front navigation light question

[duckmaster1]

I have a problem.
First off, I hunt ducks, so I have a front set of lights to help see in the early morning while running the rivers and lakes. problem is, my front navigation light pole can not be plugged in because it hits the font lights and will not work.
my light pole is 10 inches, really needing one that is about 4 inches. do they make a plug in type navi light that small? or would a flush mount light work, I prefer for on coming craft to see me, but I hardly see anyone in the time that I go out on the rivers.
any help on where I can get a smaller plug in type light would be great. I am talking the red/green light at the front of the boat.

Thanks

 

[Bondo]

Re: front navigation light question

my light pole is 10 inches, really needing one that is about 4 inches.

Ayuh,... Have you considered shortening your's,..??

 

[Fireman431]

Re: front navigation light question

Put in a set of flush mount navigational lights and be done with it.

 

[Shife]

Re: front navigation light question

Nav lights, including the oft ignored all-round masthead light, are a priority and legal requirement. Using spot lights or other lighting full time while running is illegal under both the Inland Waterway Rules and COLREGs. You are blinding anyone else on the water and you are seriously reducing your own ability to see where you are going. Ditch the lights and use a spotlight in tight areas only where necessary.

Proper seamanship earns more respect than driving like Joe Bada#$ down a twisty river section.

 

[choochooharley]

Re: front navigation light question

Agree with Shife but if you want to keep the spot light and not use it while navigating you can get a screw on type or removable type set of nav lights that runs off batteries.....

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: front navigation light question

I duck hunt too.
no front "headlights." Learn your way around, go slow enough to be safe.
There are front nav lights on a 6-8" pole that plug into a flat plug hole you mount on the bow. These are great for duck hunting and other marsh use b/c you pull them out and put them away before your friends stomp on them with their hip boots. They are even better than the permanent ones that stick up an inch and a half--even they get kicked, pier crunched, etc.
They also make front LED battery lights on a suction cup, adn also the ones like a flashlight with a clamp. Solves the same problem of stomping and crunching and getting in the way.
No matter what you have, you absolutely should carry a battery-powered unit as a back-up. That $20 will save several lives.
On a heavily used work boat we have at our club, even the front pole light gets kicked, so I mounted a clamp/flashlight type on a large dowel, and stick it in a rod holder that is at the bow of the boat. granted, it's off to one side, but it doesn't have to be centered to be safe, just visible.
(for those who don't hunt, everything in the duck boat is dark, so it can't be seen by another boat when running in low light or dark, unless it has lights. You are usually loading and unloading across the bow deck, so it has to be clear of stuff than can get broken or trip some one. So there is a bit of a planning conflict between having bow lights and a clear bow deck.)

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: front navigation light question

Nav lights, including the oft ignored all-round masthead light, are a priority and legal requirement. Using spot lights or other lighting full time while running is illegal under both the Inland Waterway Rules and COLREGs. You are blinding anyone else on the water and you are seriously reducing your own ability to see where you are going. Ditch the lights and use a spotlight in tight areas only where necessary.

Proper seamanship earns more respect than driving like Joe Bada#$ down a twisty river section.

I wish I could tell this to the NYC/Atlantic Highlands ferry that blasts through at WOT at night with two of the most powerful highbeam headlights one could ever envision.

 

[Shife]

Re: front navigation light question

I wish I could tell this to the NYC/Atlantic Highlands ferry that blasts through at WOT at night with two of the most powerful highbeam headlights one could ever envision.

Help is only a phone call away. Call your local CG station. They can either tell them to knock it off or explain why they are allowed to blind everybody. There could be a legitimate reason, or they could be knowingly breaking the rules and just think they won't get called on it.

We have a yearly problem with a certain commercial tour boat company that thinks they don't have to follow the rules. A couple of complaints usually gets them to behave for the rest of the season.