I just bought a PFD light and it comes with two led bulbs. Ones a continuous white light and the other is a flashing red light. What are the regulations (Can &USA) regarding lights. I thought a continuous white was illegal on a PFD. Both are unidirectional. IMO the white seems much brighter and I believe would be easier to see in stormy seas, but I could be wrong. Is there anyone who's had real experience trying to spot these lights in the water at night? Gordin Warner *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
From: "Gordin Warner" <hmgwarner_at_shaw.ca> > I just bought a PFD light and it comes with two led bulbs. Ones a > continuous white light and the other is a flashing red light. What are the > regulations (Can &USA) regarding lights. I think they are the same. > I thought a continuous white was illegal on a PFD. Continuous white is legal and, for kayakers, required for night operation as a minimum in Canada; you are allowed the red-port/green-starboard/white-aft pattern as well. I think US is the same at least where continuous white is concerned. > Both are unidirectional. White has to be visible all round - meaning that you can point a unidirectional (like a flashlight) in the direction of an oncoming vessel or you use a C-light or similar. Having a unidirectional light fixed on a PFD seems like it won't fully satisfy this rule. However, it could augment an additional light. It is not an emergency light. > IMO the white seems much brighter White/amber/red is the sequence of decreasing visibility for a given output. It's interesting that red is a warning light and yet it's the least visible. A red flashing light isn't an official distress signal - flashing white is on the Great Lakes (or so I think, color may not be relevant). Nonetheless, anything that draws attention is a useful emergency signal- official or not. > and I believe would be easier to see in stormy seas, but I could be wrong. White could also look like a reflection of light on the water. If the moon is up, all bets are off; on a fully overcast night, the light would stand out. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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