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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Oil Anchor Lamps _ Who uses?

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JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2009 : 13:43:16

Although I love the LED's in each of the cabin lights and up the mast, I use our old [url="http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=295A700&categoryid=1015"]Coleman dual-mantle liquid fuel lantern [/url] for hanging out on the boat at anchor. I attach it to the sliding hatch handle over the center of the cabin, with the pop top up. It lights up the nearby boats to some degree, too.

We bought this lantern for camping in the 1970's when it cost maybe $12 (?), and it works like a 100W bulb for about 6 hours. It's a nice lantern. The mantles last for years. The fumes are too much with the cabin closed up, though; then it's time for LED's.

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Steve Blackburn
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1091 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2009 : 13:54:35

Pretty cool that you can use Unleaded Gas in the Coleman dual-mantle. The only problem I see is that they are too bright. I like the oil lamps that flicker for the cozy feeling and ambiance.

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2009 : 14:05:42

<hijack>
Speaking of Coleman lanterns, we recently had a power outage on xmas eve that fortunately didn't last too long. I went into the garage to retrieve one of our two lanterns (one doesn't work so well, bought it at a thrift store for $7 & got what I paid for). I noticed that one of the mantles was destroyed, so I started working on replacing it. I keep a bunch of them in the base of the case just for times like this. Well, I soon found out that there are different styles of mantels & the ones I'd bought at the last sale I'd found were all the wrong kinds and wouldn't fit either of our lanterns without some fiddling. I decided that since it was past midnight, I'd just wait till morning when I could see properly to re-tie one of the mantles. Well, the power was back on in just a couple of hours, so that wasn't necessary. I've since gotten the right style of mantel with some spares. Don't know what I'm going to do with the half dozen of the wrong ones. I guess they can be made to fit in a pinch, but they're double ended (ties on both ends). Oh well, it wasn't a crisis, but I'm glad I figured it out now instead of when we really needed it.
</hijack>

I have an old Aladdin oil lamp, beautiful thing, but it's got the wrong workings on the top. I can get it to light & the mantel to sort of burn, but would like to replace the existing workings with the right ones. I inherited this, and I know my aunt used to use it in New Orleans all the time, so I know it used to work. Anyone know where I can get replacement parts for it?

I also have several kerosene train lanterns that I inherited from an uncle who spent his entire career working on trains. I've never even tried to light any of those.

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pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2009 : 15:44:55

I assume Kerosene lanterns will burn paraffin.
Coleman is a Wichita company and the mantles used to be radioactive, the people who worked that production line ended up with issues and we ended up with a superfund site, one of several in town as I recall.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2482/are-camp-lanterns-radioactive

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Deric
Captain

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USA
408 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2009 : 19:48:59

It appears many folks have indicated use of lanterns for the cabin, and for the cockpit.

How about as an anchor light? Love to hear how folks have used it as such. It looks like some of the anchor lanterns have hoops where lines can slide through them in order to steady it.
Comments?

Thanks
Deric

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Tom Potter
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1913 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2009 : 20:01:24

Personally I don't like the idea of sleeping knowing I have burning flame about. Although growing up as a commercial fisherman, we used lanterns as anchor lights all the time. We have LED's now why bother.

Edited by - Tom Potter on 01/06/2009 20:01:47

Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2009 : 15:13:47

I spent a week's vacation on a schooner in Maine a number of years ago. They were "old school" all the way, and used oil lanterns everywhere at night, including as an anchor light. They weren't weems & plath, but rather some company out of Germany. I took a picture of one, if I can find it I might see if I can do some research and buy a couple of them. The captain of the schooner said they were something like $18, and were still very salty looking. This thread has gotten me thinking about anchoring out more when the warm weather returns, and since my anchor light is so unreliable this may be a good low-tech option for me.

If I remember correctly from the schooner, these lanterns had a spot on the bottom of the lamp where you could attach another line to keep it steady.

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JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2009 : 15:37:32

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Deric
 It appears many folks have indicated use of lanterns for the cabin, and for the cockpit.

How about as an anchor light? Love to hear how folks have used it as such. It looks like some of the anchor lanterns have hoops where lines can slide through them in order to steady it.
Comments?

Thanks
Deric
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Chapman tells us that "vessels less than 50m (164.0 ft) in length may show only a single all-round white light wherever it can best be seen."

My Coleman lantern, hanging below the pop-top and above the cabin, can be seen all-round, and I like that it is so obvious to other boaters who zoom into a busy anchorage under power. After the place quiets down, my LED anchor light at the mast head can stay on all night.

If I didn't need a windex light, I might have made an anchor light out of an LED flashlight on a cord, to hang up on the back stay. Simple, cheap, legal, and effective. There are more and more LED lights in the stores this year.

But my anchor light also illuminates my windex a little bit, which is handy for night sailing.

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Deric
Captain

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USA
408 Posts

Response Posted - 01/10/2009 : 10:09:30

Ben,
I did some research and noticed that some anchor lanterns do have a fixture on the bottom to tie a line in order to steady the lamp.

Other oil anchor lamps have "small rings" on each side of the lamp where one would run a line through them in order to steady the lamp from swaying.

Deric

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