Flashlight for sailing ?

What is the best flashlight for sailing ? Waterproof and sinkproof. Leds, no leds. Etc

I'm going to make a wild guess and say A2 Aviator. It has high-output Xenon when you need it, and low output LEDs for when you need to save your night vision.

The floating requirement really limits you choices. Many good lights are waterproof, but will sink lake an anchor.

Coleman makes an entire line of floating flashlights and lanterns. They even make some that will turn on automatically if they hit the water. These are inexpensive lights and I have no experience with them or their quality. Worth a look at: Coleman.

Eternalight which is very good quality makes a couple of marine lights that will float if used with lithium batteries. Elite Marine.

Another solution is to find a good quality flashlight that fits your needs and budget and attach some of those key float devices to make it buoyant.

Keeping the light on a lanyard is a good idea. If it goes over the side when you really need it, it does not matter much if it is waterproof or floats.

Mark

I'd go with a dive-rated light. Pelican, Underwater Kinetics, and Princeton Tech have good offerings (Pelican being my favorite, for their quality construction and beams).

Oops, I didn't notice sinkproof, else I'd have also suggested Eternalight. With regard to my A2 suggestion, you should just put it on a lanyard over your neck that's just tight enough to not go over your head too easily.

In my case I have a UK 4AA Led in the cockpit "allways" ready to light up the deck, for "throw" I take a UK C8 :devil: , a real monster to illuminate the whole port, and with me I carry my U60 in any pocket (pants or jacket) with a red filter from a Mini Mag kit for the night . I don't worry too much if a torch floats because once it goes overboard is practically impossible to recover it.
In my opinion a light for sailing must be made of plastic like ABS or aluminum but covered in rubber, especially on a fiberglass deck.

The HELIOTEK springs to mind. Don't let it's odd looks keep you from checking it out.

• Made of stainless steel and space age plastics (salt water friendly)
• Body is not pierced by switch(s) (reed switches for both momentary and continuous on) (more water friendly)
• Hideously tight beam when you need it and integral diffusion filter for normal use. One tool does two jobs -- an important consideration for any sailing tool. Diffusion filter also doubles by protecting lens used for high throw.
• It floats when loaded with lithium AAs. It is designed for lithiums. IIRC +7 hrs runtime to 50% with lithiums.
• High manufacturing standards and quality control testing.
• At around $100 it seems to be a lot of tool for the money.

The bottom line is that these guys are trying to make a light for folks who sometimes have to bet their lives on their gear. I would have bought this light in a heartbeat 30 years ago when I was sailing. Eventually I'll pick one up for the hurricane kit.

Thanks for the replies. I´ve got an A2 which is my favourite. But as SF told me it´s watertight not waterproof. But there´s a point, once overboard it´s much pretty gone.

JorgeM said:

Thanks for the replies. I´ve got an A2 which is my favourite. But as SF told me it´s watertight not waterproof. But there´s a point, once overboard it´s much pretty gone.

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Watertight and waterproof are two different things... Waterproof, if I remember correctly, means that there's no way water can get in. Can't think of anything "waterproof" per se. Water resistant means the seals are pretty much guaranteed to hold up to a depth of xx meters. Past that, you're just testing your luck. According to Flashlightreviews.com, Surefire rates all their lights to 33 feet, plenty if you're not a diver.

I´ve read that too. Guess you´re right.

carrot said:

According to Flashlightreviews.com, Surefire rates all their lights to 33 meters, plenty if you're not a diver.

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Actually 33feet(10m, easy mistake), but that is as you said, plenty if you're not a diver.

There aren't many floating lights except for big lanterns. I'd go with an ordinary sinkable dive light and attach a float (e.g. chunk of foam) to the lanyard. Large dive lights are generally designed on purpose to have slightly negative buoyancy, I think. Smaller ones, the buoyancy doesn't matter much, just attach a float.

How about a Brinkmann maxstar 6 volt incan ,the box on the one I have says it floats w beam upright,I have not tested it for that. Thay were in Wal-mart a few years ago, still on Brinkmanns web site.

If you're a dinghy sailor and want the light on ur PFD, I would say go with the Princeton Tec Rage(AAA) or Tec 40(AA). Cheap and good.
The UK mini Q40(AA) will do fine too. All these lights are incan.

