Water Safety Light Use & Care Guide

These guides relate to the following products

  1. 360º Water Safety Light
  2. Combination Marine Navigation Lights
  3. 3M Dual Lock Tabs
  4. 3M Dual Lock Metre

The lights share a common case design and you should read and follow the Use and Care Guide below to ensure you get a long and useful life from your lights. The lights are very tough but they are not indestructable, they are battery powered and the batteries need to be replaced from time to time depending on use. Functions are accessed by repeatedly pressing the button on the upper face of the light.

We wish you long and useful service from your light(s).

Watch our YouTube channel to see the lights in action.

360º Water Safety Light

These lights are intended for use on small water craft where local maritime regulations call for a fixed or flashing white light when you are on the water after sunset or before dawn OR when light conditions are otherwise low.

We suggest that you consult your local authorities about how to fix the light(s) to your boat to comply with regulations. Some may require you to fix a light to both the bow and the stern of your boat.

Features

  • bright light visible at long distances (depending on conditions)
  • 15 x white LED multi function
    • handy 3 x super bright LED flashlight
    • rotating strobe
    • rapid flash
    • standard flash
    • fixed mooring light mode
  • requires 3 x AAA Batteries (not included)
  • weighs less then 170g with batteries
  • watertight back plate
  • floats and visible on water surface
  • bright fluro yellow case for good visibility even when light is off
  • built tough for outdoor conditions

Combination Marine Navigation Light

These lights are intended for use on small powered water craft or sailing craft where local marine regulations call for port and starboard running lights and/or white stern light when your craft is underway. A 360º Light can be used in fixed mode as a mooring light.

The lights are intended for emergency or occassional use. The lights have been bench tested in continuous use for about 12 to 14 hours on the same set of Alkaline batteries. Your experience will vary according to how you use the light.

We suggest that you consult your local authorities about how to fix the light(s) to your boat to comply with regulations. Some may require you to use more than one light on your boat.

Features

  • bright light visible at long distances (depending on conditions)
  • 15 x LED multi function
    • handy 3 x super bright white LED flashlight
    • 4 x green and 4 x red LED fixed navigation lights
    • 4 x white fixed stern lights
  • requires 3 x AAA Batteries (not included)
  • weighs less then 170g with batteries
  • watertight back plate
  • floats and visible on water surface
  • bright white case for good visibility even when light is off
  • built tough for outdoor conditions

Maintaining a Watertight Seal

The lights are designed to be watertight by having a backplate with an “O” ring and seals around the retaining bolts and at the base of the hook. All three areas require maintenance to ensure the watertight seal is not compromised.

When changing batteries or otherwise removing the backplate.

  1. DO NOT use the hook to pull the backplate from the light. Place the blade of a screwdriver under the locator tabs to lever the backing plate from the light.
  2. Apply a smear of petroleum jelly to the “O” ring. This helps maintain the seal and also makes the back plate easier to remove and replace.
  3. Remove the retaining bolts completely from their holes and inspect the plastic seal for damage. Overtightening the bolts can result in damage to the seal.
  4. Inspect the hook retaining screw to ensure it is holding the hook in place correctly. If this screw is loose then the base of the hook seal can be compromised. Please read the notes below about using the hook.
  5. Dip the back plate retaining bolts in petroleum jelly before re-inserting them in place. This will line the thread of the bolt, the bolt shaft and under the bolt head to help maintain the seal. A smear of petroleum jelly over the top of the bolt head will also assist in maintaining a watertight condition.

Attaching to Your Boat

How you attach the light to your boat depends upon the design and usage of your boat. There are both a hook and a magnet built into the light that can be used or you can purchase tabs of 3M Dual Lock in our online store.

We offer some tips on using attaching options below.

1. Tips on Use of 3M Dual Lock

3M Dual Lock Specification Information

The 3M Product Specification Sheet details its full use and application, however it is important to note that it takes 20 minutes to cure to 50% adhesion, 24 hours to cure to 90% adhesion and 72 hours to cure to 100% adhesion.

Our customers have invented some ingenious ways to attach lights to their boat using 3M Dual Lock. Here is one way that might work for you.

  1. Use superglue to cement the hook in place and stop it from pulling away from the backplate
  2. Thoroughly clean the backplate with methylated spirits or an alchohol swab.
  3. Cut your 3M Dual Lock into 2 x 5cm tabs
  4. Split one of the tabs into two and trim off two corners as shown in the image below
  5. Apply your two split tabs parallel with the line created by the two backplate retaining bolts, one above and one below.
  6. Allow the adhesive between the 3M Dual Lock and the backplate time to cure. Maximum adhesion is only obtained after 72 hours.
  7. Attach the second 5cm tab of 3M Dual Lock to your boat ensuring that you clean the surface with methylated spirits or an alchohol swab.
  8. Allow the adhesive between the 3M Dual Lock and the surface you are attaching it to time to cure as above.
  9. Avoid using excessive force when removing your light from your boat
web backplate 3M tabs
Backplate showing 3M Dual Lock placement.
Remember it takes 72 hours to cure to 100% bond.

2. Tips on Use of the Hook

The hook on the backplate is designed for hanging the light in a suitable place but misuse can lead to the watertight seal between the hook and the backplate being compromised. We advocate a commonsense approach to usage and maintenance but here are a few tips.

  • the hook is designed to hang the weight of the light only, a force greater than 170g on the hook will damage it
  • DO NOT remove the hook from the light without plugging the hole in the backplate, water will enter the case and damage your light
  • inspect the hook retaining screw every time you change batteries, tighten it if it is loose
  • the use of some petroleum jelly at the base of the hook and over the retaining screw will improve the seal
  • DO NOT use the hook to pull the backplate from the light
  • THE HOOK IS NOT DESIGNED TO ROTATE and if you rotate it by force you will damage the watertight seal

3. Tips on Use of the Magnet

The magnet on the backplate is best used on painted steel surfaces.

As there are not usually many painted steel surfaces on small water craft this may not be an option for you. Some of our customers have fashioned mounting brackets that they fix to their boat and attach or detach their lights to the bracket using the magnet.

Have a question? Contact Crestgear Support