Kayak Strobe/Safety Light

Any recommendations for a safety strobe light for kayaking/canoeing?

I presently have an old Seattle Sports Hydrostar but for the life of me cannot figure how to change the batteries. I don't even remember what batteries it takes, yet it currently still functions.

In October, I'll be spending a couple weeks on the Outer Banks of North Carolina (Avon, NC) and will be paddling virtually every day on Pamlico Sound. We stay pretty close to shore but, not surprising for an ETSer, I'd like to be prepared for the unexpected and unlikely.

I'm looking at this updated version of the Hydrostar but would like to do more research before buying it. When not paddling, like its predecessor it will be stored in the car.

http://www.seattlesportsco.com/paddling/hydrostar-sos-seastar-deluxe.html


Some crummy reviews on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Seattle-Sports-Hydrostar-Seastar-Deluxe/dp/B00CSUENN0/ref=pd_sim_sbs_468_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0E00FJH35X9KHXQN7ANF&dpID=41MZ9db6xSL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_


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I am becoming a big fan of Zebralight products, mostly their headlamps, which are bright with variable settings. The ones I have possess a strobe/beacon mode, which would appear to be effective. They are rated to IPX7 for waterproofness ( 2 M for 30 min, I believe) and they are great illumination tools for general use.

Have you considered an ACR Firefly or the ACR Lifevest Signal Light ? They don't stand up on the deck of your kayak, but the reviews of the Seattle Sports Hydrostar don't seem to indicate a high build quality. Either of those lights with a good headlamp illuminating what you need to see would be both reliable and give a bit of redundancy. Both of the ACR strobes use 2xAA batteries, headlamps come in AAA or AA flavors.

Strobes need to emite light 360 degrees, so any flashlight or headlight really don't do that job well. Not even with any attachments on it.

Back to the original question, I have no experience with the SOS seastar deluxe. I do know that I personally don't like seperate battery carries, they somehow always seems flimsy and break. But at the same time, I haven't seen very bad strobes from any of the large manufactures.

Do check what batteries you want to use and if the strobe accepts it.

Battery change instructions at http://seattle1.nextmp.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Hydrostar-2013-WEB-4.12.13.pdf

Not sure how important the red/green running lights are on a kayak since you move so slow relative to most boat traffic. I believe the legal requirement for paddle craft is a single white light.

The biggest priority is to be seen by other boats so you don't get run over. For that, a headlamp might be a better bet than a deck mounted light. Kayaks are so low to the water that being visible is a real issue even in daylight. A headlamp will be slightly higher than a deck mounted light. That extra foot or so of hight of a headlamp (relative to a deck light) will help you be seen more readily by power boats.

In my opinion strobes should generally be reserved for when you are in distress. One exception might be if you see a powerboat bearing down on you in the dark and suspect they don't see you. In that case I wouldn't hesitate to tun on the strobe to keep from being run over.

Thanks, Aksar.

Unfortunately, my Hydrostar is an older model and does not fit with those instructions.



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Here is what the US Coast Guard has to say:

(ii) A vessel under oars may exhibit the lights prescribed in this rule for sailing vessels, but if she does not, she shall exhibit an all around white light or have ready at hand an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light which shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision. Vessel Under Oars

A 360 strobe has obvious utility, but also is likely to blind the kayaker while performing its function. I'll stick with a headlamp, not just the brand i prefer, but many of the other brands sport variable light levels and reasonable waterproofness (Fenix, Nitecore et al.)

Kayaking at night in the presence of other craft seems like a bad idea. I have always been on shore watching the sunset.... I carried a signal mirror and flares for day time emergencies

But a headlamp only shines to one direction, forward. You can still be run over by a boat that comes from your rear because you are not visible. Therefore a kayak light should have 360 degrees field of light.

Or do boats never pass you from behind, do they allways come "nose to nose"?

Dagny probably needs to amplify on her intended use, so we don't take this thread on a tangent for no reason.

I would not kayak at night on Pamlico Sound -- too many things to go wrong, like getting run over. Besides at night you should have a fire going on shore, dinner, sleep, then breakfast. OTOH a good strobe light for general safety and to get noticed is always a good thing to pack. Just get one that isn't fragile.

BTW the ACR Firefly PRO SOLAS Strobe looks like a step up from the ACR Firefly Plus mentioned in my previous post. It's a bit more spendy but the specs look better. ACR units are usually well made.

Frim the point of a small boat sailor, the deck mounted lights are of limited value. Unless I specifically looking for one during the day, I won't see it. It will actually hide your silhouette if you're between me and the sun. The farthest I've detected 'yaks is if they're flying an orange flag on a 3-5 foot mast.

IMHO the best daytime visibility is a flag and high-vis jacket. The best nighttime is a mast mounted white or red/green/white light and a headlamp. If I see a strobe on the water, I'm going to assume somebody went overboard and will manuver for a pickup.

Flag/light/mast kits can be had for for $50-$100.

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

The intensity of the light is usually not the issue. Even a quite modest light is readily visible for a great distance at night. As noted up thread, the real problem is that kayaks sit so low in the water, and are hard to see even in daylight. With even a modest bit of wave action, the kayaker will frequently disappear in the trough between waves.


