Night boating
- Thread starter Larry Patrick
- Start date
Marco Flamingo
Active member
I consider a spotlight or bright flashlight essential in Larry's situation. When you see two lights rapidly approaching, one red and one green, shine a really bright light right at those lights. The brighter the better. You can also yell and swear, but the spotlight works better. A spotlight is your best defense.
I also carry a small waterproof 2xAA flashlight that came with an optional red lens. I think the brand is Maglite and the lens is quite dark. It has to be dark or even a red light will interfere with your night vision. I usually run with my gauge lights off. Too bright. Hat over the compass if it is too bright. Then I can use the red flashlight to glance at instruments, but mainly I'm looking out to study the array of lights on the water and how they are moving in relationship to me and to the other lights.
Nice thing about the little red pen light is that if you need something, gloves, cookies, whatever, there is no need to turn on any cabin lights.
Running at night is like driving at night. I used to enjoy it more than I do now. Also, I've always had displacement boats and I was fairly confident that those hulls could handle hitting large debris at 7 knots. I would have confidence that a C Dory could do that at 7 knots. Speed above that is like racing down the freeway at night with your headlights off. Haven't done that in years.
Mark
I also carry a small waterproof 2xAA flashlight that came with an optional red lens. I think the brand is Maglite and the lens is quite dark. It has to be dark or even a red light will interfere with your night vision. I usually run with my gauge lights off. Too bright. Hat over the compass if it is too bright. Then I can use the red flashlight to glance at instruments, but mainly I'm looking out to study the array of lights on the water and how they are moving in relationship to me and to the other lights.
Nice thing about the little red pen light is that if you need something, gloves, cookies, whatever, there is no need to turn on any cabin lights.
Running at night is like driving at night. I used to enjoy it more than I do now. Also, I've always had displacement boats and I was fairly confident that those hulls could handle hitting large debris at 7 knots. I would have confidence that a C Dory could do that at 7 knots. Speed above that is like racing down the freeway at night with your headlights off. Haven't done that in years.
Mark
Stay on shore on the 4th, your taking your life in your hands being on the water with drunks driving 30 + footers throwing 4 and 5 foot wakes coming up on both sides of you in the dark throwing you and your guests about and trying too keep control. No fun Btdt. Never again. Old guy.
IMHO that's bad advice since now the guy or gal who is coming straight towards you is now blinded and no longer able to see you. If I was chugging towards you along at my slow 6kts with a plan to pass port to port and you spot lighted me, I'd be pretty annoyed. The yelling and swearing might be rightfully directed back at you. :lol:Marco Flamingo":1zuwyy5u said:
breausaw":2ccvkgkt said:
I've tried this, and have a scope that is very low zoom (almost impossible to find these in 1x or even as reducers 0.8x), mine is a 1.4x. The field of view is too small. Even if I were looking for something specific in the water, I would way rather have an IR camera than night vision. Similar entry prices these days too.
I concur with those who advise against shining a spotlight directly at an approaching vessel, because you see both red and green. Theoretically in small boats, you might see red and green when the boat is headed dead toward you. However, reality is that shielding is not as effective as it should be and many times there can be over 10 degrees crossover between the red and green running lights.
When I see a potential crossing situation, I begin to track the other boat (both visually and on radar. You can determine if there is a risk of collusion quickly, if there is a constant bearing. If the bearing is decreasing or increasing, the boat will generally clear you. What may appear to be dead on you at a mile, may allow the boat to safely pass 5 minutes later.,
It always pays to have any other person in your boat to watch out for other boats, and to help the skipper.
Down our way, there are some good old boys who don't take kindly to have a spotlight shined directly on them. Consider any boater along the gulf coast armed and dangerous....
When I see a potential crossing situation, I begin to track the other boat (both visually and on radar. You can determine if there is a risk of collusion quickly, if there is a constant bearing. If the bearing is decreasing or increasing, the boat will generally clear you. What may appear to be dead on you at a mile, may allow the boat to safely pass 5 minutes later.,
It always pays to have any other person in your boat to watch out for other boats, and to help the skipper.
Down our way, there are some good old boys who don't take kindly to have a spotlight shined directly on them. Consider any boater along the gulf coast armed and dangerous....
