Bow nav light, does size matter?

[Wind dog]

Hello All
I'm installing nav lights on my 15' Valco Westcoaster. I went on line to order my parts, ended up with a Attwood bow bi-color 1 mile light for the bow. It arrived yesterday & man it seems pretty small (2-1/2"L x 2-1/4"W x 1-1/2"H).
I've attached a pic of my bow, didn't want to open the light in case I decide to return it.
So does size matter?
Thanks!

 

[Bondo]

Re: Bow nav light, does size matter?

Hello All
I'm installing nav lights on my 15' Valco Westcoaster. I went on line to order my parts, ended up with a Attwood bow bi-color 1 mile light for the bow. It arrived yesterday & man it seems pretty small (2-1/2"L x 2-1/4"W x 1-1/2"H).
I've attached a pic of my bow, didn't want to open the light in case I decide to return it.
So does size matter?
Thanks!

Ayuh,... It's about bein' Seen, not the physical size of the light...

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Bow nav light, does size matter?

Bondo's got it correct. Mount it correctly and it will show red and green in the proper arc for OTHER boaters to see.

 

[Wind dog]

Re: Bow nav light, does size matter?

Guys I understand the need to be seen, It says it's a 1 mile light, it just seemed physically to small to be seen 1 mile away. Sorry for the dumb question I guess.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Bow nav light, does size matter?

Guys I understand the need to be seen, It says it's a 1 mile light, it just seemed physically to small to be seen 1 mile away. Sorry for the dumb question I guess.

It is not the size of the housing... the brightness of the lamp is all that matters!

 

[Wind dog]

Re: Bow nav light, does size matter?

Oaky doaky I'll install it, thanks guys.

 

[jhebert]

Re: Bow nav light, does size matter?

The physical size of the lamp is not regulated by the Navigation Rules. In general, the Navigation Rules have very little to say about the lamp except where it is to be mounted on the vessel relative to the hull and the height above the water. The Navigation Rules mostly deal with the light that will be shown, that is, what another vessel sees when looking at your vessel. The Navigation Rules specify the intensity of the light, the chromaticity of the color of the light, and the visibility of the light over various sectors oriented from the bow and vessel centerline.

In general I recommend you ignore almost all second hand advice about navigation lighting and refer directly to the Navigation Rules for guidance. A great deal of second hand or interpretive opinions are passed around about navigation lighting, but the actual rules are very accessible and not particularly hard to understand.

For a power-driven vessel underway, the lights are given in

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/index.php?pageName=Rule23

For technical details of the lights, see ANNEX 1 at

Navigation Rules Online