Most kyakers stop travelling at night in inland waters. Open ocean kyakers do need a 360 degree white light although the Rules of the Road require a handheld flashlight (torch).

I would recommend as already mentioned above, a 5 ft mast with a flag and a 360 deg white light atop the mast. A flashing strobe on a kyak is going to create vision difficulties at night AND annoy the hell out of the operator.

For that matter, a high vis hull makes a big difference. In my experience, a white hull, for instance, disappears in a breaking sea.

Good point. The ACR Firefly PRO SOLAS Strobe has a steady on mode at reduced output -- 124 lumens for 28 hours per the spec sheet.

BTW, no affiliation, (but I may buy one of these for me).

I support the suggestion of a 360 degree white light, mounted on as high of a mast as you can manage on your kayak or canoe. Some sort of mast is necessary to prevent a substantial arc of the light from being blocked by your body. A mast will also amplify the apparent motion of the light. Consider backing this up with a very bright narrow beam flashlight, perhaps with a fast strobe function, that you can aim to get the attention of any potentially conflicting craft.

We're typically out during the last couple hours of sunlight, to watch the sun set on Pamlico Sound.


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Nice, moving down the inner shore of the outer bank. Hope you have a good time

Just ordered an ACR Firefly PRO SOLAS to replace the ancient single D cell strobe in my kit. It was a good strobe in its day, but is eclipsed by the ACR strobe.

I used an ACR 4F for many years, both while kayaking and in SAR (helicopter ops) and it served well - ultra reliable and effective. This unit looks like a significant upgrade.

I'd add a powerful handheld light for alerting other boats. ( and a good reason to buy a 250 lumen flashlight

Isn't the strobe for alerting other boats? As mentioned previously regarding the headlamp, a flashlight only shines in one direction rather than 360 degrees. A headlamp & flashlight should be included, but not for alerting/signaling. IMO, YMMV