80 Boating New Zealand
BOATINGNZ.CO.NZWANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THESE PRODUCTS?
Hella products can be viewed online at http://www.hellamarine.com.
Lopolight products can be viewed at http://www.enertecmarinesystems.com.Navigation lights are legally required on any boat during the hours
of darkness, or during reduced visibility such as a thick fog. Non-
powered vessels under 7m in length (i.e. small yachts, rowboats and
kayaks) must show a white light or torch in time to avoid a collision.
Powerboats under 7m must show an all-round white light, and
if they can travel at more than seven knots they must have red and
green sidelights on the port and starboard sides respectively.
Port and starboard lights must be visible from directly ahead and
through an arc of 112.5° on the appropriate side i.e. the coloured
lights are not visible when a boat is heading directly away from you,
while you will see both colours if it is
heading towards you.
Where different types of boats vary is
in their white lights. All boats must have
a white light, but where it is located
depends on the size and type of the
vessel. Powerboats less than 12m may
have one single white light visible all
round. Powerboats over 12m must have
a white masthead light visible over an arc
of 225° facing forward, and a separate
stern white light at the same height as the
coloured side lights but visible over an angle
of 135° towards the rear.
Sailboats that are motoring or motor-sailing are regarded as
powerboats and display the same lights. When sailing they do
not require the forward-facing white light. Sailing vessels are also
permitted to have a single three colour
masthead light (red, green and white)
if they are less than 20m in length.
And all vessels at anchor must
show only a single, all-round
white light.
All navigation lights must be
visible from a distance of 2km
away for vessels under 12m, and
5km for vessels that exceed 12m in
length. Note that commercial vessels have
additional light requirements depending on their size and the activity
they’re engaged in, with vessels over 20m, fast ferries, boats under
tow and fishing vessels each having additional regulations.WHAT LIGHTS DO I NEED? The difference
in brightness is
remarkable –
particularly for
such a small unit.ABOVE There
are plenty of
models to
choose from- check the
specifications.
unit can operate with anything between nine and 30 volts. Both
also have generous expected lifetimes: five years for Lopolight
and seven for Hella Marine.
Regardless of the warranty, both claim an expected life of
more than 20 years for recreational use. Lopolight also includes a
microprocessor which will cause the light to start blinking when
it reaches the end of its life at 50,000 hours of use, which is more
than 11 years of continuous use in a commercial application.
Both units have very good waterproof ratings – IP67 for the
Hella Marine units. This means they are fully sealed and capable
of complete immersion, although not intended for permanent
underwater use. The top-end model Lopolight navigation
light has a slight edge, though, with an IP68 rating, and its
website shows one of these fitted to a submarine. Not a normal
installation option!
On our project boat, we chose to replace the old, sun-
damaged conventional units with a set of Hella Marine Compact
NaviLED lamps. Because the original units were already wired
up and known to be working, replacement was simple.
We removed the old units, which showed the effect of UV
exposure by breaking apart as we took them off. We cleaned
the cabin surface where they were installed, and fitted the new
lights. Sealant was used on the screw holes and where the wires
passed through into the cabin.
Inside the cabin the wires were connected to the original
wiring and the job was done. Because the new lights are slightly
smaller than the original units this left us with one screw hole to
fill – a five-minute task.
At the same time we replaced the all-round white light on the
cabin top, again with a new Hella unit. In this case the original
light had already been fitted with an aftermarket LED bulb in
the conventional housing, and while adequate, it was not as
water-resistant as we would have liked.
The new unit was again IP67-rated and should survive any
conditions we are likely to encounter. Replacing all three lights
took us around 45 minutes, and they should be good for the
next 10 to 20 years. BNZ