Help me pick a flashlight for my Dad - for boat use

My Dad likes to sail long distances in his small sailboat (28 ft). When I asked him if he needed another flashlight, this is what he replied:

"One of the problems in being on a small boat at night at sea is attracting the attention of a big vessel that is about to run one down...they often do not listen to their radios.

I do have a big and heavy bright beam rechargeable torch which is not an LED. But it has two problems. It is large and space is at a premium. And it needs mains power to recharge.

Is there some LED torch of modest size, battery operated or perhaps chargeable with 12volts (like a car cigarette lighter) available to shine at a ships bridge?"


Perhaps a strobe would be a good way to get a ship's attention?
FYI He uses AA eneloops a lot, and has a charger for them on his boat, but I have no problem with getting him a Pila charger for Li-ions.
This is a serious safety issue, so I am willing to spend a lot, if necessary.
Reliability and straightforward UI are key.
I posted this in the LED forum because of his requirement that the light be of modest size, but I am open to other types.

Looking forward to your responses.

Hi, newbie here, just giving my 2 cents.

You might want to consider a flashlight with a good throw since you would want the bigger ship to spot your dad at a considerable distance to avoid accidents. Also a considerable flood also.

you can check out Jetbeam RRT-1 and M1X.

also you can check out this thread

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/246125

eagletac, tiablo, solarforce masterpiece plus the other brands make great lights

hope this helps:welcome:

Thrunite Catapult and 18650's with a DC charge adaptor. Tons of light and a serious thrower.

M1X and Catapult are great choices.
For even better throw, Dereelight V3 with Aspheric.
Perhaps invest in a 200mW laser pointer might be helpful too.

the big problem with big vessels is that they have priority over little yachts...because they can't change direction in just a few 10 or even 100 meters...

you must be seen from distance like about 1 Nm (nauticlal mile = 1856 m)

I would look at how other large ships and bouys are seen - radar and very bright red flashing lights. Maybe there is a way to increase the radar cross section of the sail boat?

I would think of something in the stop light class of lighting power.

Also get him a Zebralight for X-Mass if he does not have a good headlamp. Having both hands free in rough waters is a godsend.

Also my brother used to sail a 25'er all over Lake Michigan and had a device that would alert him if any boats/ships came within a user definable perimeter.

Sounds like this is a perfect application for a Fenix TK-40. AA batts has strobe, sos (a real use for it is at sea), bright, visible for miles, and waterproof.

I think you don't need the most powerfull flashlight to shine the bridge of big ships, because if you can do so, that's mean it's to late...

but a strobe can be seen several miles away, and for that you don't need a big one, every flashlight with at least 100 lm will be efficient

another way to be visible in the night on a sailboat is to illuminate the sail, and for that also, you don't need the most powerful flashlight

a good AA-flahlight can do the trick, imho...

There have been some good suggestions for a larger light for your dad.

I would also recommend that you also get him a smaller light such as a Quark or Fenix, powered by 1 or 2 AA or CR123A. Something he can always have on his person, for backup or emergencies.

Make sure you buy him a little buoy he can tie to it. Nothing like buying someone a 200 dollar light and then having them drop it in the ocean.

The catapult looks awesome! Super bright, easy UI, strobe, super tough: I want one for myself!
I like the TK40, but the parasitic drain while off is too high.
I like the idea of a Zebralight, or similar, as an extra present.
Already got him a good 2AA LED light.
Good idea to attach a float to these. For the Catapult it would have to be a BIG float!
I'll ask him if the catapult is an ok size. If not, how about an M20 Warrior? I'll also keep the RRT-1 in mind for the great UI.

Thanks everyone!

You can also have a lanyard attached to the light, and have the lanyard attached to him, so if he drops the light, it will still be connected to him.

Two lights would be a good idea, one small one for usual around the boat use, and a larger one for spotting and signaling use.

ntalbot said:

If not, how about an M20 Warrior?

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Another fantastic light - and an excellent thrower in the tactical class.

You might also consider a LumaPower MRV SK V1.1 - slghtly larger than an M30 but considerably smaller than a Catapult and it's a mondo thrower of a light with a simple UI. Under $75.00 too....

HarryN said:

Maybe there is a way to increase the radar cross section of the sail boat?

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Yep. Whatever light you get, also look into getting a radar reflector.

Im not sure a very powerful thrower is the way to go here. You want a big hotspot that has decent throw, because this will increase the view angle from the point of the observer (the bigger boat)

Something P7/MCE based will do well

Crenshaw

If I needed a light to shine way up on a tall ships bridge from the surface of the water, I'd use a powerful, small HID such as the Battery Junction N30 or L35. They are fairly small and will nave no problems signaling up to the bridge, No question. No LED is going to come close for long distance signaling and attention getting.

Or just as effective, the Stanley HID.

BVH said:

If I needed a light to shine way up on a tall ships bridge from the surface of the water, I'd use a powerful, small HID such as the Battery Junction N30 or L35. They are fairly small and will nave no problems signaling up to the bridge, No question. No LED is going to come close for long distance signaling and attention getting.

Or just as effective, the Stanley HID.

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Yes, that's definitely true. I'll check with him to see if the size of those is ok with him. He might want something smaller. All those have lead-acid batteries, right? Is everyone comfortable with the reliability of those? I'll look into them.

He does have a radar reflector already, up near the cross trees of the mast, but apparently ships don't look at their radar screens all the time.

I'll check out the MRV too.

Thanks again everyone.

The N30 uses NiMh batteries. The L35 uses Li-Po batteries. Both are proven reliable.

The Stanley uses lead-acid. I cannot speak to it's reliability - I don't know enough about it (I own one but know know about it's failure/defect/etc rates).

MattK said:

The N30 uses NiMh batteries. The L35 uses Li-Po batteries. Both are proven reliable.

The Stanley uses lead-acid. I cannot speak to it's reliability - I don't know enough about it (I own one but know know about it's failure/defect/etc rates).

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Thanks Matt. The L35 looks great! The N30 is discontinued, right?