Larry Patrick
New member
Wow lots of good information,never having been out on water at night appreciate all the good advice. Never realized about the electronics glare being a problem. I will hit some waypoints along a daytime dry run. Someone even looked up the moon phase,good to know it will be near fullmoon. It does sound enjoyable when not boating in a crowd ,would be cool to see the glowing plankton or whatever causes it. We enjoyed last year at anchor hearing the Loons ect we realized we liked it better than at dock. Will add night trips to our list of boating and fishing ,we will be able to pick calm nights with good moonlight since we will be there all season.Now I gotta learn walleye tactics for Lake Erie always see the charters coming in with their limits of nice fish. Last season we just perched fished the weekend we were there. Really big perch was surprised at how we limited on nice size fish each day.
Robert H. Wilkinson
New member
Larry, I like to use a minnow tipped jig for walleye - don't know if that's what the professional's use but it works for me,,,,,,,,well sometimes :lol:
I love nght passage making, all as above, running lights, with a Perko plate under the white light on the cabin top keeps glare off the deck ( use a paper plate taped there for one night. Interior lights off, I use a headlamp if needed spotlight used almost never mostly to show entry to marinas or parks
Electronics turned way down for lights and "sterile cockpit rules" no mindless chatter. Keep an eye out for others
Better yet I learned long ago to leave fireworks to the yahoos and go inland and find a pub
Enjoy
George
Electronics turned way down for lights and "sterile cockpit rules" no mindless chatter. Keep an eye out for others
Better yet I learned long ago to leave fireworks to the yahoos and go inland and find a pub
Enjoy
George
rogerbum":1xbt9pct said:
I second Roger's (and now others) concern about spotlighting an oncoming vessel (which is what that red/green light that is getting brighter is.) If you do that, you just nightblinded that skipper. I would prefer a 90 degree turn, if there is room , turn to show your red, that would keep you in the clear, and put the other boat into a "giveway" situation, providing the situation, space and traffic allow for that turn.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Gene Morris
New member
If you do decide to get a spotlight I recommend the Q-Beam LED Night vision rechargeable. We've had ours for 5 years now and still works as advertised. It has two power settings for white light and a red light setting.
Night boating is a great adventure and allows you to build confidence in your abilities to skipper a boat.
Gene
Night boating is a great adventure and allows you to build confidence in your abilities to skipper a boat.
Gene
Larry Patrick
New member
Robert ,will try the minnow on jig,when I fished the Cobonga Reservoir in Quebec had good luck with a white curly tail jig with night crawler. Im going to try slow trolling with rapalas ,have dipsy divers if needed.Gene will be getting that light thanks, like it having red light also,will help getting in slip.
thataway":1p5y9rxf said:Down our way, there are some good old boys who don't take kindly to have a spotlight shined directly on them. Consider any boater along the gulf coast armed and dangerous....
X2; heck I even know some kayakers who pack. Duck hunters...you better give them lotsa room. Then there are my people who "for a green card will cut you real good".
Marco Flamingo
Active member
If you get flashed with a spotlight, you'll know that it's me or one of the hundreds of PNW night-time gill netters who use the same technique. Your choice to continue heading directly where you saw the light, especially if you have lost your night vision. I've never heard of any conflicts from using this method of warning, but maybe our local drug runners are less violent than fireworks watchers.
Mark
Mark
colbysmith
Active member
Mark, I think what folks are trying to say, is you might want to be real careful about shining your flood light directly at someone. I think there are many other "legal" and generally safer ways to warn someone of a dangerous situation. 5 short blasts immediately comes to mind. Lighting your own boat up also comes to mind. Or perhaps several of us have misunderstood you or your intentions. Colby
Marco, there is a bit of difference between a recreational boater, and a gill netter--I have found many of the gill netters to be very aggressive (rightfully so) to protect their nets. I have also seen netters fire off white flares to signal someone that there is a risk of running into a net.
5 blasts of the horn is certainly the universal signal that a vessel is "standing onto danger". Problem is that 80% of boaters have no idea what it means, or cannot hear it--unless it is extremely powerful air horn. Even the hand held air horns are not adequate.
Just be safe!
5 blasts of the horn is certainly the universal signal that a vessel is "standing onto danger". Problem is that 80% of boaters have no idea what it means, or cannot hear it--unless it is extremely powerful air horn. Even the hand held air horns are not adequate.
Just be safe!
Marco Flamingo
Active member
thataway":un98m7qr said:
I would hope that 100% of boaters seeing a light flashing from dead ahead would realize that something is dead ahead and trying to get their attention. If that upsets some of them, okay by me.
Just recently had a night-time boat collision on Lake Washington and the captain (allegedly drunk) was charged with homicide for killing a young woman and is also being sued in civil court. Flashing a light at him would have been the safest thing to do, assuming that he could even see. And he probably would have gotten upset that somebody flashed a light at him.
Mark