Sailing & Flashlights, Specific Request

[Tech a Billy]

Problem: The wind direction indicator, which is a small weather vane type arrow mounted on the very top of a 42 ft. mast, is not illuminated. My sailing friend asked for a flashlight that would allow him to see the indicator at night while sitting at the helm (aft end) of his 35 ft. sailboat. His request is that it be small, with a belt pouch or neck lanyard, and bright with good throw and a rear mounted thumb switch for one handed momentary operation. Battery type and runtime are not important. Budget, up to $75.

My first thought was; Pelican M6 and a dozen SF 123s.
Or maybe a Scorpion or a SL TL-2 Xenon or 4AA Xenon ProPolymer. My friend is "hard" on his equipment.

Which one would you reccommend? Any other ideas?

 

[CajunBabe]

I recently saw an Inova XO which I was very impressed with or the Inova XO3 for a little extra punch, which would both be within his budget. I would tend to lean more toward LED lights as to not require extra bulbs to be on hand and a lithium 123 powered light to have the batttery shelf life. I'm sure there are many other lights that fit the bill.

CajunBabe

 

[BlindedByTheLite]

small
belt pouch/neck lanyard
bright/good throw
rear thumb switch
momentary operation
35 feet from helm to indicator
$75 > budget

some candidates:
Inova XO³
Pelican M6 LED
Streamlight Pro-Polymer 4AA Xenon
Surefire G2

 

[sotto]

UK 4C cell incandescent. Made for salt water scuba diving, very bright with good throw. The other lights you mentioned may not hold up well under salt spray conditions.

 

[Lightraven]

If your friend is anything like me, he'll drop his flashlight overboard into San Diego Bay. D'Oh! So my suggestion is something with a lanyard and something not overly expensive.

I think a bright yellow SF G2 with a lanyard and holster would be a good choice. He could run a cord back to his belt instead of around his wrist (which could be unsafe). If he goes in the water at night, a G2 is vastly superior to most life vest signal lights I've seen.

The UK lights don't have the tailcap momentary switch but are designed for SCUBA diving as already mentioned.

My only concern about the G2 is the use of lithium CR123 batteries. Does anybody know if salt water is going to be a problem if the batteries somehow get wet? I think I remember reading something about this on the LED Punishment Zone. Is it a coincidence that dive lights don't use lithium batteries?

 

[chamenos]

if he gets a G2, he should find a way to seal up the tailcap. the water-resistant seal there is broken everytime the switch is pressed. another alternative would be a G2Z, as its tailcap is sealed.

the UKE lights are definitely a good choice...perhaps the UKE 4AA. i have the LED version which has an identical body to the regular incandescent version, and its really tough. the UKE 2L uses two lithium batteries, but i'm not sure how that stacks up to the UKE 4AA in terms of brightness and throw.

 

[pedalinbob]

the UK 4AA incan with switch might be a good fit. it has a lanyard hole, or might fit in a pouch.

it is supposed to be pretty water resistant, and you can use the switch as a momentary. it is pretty bright.

Bob

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Billy,

I think your friend would be well served by the UK 4AA AS2 (with slide switch).

If he can get buy without a switch, the Princeton Tec Tec40 would be another choice.

You can also tell him that since you saved him a lot of money, he should take you out on the boat... or at least out to dinner.

Tom

 

[FluffyGrunt]

6p about $50 probably less online.

 

[kongfuchicken]

The g2 tailcap isn't hard to seal. Plus it can accept a second o'ring if you have one.

 

[McGizmo]

The Windex likely has reflective tape on the tail as well as his two reference tabs. He won't need much light to illuminate this and some of the lights suggested will be so bright on his main sail that his nibht vision will be shot. He needs a tightly colluminated but not too bright light, IMHO.

 

[John N]

I thought based on some discussions long ago that the G2 basically wasn't designed for waterproofing? I don't have one so I can't take a look.

I do have Scorpions and I would not suggest them as while they are somewhat water resistaint, it isn't great and their design precludes making it better.

How about a E2E? with lanyard of course. Maybe a Gearkeeper?

