Anchor Light Idea

[Tom Coons]

First of all I don't like mast head anchor lights because when you are
coming into an anchorage at night you are looking down at the surface of
the water trying to pick up mooring balls or anchored boats and not looking
skyward. Masthead running lights are OK because you are generally looking
from a distance where height doesn't matter, and in fact, you can see them
farther away when they are high up. Using the deck light that CD's come
with it is blocked from view from the stern by the mast and it also has the
disadvantage that it has a 35 watt bulb which can make a big draw on your
battery over night.

So I bought a kerosene brass one from first Perko and then Holland. As the
Pardee's noted the Perko ones tend to blow out and if you set them high
enough that they don't, they soot up in an hour and become invisible. The
Holland one has an interior chimney so works a little bit better but still
blows out and soots up in any but still conditions. Plus even when they
are working correctly they can hardly be seen at a few hundred yards even
though the C. G. says they are legal.

I experimented around with solar night lights like the ones you stick in
the ground along your walkway, but none of them will last the night or even
more than a few hours.

At long last I found the solution which I like the best. I took my
kerosene anchor light screwed the bottom out and put it aside. Then I cut
a piece of plywood the same diameter and drove a couple of nails in
opposite sides so that the piece of wood would screw in just like the
kerosene cannister did. I drilled a little hole in the center and ran a
piece of speaker wire through it and siliconed it in place. (You could use
any wire you like but this is small and wraps easily around the unit when
not in use.

I went to Radio Shack and bought two little 12 volt white mini bulbs (part
no. 272-1141-A). They are sealed bulbs with two wires coming out of the
bottom. I soldered the leads to the speaker wire but first put a piece of
shrink tube around them to give them some rigidity. Make the shrink tube
long enough to raise the bulbs up so they are centered in the middle of
the fresnel lens. These bulbs draw 25mA so it would take 80 of them to
equal the draw from your 35 watt anchor light. Two seems to be plenty
bright and if you leave them on for a WEEK they can hardly draw down your
battery enough to notice.

I wired a snap shackle on to the lantern with monel seizing wire. Then on
the other end of the speaker wire, put one of those plugs that plugs into a
cigarette lighter socket. I put a rigging cleat on the backstay as high as
I could reach (high enough to clear the cabin and dodger. When I want to
use it I snap the lantern onto the backstay with the snap shackle, plug
into the cigarette lighter outlet below, and voila!

Most people upon hearing this think that it would not be bright enough, but
once they see mine they go home and make one themselves. It is much much
brighter than that tiny kerosene flame ever was, does not blow out, and
practically has no draw. If you want it brighter just add more bulbs. The
fresnel lens magnifies it just like the old kerosene fired light houses
whose beams reached out 25 miles. It's a clean white light that never
flickers, never blows out, never soots up, and can virtually be left on
continously.

BTW it also works great for a reading light at your bunk (a version without
the fresnel lens , of course) A string of them makes a pleasant light for
the cabin (a 12 volt christmas tree strig with all white bulbs.) It's
festive and even 10 of them have very little draw, don't smoke or smell,
and are more attractive than the usual incandescent or flourescent lights.

Remember to give me credit when you build yours. I haven't patented it so you CD owners are free to use it. Don't tell the
Westsail or Islander people about it though. (Only kidding)

Captain Tom



TacCambria@thegrid.net

[sam]

Tom, good idea. I too used an old kero lamp (and they are unreliable and dirty when used with kero) with a very low wattage bulb hung off my backstay. It has served well for 15 years. the lens of the kero lamp makes it appear brighter than it is. being suspended from the backstay it tends to swing a little and this makes it more noticable. I added a home made solar switch and when anchored for long periods I can go to other boats for happy hour and not worry about forgetting to turn it on. Thanks.

[D. Stump, Hanalei]

Captain Tom,
Good idea! I use a Den Haus (sp) small anchor light, kerosene, non-CG approved, when I anchor outside an established anchorage. It has the internal glass chimney, doesn't seem to soot up, and generally works well without blowing out. I would convert it the way you suggest except that when Hanalei is on the hard for the winter, I remove the anchor light from the vessel and place it on the coffee table at home. It has NEVER blown out there, and adds to that cozy environment with the fireplace going, wine glasses in hand, and 1st. Mate snuggled up next to me. Oh, well, guess I have to make allowances somewhere!

Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei (CD-30)

[Tom]

Tom, good idea. I too used an old kero lamp (and they are unreliable and dirty when used with kero) with a very low wattage bulb hung off my backstay. It has served well for 15 years. the lens of the kero lamp makes it appear brighter than it is. being suspended from the backstay it tends to swing a little and this makes it more noticable. I added a home made solar switch and when anchored for long periods I can go to other boats for happy hour and not worry about forgetting to turn it on. Thanks.

Sam, you seem to be a fountain of electical innovation. Anything else you can share with us electrically? I liked the info you supplied a while back on bright LEDs and have thought about them for an anchor light as well, but haven't tried it yet. I'll bet your boat has a sensor that tells when it's raining so that the boat cover automatically deploys. Your posting on portlight screens is still the posting of the year as far as I'm concerned.



TacCambria@thegrid.net