Pointers on after dark cruising please.

[Lowstar]

In a couple of weeks I plan on taking the boat out to a little get together at a local restaurant and we definitely won’t make it out of there before the sun goes down. I have a remote controlled flood light and a Hand held, just wondering if you guys have any tips or words of advice.

 

[Matt Phillips]

Couple of thoughts:

I boat a couple times of the year at night on Lake Tahoe. Make sure you are familiar with the water and the area and the conditions. Things are way different at night than during the day. Depending on your dash, you may want something to be able to cover it. The Connext screen on my Yamaha (even dimmed) knocks the crap out of my night vision. If you have GPS, it helps tremendously. Also know the differences between port and starboard lights and how the angles of them will change compared to the mast light...this will help you determine their course relative to yours.

As for your spotlights...keep them off as much as possible. The reflection off the water will kill other boaters' night vision

Finally...slow down...there's no way to spot that ONE log out there...until you hit it or practically on top of it.

 

[haknslash]

@Matt Phillips pretty much summed it up. Low and slow at night for sure! We don't boat at night often but when we do it's pretty awesome.

 

[Cambo]

I use a mapping app that leaves a gps trail called my trails . Pre run the area if possible the location I travel in has multiple wood poles that you can see during the day but at night you can’t see them until your 10 feet away. Also large steel bouy markers and shallow areas it’s stressful. But I pre run and drive a circle around any hazards and with the mapping app it makes it much more enjoyable. As mentioned above go slow and don’t drink.

 

[Bluewater272]

I use a mapping app that leaves a gps trail called my trails . Pre run the area if possible the location I travel in has multiple wood poles that you can see during the day but at night you can’t see them until your 10 feet away. Also large steel bouy markers and shallow areas it’s stressful. But I pre run and drive a circle around any hazards and with the mapping app it makes it much more enjoyable. As mentioned above go slow and don’t drink.

Having breadcrumbs on a chartplotter to follow can be helpful. Had a 15 mile-ish run solo at night once on a route I had done a dozen other times during the day. There is a a span over about a half a mile with a few bridges and they were extremely disorienting at night because it was impossible to tell which one was which, and which set of lights was closer. Having a trail to follow as a backup was welcome - I'd have figured it out, but was a bit unnerving.

I'll also second what was said about the connext screen. Even in night mode, it's about 10x brighter than it needs to be.

 

[Lowstar]

All great advise, I’ll have to look closer at my Navionics map for the bread crumbs.

Also know the differences between port and starboard lights and how the angles of them will change compared to the mast light...this will help you determine their course relative to yours

I never thought about the relationship of the nav lights to the mast light but now it makes perfect sense. The waters I travel on are pretty wide open but I’ll definitely take it slow.

 

[CraigAR]

@Lowstar I use my navionics app on my phone at night. Go into routes,select manual go to map and zoom in. Drop your pins creating a route then go to map options select always on display and also select the course up setting. Your phone screen will stay on and the GPS will navigate. I did this last weekend on a 12 mile cruise where I needed to be right in the channel or else I would ground out. My route placed me dead center of each channel marker.

 

[seadude]

And remember most every picture you've seen of boats run up onto beaches/marshes/rocks was someone who thought they knew exactly where they were at night!

 

[Dean P]

@Lowstar before you go make sure your nav lights are working and you stern light plugs in ok and turns on. Get yourself a good spot light. I have this one https://www.amazon.com/STANLEY-SL10...ocphy=9012141&hvtargid=pla-358345662183&psc=1 . I love it, best one I've owned. As @seanmclean stated, get a good charplotter with the breadcrumbs. I have the Garmin Echomap Chirp 44Cv.

I believe in making everything easy by having the correct tools to be safe and stress free. Take care of your fears; they will make you stronger.

I love going out and coming back at night. As previously mentioned it's totally different at night but just as spectacular. The landmark you use during the day are not going to "be there" at night. Hense a good chartplotter will keep you on course. Take your time and you'll have a good time.

 

[PEARCE]

We are out a good bit at night on the big boat and it's not as hard or as stressful as it seems. Like everyone else has said, have a good chartplotter/GPS unit and make sure all your lights work properly and you're good. I would have someone seated in the bow with the spotlight to help you pick out landmarks if need be. Other then that, leave the spot off. If you have a clear night with a full moon then you're golden. It will be like daylight and you won't have any trouble seeing where you're going. Main thing is to just relax and enjoy the ride. If you think it might help, have a beer or two at dinner and have a great time.

 

[Whisky]

Yup, we end up out after dark only a few times each year (there is an awesome Canada Day fireworks show off the pier here) so along with about 100 other boaters we all hover out there all night to enjoy the show.

Unless its a truly dark and dingy night, I find so long as there arent too many lights on the dash or inside the cabin its not bad at all, you will be surprised how great your night vision can be.