In most cases, a kayaker will see other approaching vessels long before they can see the kayak. Almost any boat will have their lights mounted higher than a kayak. It is often best to paddle without a light on, preserving your night vision, and giving yourself a better chance of seeing the running lights of other boats a long way off.

In my experience, by far the biggest danger to kayakers is from high speed powerboats. If you see or hear one approaching, you turn on your headlamp or flashlight, and sweep it across them a few times. Then perhaps hold a paddle up in the air, and shine your light on the paddle blade (I sometimes put a short bit of reflective tap on my blades). A trick sailboats sometimes use is to shine a light up onto their sails, which becomes a very big, obvious marker.

Big ships will have their lights mounted very high off the water, and you should be able to see them far off. Big ships are also generally constrained to channels, and can't readily turn to avoid a kayak even if they see it, without risking running aground and endangering themselves. Likewise, due to their momentum, big ships can't readily stop. A large tanker may take miles to turn or stop. And big ships have to maintain some minimal speed to maintain control ("steerage way").

Hence the onus is on the kayaker to stay the hell out of the way of large vessels (the informal but very real "rule of superior tonnage"). Kayakers should be aware of shipping channels in the area, and avoid them. If you must cross a channel, look both ways then get across as fast as possible. (Much like a pedestrian crosses a busy road without a "walk light".)

Thanks, that's good info.

Situations vary, but the majority of my kayaking has been in waters far too shallow or turbulent for conventional craft -sea caves, for instance. And when a paddler is in more conventional situations, keep a sharp lookout.

On board larger vessels, I have been startled numerous times by the sudden appearance of smaller paddlecraft and vessels, typically displaying no lights at all, even under dusky conditions.

Strobe lights-there is some variation. This source states strobe are for inland waters -at 50-70 flashes per minute. Others don't make that distinction. Can't you just picture the Gary Larson cartoon with the caption "He must be OK. He's only flashing 48 times a minute."

On a related note; I prefer light colored paddles ( yellow) so I can signal power boats that I am here. Ditto for bright PFD"s - No blue or black please, I'm trying to find you in the water

I just received the ACR Firefly PRO SOLAS Strobe from one of the on-line retailers. First impression is that it is well built and has a battery compartment very similar to the Streamlight Sidewinder. Although the two lights are similar in size they are very different lights.

The switch on the ACR Firefly requires a very long movement that should preclude it accidentally activating. Also when it shipped the piece of hook & loop/velcro was wrapped such that the switch cannot move. That may be a clue as to how a user should pack the light.

After inserting the batteries (NiMH), I found the light activates: 1) Strobe, then 2) Steady, then 3) SOS and if you turn the light off after mode 2 (steady) and turn it on a good while later it activates with mode 3 -- it doesn't reset to restart at mode 1.

I would prefer that it reset and always started as a steady light, then strobe, then SOS. But I'm sure they had their reasons.

YMMV. No affiliation other than as a customer.

Wisconsin law (where I'll retire to soon - but not soon enough) says that all boats less than 39.4 feet long, powered and unpowered, will have a front mounted red/green side lights (facing left/right ... port/starboard) visible 1 mile away dark, and a rear 3.3 foot or higher 360 degree white light visible 2 miles away in the dark.

But then it goes on to say that if this lighting is not practical for unpowered boats less than 23 feet long, then have a at least one white lantern or flashlight that can be displayed in time to avoid a collision.

While I don't plan to kayak at night, my main light would likely be a good headlight, but for fear that I might bump it off and lose it in the drink (it happened to me once in the boundary waters, sigh) ... I think I'd also have another small light attached to my PFD.

I do wonder if a strobe might be interpreted as a need for rescue.

If I see a strobe on the water at night I'm very likely to investigate or call for a rescue.

According to the USCG, a strobe flashing at 50to70 times per minute is an official distress signal. Beyond all that, I,too, would check out such a phenomenon.

Thanks for that insight.

Of course the flashing strobe would still be good to carry if indeed and emergency occurred. :-)

I have a house on a fairly large lake - large enough to get turned around and a bit lost at night. Have you ever heard of someone putting a special light on the shore as a "home beacon"? The house light(s) are just white bulbs that will turn on/off with/without movement (not fond of lights on all night).

Unfortunately, my lake home is on a smallish (25 acre) lake that is connected to the much bigger lake, so rather than a "home beacon" I think I'd be better off with a GPS that will light up at night. I don't think the neighbors want to install a permanent beacon at the lake-to-lake channel.

I once saw a pair of blue lights, one above the other, on a post at the end of a pier. This was on a private pier along the ICW. I assume that this was to avoid any possible confusion, because blue lights aren't used in any aids to navigation, but white, red and yellow lights are. If you used two posts, a taller one behind a shorter one, you could also derive your relative bearing from the apparent offset or alignment of the two lights. But I'm not sure what the regulations are about private pier lighting and such.

I've seen every color of light on piers. Mostly in Texas, I see lots of bright green floodlights, pointed downward, to attract fish. There are lots of underwater green lights set just off of piers as well, for attracting fish.

I suppose that if a pier is long enough to possibly conflict with vessel traffic, or if people go out on it at night, it ought to have some sort of lighting for safety reasons, along with a boarding ladder in case someone falls off, or for swimmer's convenience.