A long time pet peeve of mine is improper lighting on watercraft at night. Coming into sea kayaking from commercial boating and yachting with a lot of night time navigation, the use of proper lights is quite important to me. Navigation lights let a knowlegable boater know what type of craft he or she is looking at. Use of improper lights could make another boater assume you are a power boat (with speed and maneuverablity to avoid a collision) or perhaps even indicate you are in distress.

Question:
I'd like to know what kayakers use to make their presence known while paddling at night and if they give any thought to what their chosen means might accidently signal to other boaters.

I grew up sailing, and I know that there is an "official" way to do just about everything on the water. What is the Coast Guard way to light up a Kayak at night? Besides wearing a safety strobe (the idea is to not have to use it) how else do we let people know we are there?

I prefer a headlight, which can be easily turned on, even with gloves, by a simple rotation of the bezel. I like a full perimeter outline of my kayak done in highly retro-reflective tape (1/2" wide minimum, full length each gunwale). This helps other boaters aiming a light at me to see the outline of my kayak. By turning on the headlight, I can also "shed some light" and "reflect" the fact I'm in my kayak. I don't normally paddle with the headlight on. I also carry a strobe/flashlight combo on my PFD, as well as two flashlights, all easily accessible. One of the flashlights is very powerful (relative to the spare one and the headlight). I carry a spare headlight too, in case of an unplanned, longer outing or loss of the main headlamp. My PFD is augmented with reflective tape (sew-on variety) and my paddlels are augmented with reflective stick-on tape.

For night rough-water paddling, I tend to frequent areas more remote, so other boat traffic is rarely present. It's fun to hang upside-down, with the light on, looking at the churned up seaweed, before rolling back up. I only do this sort of paddling in areas where I have strong local knowledge with egress routes and embayments where shelter can be sought or the currents/wind will push you into if you happen to swim.

Trying to emulate more typical craft at night, with internationally recognized navigation lighting is to be applauded for sure, but it isn't something I tend to aspire to with the kayaking aspect of sea travel, rather preferring to stay incognito or simply out of the way where any marine traffic might be encountered.

Our family paddles at night in the big open Canadian canoe, and we just use flashlights, all very powerful, as there's so much more room to carry them. Crossing channels is admittedly, nerve-wracking, and perhaps some clip-on nav lights would be a cool and responsible way to travel at night. If I did a lot of night sea kayaking in areas with restricted watercourses with condensed marine traffic, I think I'd put some effort into formal navigation lighting.

I have thought the same and I don't have a great answer. I have operated several boats over the years at night and I am comfortable with the various lights used. The USCG says only that we need a flashlight when operating a kayak at night. I don't really like flashlights and they are cumbersome when paddling. A head lamp would solve the hands on the paddle issue. A strobe is only supposed to be used if in distress. Nav lights could be added but would requite batteries and mountings.

I have not seen anything that I really like but I have started using a couple of LED button lamps which I can clip to my PFD. I also carry a flashlight.

Mark

I love to paddle at night, and in Norway you should have a 360 degree white light then.
Your highest point is your head, and now a company called www.navilight.net have made a light that can mount on your head with a magnet. I have made a portrait of myself with the light here:
http://www.verket.info/archives/20060818nylykt.jpg
Happy night paddling!

I use a headlamp for when I need to illuminate something and carry a flashlight as a backup and to alert others of my position. Using more elaborate lights may confuse others into thinking you are a larger craft perhaps at greater distance. If I had only one fixed white light I would place it behind the cockpit in my blind arc. This would indicate to others a small (human powered) craft and also that they are overtaking.

IN reply to nite nav-lighting,I am trying out a diff-approach;I am using a "sealed battery connected to a solar panel[flexible,with grommets for mounting]connected to both a "variable strobe& a directional spot lite.so far i have only gotten 9hrs use out of the battery[with 4 hrs being of "spotlite use-rocks,branches etc"]this does not seem to bad.I have not "hooked-up" my compass,or my gps unit[which will for sure cut down my NITETIME usage.I still use my headset lite,and have severalyds of reflective tape[like on semi-trucks]along the total length of my kayak[also my canoe].THIS makes for some "goofy"looks going down the interstate hyghways! ! ! ! !you would think that the coast guard would clarify the "usage laws" to be more specific. later gumby/zenyakker

Zenyakker,
Could you elaborate a bit on how your did your battery - solar cell hookup? and what materials you used. This is a project I was planning for our boats next year.