If you're a keelboater, a pistol grip dive light will be good. Just keep it in the cabin.

JorgeM said:

...But there?s a point, once overboard it?s much pretty gone.

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There's much more to waterproof than picking up a dropped light when sailing. I don't know what the temps are of the waters you spend time in, but one should also consider the useability of a light attached to your belt should YOU go overboard or should your boat sink. There are many locales where one might survive adrift for days and in that case the difference between "waterproof" and "water resistant" may be the last things you ever contemplate if you are in the water and have a light attached to your belt and have a chance to signal another vessel. Remember that if you think that you may be losing your vessel you may tie all manner of things to your person. Becoming an old sailor is all about options so that one day you may tell the tales -- instead of having someone else tell the story about what happened to you.

Even if you are not in the friendly climes -- lets say your boat sinks or you go over the side in the North Sea. OK, so then you have just a few minutes to contemplate the fact that you were carrying a light that you were unable to save your life with.

Bottom line -- whatever light you get for sailing should be waterproof. It should allow you to still use it after it gets wet. What if your light falls overboard and you do get it back? If it was me I'd want the option of using it.

If you're buying a light for sailing it should, at the very least, be waterproof. This is not rocket science. Try to stay away from the Darwin Awards.

A surefire tactical type light would be the last thing I'd look at for boating. Look for bright plastics so you can easily find it, smooth shapes so it won't trash the boat when you bash it into things, easy grip but not knurled HA3 to chew up hands that have been water soaked for hours, big easy switches for when your hands are freezing cold from the windchill etc

Generally small isn't important or even good, long reach beams are for spotting, and maybe big short range flood for lighting the deck. Use different low power lights for cockpit work or navigation. Night vision takes a while to get back. Charts use colours like blue, purple and orange-brown so white light may well be best.

Basically what GreenLED said - look at dive and similar lights made specifically for watersports. Peli, Princeton tec and the like.

Oh, and if you go over the side at night, then it the likes of a high output / long life waterproof strobe, waterproof flare, and a auto activated light that comes on in contact with water even if you're unconscious that you might want to think about.

Cheers

As a dinghy racer, blue water cruiser, and flashaholic, I have some opinions on the subject!

First, you really need to know what the intended use is. Lake sailing or offshore sailing? Certainly being offshore raises the bar a bit.

For use while sailing at night, you need more than one light:

1. Low output light for routine tasks. This is extremely important since on a sailboat at night, light levels are low and you need to try to preserve night vision. I wear a CMG Ultra-G on a neck lanyard for general duty on the boat at night. A Dorcy 1AAA might be good too: if you drop it overboard, you are out 7 bucks. A little keychain red led light would have a role here too.

2. Handy throw oriented light used mostly for checking the rigging up high or the set of the sails. Though a variable output light would be ideal here, a Streamlight 4AA ProPolymer Luxeon might be better. If it does roll overboard, no great financial loss. It almost floats with lithium AA cells. Add a keychain float to the lanyard and I think you would be good.

3. Bright, powerful incandescent light for those unplanned night time anchorage approaches. Incandescent to cut through all the moisture in the air, and high power since on the water distances can be quite long. A Thor or equivalent would be great. My Mag85 does fairly well here too.

4. PFD light - traditionally a strobe of some sort, but it can be hard for searchers to judge distance with a strobe, or pick it out from the clutter of shore lights. I would supplement it with something small, bright, and water resistant. An Eternalight loaded with Lithiums since it floats, can give some eye-catching LED patterns, and doesn't take up much pocket space.

There's some interesting ones already mentioned here that can be used while sailing. Although the part about being submerged. . .I know that some of the Pelicans and the UnderwaterKinetics come with lanyards or can be had with one. The Streamlight 4dbA ProPolymer Luxeon does come with a lanyard and stands up to the wet environment quite well.

Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

Hello Jorge,

I'll second the recommendation for the Heliotek. It offers a nice diffused beam with the diffuser in place, and very good throw when you open the diffuser up.

I have had mine out kayaking and it does float lens up. If the light is on, there is no problem seeing it, but it may be a bit difficult to see in rough water in marginal light.

The long regulated run time is also a plus.

Tom

Like Silver Fox seconded: if I had to depend on a light when sailing, Sub Umbra's recomendation of the Heliotek may be the best.