Clocks, Barometers, & Lamps Review

Summary

Clocks, barometers and lamps can all be very helpful while out and about on your boat. They can help you keep an accurate sense of time, or even whether or not you should go out on your boat.

Barometers are especially important because they can help you learn of incoming bad weather before it hits. Whether you are an avid boater, an occasional fisherman, or a novice looking to get out on the water, barometers can be a helpful tool to determine when it is safe to go out to sea, and when it is best to go in for the day.

Lights can help do anything from navigating a dark waterway at night, to helping you read a book in the dark.

Pros

• The most obvious advantage is that barometers can help determine the atmospheric pressure, and possibly predict the weather for later that day.
• Lighting on boats is extremely helpful. Lights can help you find your way around in the dark seas; they can help you do different tasks at night such as reading maps, charts or miscellaneous uses, and they can even be used for docking at night. They help so that other boats can see you; this can include navigation lights or signal lights. Most boats have brass lamps or lanterns to signal other boats.
• Some boats are equipped with bells as well to notify other boats of their presence.
• Finally, clocks are important to help tell time obviously. This can help you know how long you have before dark, how long before a storm hits, or simply how long until it’s time to eat.

Cons

• Barometers are not a perfect indicator of the weather. They may indicate that there is a storm on the way, and no storm will come, or they may indicate a calm day, and a storm will tear through. They can be unreliable at times, and you must always have a source to backup the information provided by the barometer.
• Also, in may instances bells are unable to be heard above a storm, and lights can be dim and hard to see at night sometimes.

Featured Manufacturers

Ancor Marine, Perko, and Marinco

Conclusion

Clocks, barometers, lamps, and bells are all important when making a trip of any length on a boat. They help tell time, forecast the weather, signal other boats, or navigate at night. No matter how you are utilizing your tools they can definitely be beneficial. But you must not totally rely on them.

Barometers can be inaccurate, lamps can burn out, and bells can at times not be heard above a storm. In order for you to be prepared for every situation, you must have a backup weather source and multiple lamps in case other lamps burn out, or bells are not audible. If you take these precautions you can be sure to avoid most collisions with other boats as well as bad storms.