Boating Lights

Yes all manner of purpose made lights are still available and much better than the old days.
Search ‘dingy running lights’ and you can find what suits you.
Jim

Dana said:

They used to sell boat nav lights that were basically a 2-D flashlight with a split red/green lens, probably something like that is still available.

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Neophyte said:

@yknpdlr I don't think I'll ever do anything like that, but it sounds amazing. I have definitely found some of those hidden stumps between Flowers and Oseetah, and that was in broad daylight.

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Coming off the lower dam portage, those stumps can be tricky to negotiate even in daylight hours, especially at racing speed. But during the official race or nearing the end of the Cannonball, at least it is during daylight.

During the Yukon River races we are required to carry a flashing strobe for when the large tour boat, the "Yukon Queen" might be active (it never really gets dark during the "night" on the Yukon at that time of year). Now that would be some distracting flash while paddling, but I don't think we ever actually had it on while we were racing as the big boat with its gigantic wake was never in our view during dusky light of lower latitude Yukon River night time hours before we came within the night bright night sky vicinity of the Arctic Circle.

"backscatter" can be a real issue at night, that's why I like the bike lights, they're small enough to be shaded by the gunwales (they generally hang flush with or slightly below them) to block them from your view- all you really see is a glow reflecting off the water, and the white light is on the back of the stern paddler's head so no light is actually thrown forward into your eyes

Packrat said:

I can see that in that case it might be used from shore but how does it apply to a solo flat water canoest? I am open to learning, not arguing.

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Throwing a line to floater is much better than letting them grab onto your boat, until you can assess their panic level. And of course, you don't need to throw it very far, unlike a land based throw. I paddle solo about 90% of the time and I carry my 75 ft throw bag on nice weekends when the no-PFD people are out. As much as I generally avoid the no-PFD folk, I have had training and would feel morally obligated to assist.

I also carry the throw bag (clipped to the canoe) when I winter paddle as I am usually within 75 ft of shore and would prefer to grab the bag and swim to shore, and then deal with the canoe.

As to boat lamps - do an internet search for "suction cup boat lights". I found one in the water and mounted on the stern of a canoe it would probably meet the bill for night boat lighting.

ScottS said:

Throwing a line to floater is much better than letting them grab onto your boat, until you can assess their panic level.

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When I taught annual BSA high adventure guide leadership training, another instructor and I would often do oddball role playing scenarios for training. I often played "Bobby", the worst behaving incompetent young scout you could ever imagine. Commonly at a favored campsite, upon returning to our canoes after experiencing his antics on a long hike to visit an ice cave, he would be so distressed from being constantly reprimanded that he wanted to immediately paddle home by himself, and ran to launch a canoe himself, even though he could not paddle a decent stroke to get anywhere. Of course, he capsized in deep water not far from shore, and the "leader of the day" guide student had to pick someone to help in another canoe to rescue Bobby who was certainly a lousy and panicked swimmer. He kept grabbing onto the rescue canoe gunwales with sometimes predictable results. The other instructor on shore took notes and we all had a good calming instructional event debriefing afterwards. Lots of fun.

I have a couple of sets of battery powered boat lights but hadn't been using them. Usually after dark I just have a headlamp to turn on if needed. Trying to keep hands/arms low with an in-water recovery is what I do when a headlamp is required for avoiding stumps and such. One time last year getting a late start paddling out to meet others at a campsite, I decided to try using a stern mounted white light to make sure I was visible to any night time fishermen out on the lake. There were low clouds that night and I got disoriented on the lake. Even though the stern light was not directly visible to me I found it worsened my disorientation since every time I tried to look around at shorelines I would get glimpses of light and light would reflect from objects off to the side.