Thanks
Michael

HELLO AGAIN MICHAEL ! ! ! Hope you had a great day! ? ! well,to start to answer your question[s],I am not a "purist",neither am I a marine electrician[this will become CLEAR].as I say,I am NEW to seakayaking;and was ,just "outfitting",my own kayak!!I am using a[northern tool]"shed lite-panel wght 1 lb-cost$34.99 item #336614.the "lite"part I have ,cut-off[might use it later],I bought [2]of these-they work great[have one on shed in yard[for testing].I am using a "sealed -marine power battery[from -old power supply -12-v]and a marine power-inverter[the hard part is -WHERE do you place a "fan cooled item"in/on a kayak,or canoe[still working on that]I have NOT tried "rolling"to see what happens[go figure why].the liting [bow& stern]are both =removeable&adjustable-white marine bow/stern lites,with the base's screwed&siliconed in place.both can be installed/removed from the cockpit[without straining].the wiring ,has all connections terminating,INSIDE each socket[makes it waterproof]the "harness" is wrapped[after final trials],in clear tubing&siliconed to the underside of the DECK,and arround the cockpit.so far I have [4]pig-tails,in this harness,and [1] each;lead-in&power-out,pig-tail. [1]to the bow, [1]to the stern,[1]to the strobe-behind the cockpit,and not but not least the left-over one for electronics.I have to confess that I might have to increase my inverter size,so as to manage enough power[as surplus/emergency power].THESE are my system so-farand at present it works[just damn lucky I guess].the "waterproof inverter box,has been a puzzlement- -for sure[I can thimk of things ,however not ALL of them,-reside in the too damn smart-or-really damn STUPID group],the choice is someone else's to make!!!!!also for a larger boat I was looking at a45watt panel[from harbor freight.com]part#90599-1VGA,the panel weighs 9.7lbs and is a WHOPPING12.40"x36.42"x0.75"thick - - -and would NOT fit a 14'kayak gracefully.I hope that this might if not help,at least start you THIMKING about , un conventional ways toenable your projects. LATER gumby/zenkayaker pps:a couple of wks ago,I mentioned a "solar idea"to a prominent,SEAKAYAKING figure[very well known]and the reply was almost ,like he was repling to a [slightly-mentally-hamperred]child, so be carefull to WHO you spend your Idea's on[I hope he still will win]

I am not sure why you would want to go the way of having a solar panel to recharge your battery system. The current range of LED style lights give pretty remarkable endurance on battery life.
I have a pricton tec headlamp which gives a "claimed" 70 hours on max output from 4 AA batteries. A gel cel battery and a spare if you think you need it would probably keep you going for a very long time.
But then I don't know what you have in mind??

Cheers Bill

GOOD MORNING BILL!!!!!YEP,you are correct ,and there are a LOT of great battery powered[a-3's,2d's,etc]and as back-up I have several headlamps[mostly for walking -outside the campfire lite].I am working ,toward ,extendedcoastal kayaking &long camping trips[back in my youth,I ran a200 trap, line in an OLD coleman canoe]seems like 100yrs ago now!!!!anyway I have been experimenting with solar,for several yrs now,and have found that ;for the space&weight,it FAR exceeds -just batteries.THAT means I can carry more "creature comforts-NO not the "big-screen",but other items I deem vital !!!!!THE 16'kayak that is my "prototype"has enough cockpit space to be comfy for me[5'9"-170lb frame",and both a LARGE front&rear hatchs,for easy loading.while I am NOT "high-tec" I like to try NEW things,in life,as well as kayaking ,or boating in general.this is just 1 more attempt,to satisfy my curiouity.I hope this kinda answers your,question-and upholds your BATTERY thoughts!!!!later gumby/zenkayaker

Fair enough, a day without learning something is a day wasted.

Solar power and off road 4x4 driving go hand in hand in this country and there are a lot of places that supply the gear. A troll of web sites in the 4x4 arena might offer some ideas to try. I do seem to recall seeing/reading somewhere a solar setup on a kayak I'll give it some thought and try and locate it and pass it on.

Cheers

Bill

For some ideas try this

http://www.4wdaustralia.com.au/vehicle/electrics/default.asp#Article_SolarPower

Cheers

Bill

A good article on night paddling has been posted on Sea Kayaker's website. "Night Paddling" by Craig Jungers covers more than just the lights we need to carry it also gives pointers on how to interpret what you're seeing, as well as some great uses of retroreflective material on your boat and gear. In addition he gives some good stratagies for dealing with shipping lanes that are good advice for night or day paddling.

From the Seakayakermag.com homepage Go to the pull down menu for Education > Online Articles > October 2006 > night paddling.