That being said, it is very helpful to know the late and paint as good of a mental picture as you possibly can. I haven’t run the chartplotter yet at night, but thats just because we are on a fairly open and predictable body of water.

 

[2kwik4u]

Something I haven't seen mentioned here is to know your local laws/regulations about night boating. Local Indiana DNR WILL stop you and give you a ticket for being on plane after dark. Watched a guy zip around us on the lake after 4th of July Fireworks last year, only to get stopped on the way by DNR. Your local laws might be different, but they're worth a check.

 

[biffdotorg]

Something I haven't seen mentioned here is to know your local laws/regulations about night boating.

Very good point. In MN, any white light not used in the stern, is a Docking light, and illegal to use for navigation. For obvious reasons it does not allow you boat direction to be easily identified by other boaters. This may be different in your state or region.

Another valid point are spotters. Having spotters are great, up front and away from dash lights. Their night vision may be better than those behind the dash. It's very important to determine in advance, if they are pointing at obstacles, or the direction to avoid an obstacle.

We learned this navigating the river at speed during the day. "please point at the log, and not the direction to safety" If you and the spotter are on the same page, there is no wrong way, just understand what they are pointing at.

+1 on GPS breadcrumb trails, and when following the breadcrumb trail back, test your level of zoom. In other words, start to follow it and intentionally deviate to see how far it takes you off the trail. If it is minimal, you need to zoom in further. It's in relation to how far you can see. We learned that following trails on snowmobile in the winter. If you are not zoomed in, you may not see details, intersections or hazards, even though you may be traveling in the same general direction.

Good luck!

 

[swatski]

@Lowstar I use my navionics app on my phone at night. Go into routes,select manual go to map and zoom in. Drop your pins creating a route then go to map options select always on display and also select the course up setting. Your phone screen will stay on and the GPS will navigate. I did this last weekend on a 12 mile cruise where I needed to be right in the channel or else I would ground out. My route placed me dead center of each channel marker.

If you preload maps/areas routing features should work without access to cellular signal, do you guys have experience with that - how well does it work with no cell signal?

--

 

[Nauti-Nurse]

I agree with many of the comments about knowing your waterway! In August my girls and I stay out till midnight almost every friday night and it sounds too simple but I always used the apple iMap that comes on all iPhones. It shows most land masses and combined with knowing my waterway and keeping it at a "Love Boat" cruise liner coming into port speed, I never had a problem. I just upgraded and got a Garmin Striker 4 with GPS a very cost savvy unit!

 

[biffdotorg]

My buddy took it one step further on one of our weekend putt-putts around our lake. He ran the entire shoreline at a particular depth and went around obstacles at a safe distance. Docks, swim rafts, moored sailboats etc. and left a "do not exceed" line for night cruises.

Anything outside that line should be obstacle free other than folks on boats with no lights on. He learned that lesson after smacking a swim raft that had no reflectors or flashing lights on after dark. Again, the speed we were moving at cause minimal to no damage to either.

 

[CraigAR]

If you preload maps/areas routing features should work without access to cellular signal, do you guys have experience with that - how well does it work with no cell signal?

--

I program my app the night before and take it offshore fishing (20 miles) from land and it works perfectly.

 

[Julian]

Ditto on everything said! A chartplotter at night is the best thing to have! Then, go slow and have spotters. Only use the spot light if you absolutely must - it will ruin your night vision. I found that holding it as far below the gunnel as possible helped to not have a ton of light reflecting off the white upper surface of the boat. This is also easier if someone else does this up front in the boat (just be sure they don't drop it - have a teather).

 

[Speedling]

Lots of good info. I would use navionics to follow your trail home.
Extremely accurate app and did great for me in bahamas

 

[merlinjet]

Turn down the ambient light. Dim everything you can as much as you can, from the chartplotter to the courtesy lights. Any and all light on your boat reduces your ability to see beyond the bow, because your eyes automatically adjust to the amount of light available to them. Even in fully dimmed modes, looking at a chartplotter will temporarily diminish your night vision. Glance at it sparingly. Same goes for the use of spotlights; use only for short periods time for a quick pan 40-50' in front of you. Anything farther away will be hard to see anyway due to the light's glare and the adverse affect on your night vision.

Give the helm to the designated driver and turn the music off. Your ears now become an important sense when your vision are limited. Listen for other boat engines, horns, etc.

Since the horrible boating accident down here last year at Topoc Gorge just north of Lake Havasu, I take dusk/nighttime boating very seriously. That was a case where two boats were closing at each other at high speed at night, one without any lights at all. Between the two boats 12 were injured, 2 critically and 4 were killed. One body is still unaccounted for to this day. Be safe out there, you never know what's coming at you around that next bend.

One last tip: If you see BOTH red and green navigation lights ahead of you, it signifies that the vessel is meeting you head-on.