Emergency taillights

[RAM]

Richard Myers
Coming off the water late at night and you have a long trip getting home and realize there is a problem with the taillights. No matter what they just won’t work. Is their any thing that could be kept in the emergency kit to use temporary to put on the trailer as a warning? Happened to me once and I brought her home dark. Not a good idea.
Thanks for any ideas.


Richard Myers

[JCarp]

The smallest thing that comes to mind is two little red flashing clip on lights. Off-shore sells them to use on planer board flags at nite or you can find them in the bicycle accessary section at Walmart @ $1.88/2. Plenty of light @ nite, don't think they would do much in the daytime though. Hand signals by day?

There's lots of "roadside assistance" types of flashing lights that you could probably place in the splashwell.

[Gary B]

I think that for under $50 you could buy and assemble a trailer light kit and use pair of clamps or maybe good suction cups to attach the taillight assemblies to the rear of the boat. Unplug the regular trailer light plug and plug in this temporary system.

[REW]

If you check out the following - listing; this is for a revolving amber 12 volt warning light.

If your trailer lights fail - simply place this on any piece of steel - might be hard to come by on a boat - so it wouldn't hurt to have one that you could clamp to the transom or similar.


Then simply plug the flashers cord into your boats cigarette lighter.

This would certainly give any following vehicles that there was a problem.

If a police man stopped you, I am sure that since you would explain that you have temporarily inoperative tail - brake lights, and that this is only a temporary measure to get you home - should be fine.

Another benefit of this -- if you happen to be in the middle of the night - and have a boating problem, the low current drain of this light - would last a long time - help alert searchers to your position. The nice thing about this light, is that it is small enough to allow storage in a boat cabinet.

Remember - this light has a "Magnetic" base -- thus, if you have a compass on your boat - and you should - don't store this light close enough to the compass to affect its headings.

For less than a $20- investment - this would help you in an emergency situation, both on and off the water.

If you want to go the high tech route - Northern also has a very high powered 12 volt revolving strobe light for $70 - that would be able to be seen for many miles over open water.

Take care
REW

[zugbug]

Many of my friends carry a few of the Cylume(?) light sticks in their
tow vehicle tool kits. These little babies, either in red or the standard Kiddy Halloween pale green, wrapped in red Plastic wrap and duct taped on to the bad light can get you home and they are quite inexpensive.

[eek]

Valley Hitches makes a really neat set of removeable trailer lights which are made to use with a tow bar when towing another vehicle. I believe they attach with either suction cups or possibly magnets. I also have seen the same kind of lights attached to pairs of vise-grip pliers, had a set in the wrecker I used to operate, but they were old and didn't have the name of the manufacturer on them. You could even make a set, probably cheaper then you could buy them. Just use a set of replacement taillight/turn signal assemblies and wire them to a spare trailer plug, and make some kind of bracket to hold them on with.

Good luck, and good fishing, spring is almost here!

eek

[Bob G2]

I have been there (no trailer lights at night). I then bought a set of magnetic base trailer lights that hook right into a 4 flat. I paid
50.00 for it. Now (fortunately) I haven't used them yet,so I can't say how well they work (like stay on the trailer). You can get them at any good trailer/hitch place.

[muskiedaze]

Trailer lights are definately a high maintainace item. Most problems are caused by bulbs burning out from immersion in cold water or by a poor connection somewhere in the circuit, including the ground. Preventive maintainance can help. Conductive grease on the trailer connector and bulb bases can help alot. Connectors that crimp around an insulated wire, piercing the insulation are very unreliable. mice chewing thru wires inside the trailer frame are a common problem too. A 12 V tester, spare bulbs, butt crimps and a piece of wire will get you going if you understand how the system works.

John

[d_rigger]

Along with muskiedaze tips unplug trailer lites when launching and retrieving, hot bulbs and cold water don't mix.

[REW]

If it is time to replace the light fixtures on your trailer - pick up a set of west bar fully submersible lights.

I have had these lights for the last several years and they are great. Although the light modules are expensive - about $6 each - each light bulb is fully sealed in its own module, inside the red tail light assembly. i.e the tail light can be full of water - but the bulb itself will befully shielded from the water. Also, since the bulb - is not replaceable, and is not in its own socket - there is no socket to corrode.

If the module every needs replacement - you unbolt it - undo the wire connections, and wire in the new module. Each bulb has a very long life.

Take care
REW