©Amory Ross / Team Alvimedica / Volvo Ocean Race
Any experienced sailor will tell you, racing in low visibility or at night brings with it its own challenges and problems. The difference is quite literally, day and night.
The combination of low visibility and high-speed racing can be dangerous if your safety equipment is not up to the challenge. That’s why Managua has developed a range of navigation LED lights specifically designed for racers.
French Manufacturer Mantagua have been busy building on the developments they made with their hugely popular NAVIPRO lights with a range of lights designed specifically for racing.
Instead of using a glass coating, as they have done with the NAVIPRO range, Managua have opted to completely encapsulate their racing lights in resin.
Ultra-durable
The encapsulating resin is designed to be stronger and more durable than glass and ensures that your lights are unaffected by vibrations and UV.
Completely waterproof
The range is IP67 rated, one of the highest levels of protection offered by an IP rating. This rating provides complete protection against ingress of dust and airborne particles. Protection against water and liquids, up to and including immersion in up to one meter of water.
Energy Efficient
These racing lights operate very low energy to ensure you can keep your lights on and stay safe without worry
Ultra-Light
The racing light range are the lighter still than their impressively light NAVIPRO range.
Maximum Visibility
Mantagua has ensured that even with the use of resin, no visibility is lost, giving you maximum visibility and ensuring that safety is not compromised.
A comparison of selected lights shows the difference between the NAVIPRO range and the racing range
| Light | Range | Visibility (NM) | Power (W) | Operating Voltage (V) | Weight (g) |
| Mantagua 2NM Stern Light (White 135°) | NAVIPRO |
2 |
1.08 |
10-30 |
170 |
| Racing |
2 |
0.8 |
9-30 |
140 |
|
| 2NM Bicolour (Green & Red 112.5") | NAVIPRO |
2 |
2.76 |
10-30 |
170 |
| Racing |
2 |
1.6 |
9-10 |
160 |
Conclusion
The biggest difference between the NAVIPRO range and the racing range of Mantagua lights is the durability and efficiency of the epoxy resin, which can give you peace of mind that your lights will be able to handle even the toughest sailing conditions. While the racing lights are slightly lighter, they are also come with a price premium, which may make the NAVIPRO range the best choice for more casual sailors.
If you would like to know exactly what lights you need for your boat size, check out our blog on the mantagua NAVIPRO range, featuring a helpful COLREG 72 guide here
For more information on the Mantagua racing lights click the link below, or if you would like some helpful advice from one of our experts, contact us at support@upffront.com.
