to measure. next to impossible in the day. i fish at night 3 - 4 times a week through summer and only been approached once at night on the water in the last 3 years and that was only due to a mates boat having an inadequate anchor light which earned him an hour long earbashing accompanied by a breath test which couldn't have looked too good to the cops as we were having an onwater birthday bash at green island and he had only just finished a bottle of red! luckily they didn't want the paperwork apparently and settled for the earbashing.


davo