Boating New Zealand — January 2018

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