Lights for night cruising- recommendations needed

[Matty]

I was wondering the same about using lights as "headlights". I have seen officers tell boaters to turn then off if they are cruising with them on in the inter-coastal. Issue 1) they don't do a lot of good and 2) they can blind other boaters. Having said that if you are talking about short bursts to see the crab traps or other obstacles that make sense. I googled this subject before posting and found plently of articles arguing against using them due to the impact they have on your own vision. But again, it depends on how you are going to use them.

 

[BradOwens]

I copied this from the official Navigation Rules book. The part that applies to this post is in bold print.

"The Rules concerning lights shall be complied with from sunset to
sunrise, and during such times no other lights shall be exhibited, except
such lights as cannot be mistaken for the lights specified in these Rules or
do not impair their visibility or distinctive character, or interfere with the
keeping of a proper look-out."

On the Coast Guard ships and boats I was stationed on we frequently used a "Log Light" in Puget Sound due to the number of deadheads. We would turn it off when approaching other vessels to make sure we didn't blind them.

 

[Kimberly Dawn]

Finally a topic I have some experience with... DIY light installation!

Our previous boat was a SeaSport 2400 that came with a deck light for cockpit illumination. It was a big incandescent 4x5 attached to the underside of our radar arch. After a little research I settled on Rigid Industries for my lighting needs. Powder-coated aluminum body, stainless fittings and shatterproof acrylic lens.

I used their SM series (3x2, 3-element, clear lens) flood lights to replace the deck light and add two floods to the top of the radar arch rotated and angled down off each bow gunnel for a "soft" docking light.

I added another SM series spot on the brow of the forward cabin overhang. This light had marginal impact other than making yourself seen without blinding oncoming vessels. It also illuminated a portion of my bow and bow railing... NOT good!

Lastly, my final and most costly light project was a fixed, bow rail-mounted, 8" flood/spot combo. I confirmed with the rail mfr that the top rail was not impeded at the vertical stanchions, so I could snake wiring from the new light to a point I could extract wiring and penetrate the cabin wall to dashboard. This light did not restrict visibility day or night and provided superior illumination for night time travel. Having said that we can all understand the risk of travelling at night! B - O - A - T... bring out another thousand! (just this light)

Good luck with your little project!

Bob & Kim
The Doghouse 2

 

[ixlr8]

Hmmmm I have a Coast Guard station right next to the marina I keep my boat in. Maybe I will poke my head in next time I there and ask them.

 

[stwendl]

If colregs are so strict in regard to extra lighting, how do cruise ship get away where they have hundreds of cabin windows lighted up during passage, not to mention fishing vessels underway with all their floodlights. I think the lights used to be a set of minimum lighting requirements before technology made huge strides. Wasn’t the idea to be seen and show the direction of move and possibly function of presence?

 

[Matty]

I believe the issue is that unless you are alone in the water the lights on any boat will impact any other vessel near by.
Based on the portion of the regs above you would need to have lights 1)mounted away fromt the navigation lights 2) mounted in a way that they do not interfere with your ability to see (reflection off boat or water) and 3) not interfere with the ability of any other boat to see what they need to see to navigate safely.
So while a person could find lights that effectively solve their problem they may create a safety issue for other boaters. Very similar to autos where you cannot have your bright lights on when someone is approaching and your lights need to be adjusted downward so they don't blind oncoming traffic. Boats have the additional problem of glare.
I have not been around a cruise ship lately but I don't believe the window lights create an issue. Now if that cruise ship had lights pointed forward that blinded other boats in the area that would be an issue. That is why I wonder about the term "super powerful" in one of the posts. In the middle of a large lake or the ocean that may not matter as much (maybe) but on the inter-coastal super powerful would almost always be an issue to other boaters. Might just depend on how they are used. Believe me I know the issue about crab traps as stated in the original post. Submerged one in the channel totaled my outboard on a boat I have since sold. Thank goodness for insurance.

 

[NorthernFocus]

If colregs are so strict in regard to extra lighting, how do cruise ship get away where they have hundreds of cabin windows lighted up during passage, not to mention fishing vessels underway with all their floodlights?...

One thing that you will notice is that none of those lights are red or green. The regs basically say that any working lights can't be confused for nor interfere with nav lights. So it boils down to how that is interpreted by any law enforcement that one might run into on the water, at night, while running with lights displayed.

I guess it boils down to whether one wants to risk hitting a deadhead at night or running into an aggressive young CG officer with an unreasonable interpretation of the regs. I suspect there is a big difference in that risk equation based on where one boats. There is a lot more big/heavy stuff floating around on the west coast than the east. As well as a lot more fishing boats with forward facing flood lights. Wrapping a line in a wheel is one thing. Hitting a deadhead that ways several tons is another. It's not a tough choice for me.

 

[NorthernFocus]