-john

 

[Tech a Billy]

Good thoughts and suggestions all. I think we need the throw of an incandescent. The UK bodies do seem to go well with salt water conditions. McGizmo is right about the reflective tape and night vision. C cell bodies are too large and the TEC 40 takes two hands to operate. E2e would be the Cadillac but at a premium. I didn't know about the G2 waterproofing problem or that would have been a good choice. Between the UK 4AA and the SL ProPoly, which would have the tighter beam?

 

[Double_A]

I kinda like the G2z suggestion.

Corrosion resistant, lock out tailcap, comes WITH lanyard, pyrex lens. it has the option to take P61 if that is ever needed. Red and blue filters available. About 5in long.

Just searched on line & quickly found prices ranging from $68 to $74.

 

[BlindedByTheLite]

[ QUOTE ]
Tech a Billy said:
Good thoughts and suggestions all. I think we need the throw of an incandescent. The UK bodies do seem to go well with salt water conditions. McGizmo is right about the reflective tape and night vision. C cell bodies are too large and the TEC 40 takes two hands to operate. E2e would be the Cadillac but at a premium. I didn't know about the G2 waterproofing problem or that would have been a good choice. Between the UK 4AA and the SL ProPoly, which would have the tighter beam?

[/ QUOTE ]
you mention the throw of an incadescent, but even tho you don't seem to be leaning towards one of the 2XCR123 lithium incans, i must point out that the luxeon light i mentioned will out-throw them. here are some lights that have been mentioned in this threadin order of throw (not set in stone, but i'm pretty sure tho):
1). Pelican M6 incan
2). SL 4AA
3). UK 4AA
4). Inova XO³
5). Pelican M6 LED
6). Surefire G2/G2Z/E2E

if you really like the UK and SL 4AA lights, you might like to take a look @ the Bright Star Responder 4AA light. it's about twice as bright (in the center of the beam) as the UK and SL 4AA incans, and noticeably brighter than the Pelican M6 incan.

Edit:
new throw ranking (your mileage may vary)
1). Bright Star Responder 4AA
2). Pelican M6 incan
3). SL 4AA
4). UK C4
5). UK 4AA
6). UK 2L
7). Inova XO³
8). Pelican M6 LED
9). Surefire G2/G2Z/E2E
10) PT40

what McGizmo said was right on point. and in all honesty, any of the lights mentioned would do the job you describe.
and remember not to mix up a light's throw with a light's overall brightness it's putting out.

 

[Lightraven]

I just checked out the Brightstar 4AA and I want to change my vote. I think the G2 would be good, but the Brightstar seems to have it all--submersible, bright colored plastic body, tailcap switch (though doesn't say momentary), 35K CP adjustable beam, lanyard ring, cheap and easy alkaline batteries and only $17 at Brightguy--batteries included.

Good call, Blinded.

P.S. I believe the Inova lights have stainless steel bezel rings which would start rusting after exposure to salt water.

 

[sotto]

My Brightstar 4AA is a terrific thrower and very bright using 4 NiMH cells and overdriving a Radio Shack krypton 3 C/D pr-based bulb. And it does have a "clickie" tailswitch (momentary or steady on).

 

[oldgrandpajack]

I'd recommend the Surefire E2O, or the E2E with the MN02 lamp assembly. The MN02 is 25 lumens with a 2.5 hour runtime on a set of batteries. Since you will be pointing it at reflective tape, 25 lumens should be plenty, and yet it isn't blindingly bright. There is an attachment point on the pocket clip for a lanyard.
oldgrandpajack

 

[Roy]

Take a look at the Pelican Sabrelite LED Submersible....it has a pensil beam and a runtime of 3.5 hours. It's rated as a dive light. Comes in black or BRIGHT yellow.

 

[Robban]

I don't know anything about sailing boats more than that they float and don't need an engine but... Wouldn't it be easier to mount something on the indicator itself (or close to it) that lights it up? I'm thinking a few leds with a battery pack located down below for easy changing should work pretty well. That way it'll always be illuminated and easy to see. Might not work to good in extremely rainy weather but still. Just a thought that probably will get shot down quick due to obvious reasons that I have no clue about /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif