76 Boating New Zealand
E
ven if you anchor overnight, you still have a legal
obligation to show a light – in this case, a white
masthead light with 360° visibility (see sidebar). So it
makes sense to get your lights sorted.
Given the importance of navigation lights, you also
want to be able to rely on them. Fit-and-forget is the ideal, but
you can only aim for this by installing quality products. A marine
environment is one of the harshest, and with the combination of
New Zealand’s high UV levels and salt spray, the slightest defect
in manufacturing or materials will be exposed. In the long run the
‘cheap-and-good-enough’ approach is not a good idea.
If your boat already has navigation lights it still pays to check
them out. All lights deteriorate with age, losing brightness
and changing colour. If your boat has old-style lights with
incandescent bulbs, there is a good chance they’re inadequate,
even if they’re still operational. And of course, if water has
got into any part of the system they may not work at all – not
something you want to discover in the dark.
Our project boat was a case in point. Nominally, it had the
with NORMAN HOLTZHAUSEN
DIYBOATING
Every vessel is legally required to
have approved navigation lights. And
anyone who’s been on the water at night
knows it’s hard enough to see vessels –
even when they have the correct lights
- let alone those without any.
Be seen
with LED