Good Old Boat Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022

Simple Solutions

Lightbulb Moment From a spare parts drawer and a galley, you can make a quick and easy anchor light. BY JIM SHELL

A functioning anchor light is a basic piece of vital equipment on board. And while you might have one, we all know that bad things can and do happen to our gear, usually when we’re least ready for it. Having a spare is a good idea, but let’s say you don’t. Then what? Making an anchor light out of found items aboard is easier than you might think. Here’s how. First, dig into your spare parts drawer. Here you likely will find spare bulbs and sockets for your lights aboard, and these can be put into service. If no spares are available, cannibalize an existing light fixture that you can live without for a bit. In your drawer, you may also find a spare 15D bayonet base and its 10-watt bulb, along with wire

Old-fashioned saltshakers make especially good Fresnel lens-style globes. In all cases, the lids of each can act as the base for the lightbulb. Building a light from these parts is as easy as drilling a hole in the top of the jar lid, running wires through the hole and attaching them to the bulb inside, then using electrical tape around the opening to make it as watertight as possible. What about power? Typically anchor lights run off power from the boat’s batteries, but for a homemade light, a power tool battery pack can work, especially with LED bulbs. Tool battery packs typically come in 12- to 20-volt units with 2 to 4 amps of available power. This should be sufficient to run a 1.9-watt

LED (170 lumens) bulb for 12 to 24 hours. There’s another lamp to consider carrying aboard that can also solve the dead anchor light problem: a hurricane lamp. Usually found on modern boats only as “mood” lighting, if they’re good quality with the right wick and oil, they can hang from the headstay and glow all night long, regardless of weather and never needing an electrical power source. Although not as bright as electrical lights, oil lanterns with wicks ¹ ₂-inch or larger are bright enough to meet the USCG 2-mile visibility requirement. Lamps with a Fresnel lens only need a wick that’s ³ ₈ inches wide. Hurricane lamps need quality fuel, clean globes, and a properly trimmed wick. Most

experts recommend the wick be trimmed to the shape of the burner head for the brightest light, but a pointed trimmakes a taller flame. Too high a flame soots up the globe; too low produces less light. There’s a bit of art inworking out the optimal settings for a particular lamp. Frommy experience, I can say that a quality hurricane product than a $10 one at a big box store. These lamps excel in fit, finish, and operation. As a rule of thumb with Dietz lamps, the more expensive the model, the happier you’ll be with its performance. Hurricane lanterns are a real asset to any boat. They’ll stay lit in most weather conditions, and they’ll work when the electricity doesn’t. And, even if not needed to warn lantern—a $25 Dietz for example—is a far better

end connectors, and possibly even wire, to hook everything up. Next, look around for the container that can serve as your lens fixture and will protect the light from the elements. There are many options—a glass Mason jelly jar or even a plastic mayonnaise jar are just two obvious examples. If your found item is textured, all the better, because this can increase a light’s visibility.

other mariners of your location, they have the added benefit of warming the chilly night air in your cabin. Jim Shell and his wife, Barbara, sail their Pearson 365 ketch , Phantom, off the coast of Texas. Homemade anchor lights made from a half-pint Mason jelly jar (L) and an old-fashioned saltshaker (R) shine as brightly as the off-the-shelf anchor light in the center.

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