Re: Potter 15 Navigation Lights

From: Dave & Francesca Kautz (dfkautz@pacbell.net)
Date: Fri Feb 18 2000 - 19:37:14 PST


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Michele,

I have the "flashlight" type lights. I use the suction cups they came
with and stick the red/green on the cabin top in front of the mast and
the white one on the inside of the transom - it makes a little light in
the cockpit that way too.

I like the lights, I only use them a few times a year, but bring spare
batteries. They only run for about two hours on each set (4 AAs). I've
thought about going to Radio Shack and getting some bulbs that are less
bright but would make the batteries last longer.

I thought about installing built-in lights and a battery and wiring and
switches and, and, and... And decided that I could buy an awful lot of
AA batteries for the same money, since one $9 Costco giant pack will run
the lights several years as often as I use them!

There is also no guarantee that if you have permanent lights and a
battery installed that it will be charged up when you need it - Murphy
often prevails!

Aesthetically, I also couldn't come up with a way to hide the wires and
exposed screws and nuts in the interior. I like the cozy way the our
P-15 is on the inside and I don't want it to start looking like the
crawl space under our house.

My two cents worth,

Dave Kautz
P-15 #1632, Tilly Lucy
Palo Alto, CA

Michele Sladko wrote:
>
> Hi Y'all, I need some input. I've been off the list for a while so I
> don't know if this has been asked lately or not.
>
> I want to get running lights on my P-15, for night sailing. Has
> anyone used the clamp-on, battery operated lights? The red/green combo
> for the bow and a clamp-on white light for the stern? I wonder if
> anyone has any input for me... I don't really want to install a
> battery on my boat. And I wouldn't sail at night very often anyway.
> I know, I know, technically a 15 foot boat can just use a white light,
> even a flashlight. But a powerboater told me that when small boats
> just use the white light, it can be very confusing. He said if you're
> out there at night, and you see a white light, you assume it's a stern
> light.
> If it turns out to be a tiny boat coming toward you, you may hit them,
> as you thought they were going away. But if you see a red and green,
> then you know they're coming toward you for sure. And when a little
> boat is waving a flashlight around, you don't know if they're
> signaling for help, or if they're just signaling their presence. So
> even though it's only a 15, I'd like to get serious nav lights, to be
> safest.
>
> Any thoughts or input for me? For or against portable lights as
> opposed to installed lights?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Michele Sladko
> P-15 #2254 SeaHorse
> Oak Harbor, WA



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