Led bar shines in a wrong place

[dlogvine]

I installed a couple led bars on my wakeboard tower hoping it would help driving the boat at night. Instead the light lifts the bow and deflected light blinds the driver. I'm thinking about putting some kind of deflector on the bottom of the light to point the Ray only forward and bot down. Wonder if anybody did this and if yes any advice on how to do it better is welcome. Thank you

 

[racerone]

Is it legal to run with bright lights like that??-----I thought there were rules / regulations on lights displayed for night time boating.------Ask your local coast guard about this.

 

[dlogvine]

I use them for docking at night. But thank you for the question. I never thought it could be a problem if I have an accessory LED bar, if my navigation lights are functioning properly. I'll check it with the local Coast Guard to be sure Im not in violation. However, I saw quite a few boats with LED bars on the lakes in Arizona and no coast guard citations. Still, it does not mean it is legal. Will update this post with my findings.

 

[Scott Danforth]

it is ILLEGAL to run your lights like that. it is not a US law, it is an International Boating law controlled by the IMO

google IMO COLREG 72

while a vessel is underway it must follow the navigation lighting rules. any LEO worth his salt will issue citations

Docking lights are there to illuminate the dock and technically not to be used while underway

work lighting is there to illuminate work and technically not to be used while underway.

 

[Silvertip]

I'm starting to see led light bars (sometimes more than one) on cars and trucks. They are generally poorly aimed, misused and a general annoyance to oncoming traffic.

 

[dlogvine]

it is ILLEGAL to run your lights like that. it is not a US law, it is an International Boating law controlled by the IMO

google IMO COLREG 72

while a vessel is underway it must follow the navigation lighting rules. any LEO worth his salt will issue citations

Docking lights are there to illuminate the dock and technically not to be used while underway

work lighting is there to illuminate work and technically not to be used while underway.

I have seen several boats with front fog lights. These are manufacturer installed. Are they illegal too? Something like this

 

[dlogvine]

or like this

 

[dlogvine]

it is ILLEGAL to run your lights like that. it is not a US law, it is an International Boating law controlled by the IMO

google IMO COLREG 72

while a vessel is underway it must follow the navigation lighting rules. any LEO worth his salt will issue citations

Docking lights are there to illuminate the dock and technically not to be used while underway

work lighting is there to illuminate work and technically not to be used while underway.

I did read the

IMO COLREG 1972 and maybe you can show me the place where it specifically says that the power boats of the length of less than 12m shall not use the LED lights. I cant find anything that prohibits the use. Also there are the international marine laws that DO NOT have an authority over internal marine laws if the USA and navigation lights in the aquatory of the United States and in particular internal lakes are subject to the coast guard regulations. Please, correct me if I'm wrong.
Im not trying to be argumentative, just trying to clarify the topic to make sure that im not doing anything illegal while boating.
I will definitely check this issue with the local park and lake rangers (not sure if they are part of the coast guard forces) and Game and Fish department.
Thank you​

 

[Big Gee]

Docking lights like in the pictures have been around for ages. The problems arise when people think of them as headlights on a car and run with them at night blinding or confusing other boaters. I see that, most often on a dark night on a boat with the music blaring doing 50+ on the GPS with fenders deployed . :lol:

 

[dingbat]

The U.S. Coast Guard is concerned about the sale and availability of unapproved recreational and commercial vessel navigation lights. Purchasers of such lighting should be aware replacement lighting may be improper for its application due to the failure by manufacturers to meet technical certification requirements. Furthermore, technical advances in marine lighting, such as the use of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), rope lighting, underwater lighting, and other various types of decorative lighting, may violate navigation light provisions of the Nautical Rules of the Road.

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/D...lerts/1015.pdf

 

[Scott Danforth]

I did read the

IMO COLREG 1972 and maybe you can show me the place where it specifically says that the power boats of the length of less than 12m shall not use the LED lights. I cant find anything that prohibits the use. Also there are the international marine laws that DO NOT have an authority over internal marine laws if the USA and navigation lights in the aquatory of the United States and in particular internal lakes are subject to the coast guard regulations. Please, correct me if I'm wrong.
Im not trying to be argumentative, just trying to clarify the topic to make sure that im not doing anything illegal while boating.
I will definitely check this issue with the local park and lake rangers (not sure if they are part of the coast guard forces) and Game and Fish department.
Thank you​

The Imo is the universal governing body for all Marine laws. They lighting requirements in colreg 72 State exactly what you can do if it says nothing else assume you cannot do it. Just as an FYI even the underwater lights that lots of people have on the back of their boats are illegal under way

I believe dingbat is posting the PDF that the u.s. Coast Guard has published that explains this as a warning about rope lighting LED lights Etc

 

[racerone]

As time goes on things get more confusing.----At one time ( 30 years ago ) our local harbor had a flashing red right.-------One red light flashing every 15 seconds or so.-------Now there are 300 or more windmills on the shore.------Nothing but flashing red lights.-----The people who allow this to happen sit at desks.----They have never been 10 miles out looking for the harbor at night.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I have seen several boats with front fog lights. These are manufacturer installed. Are they illegal too? Something like this

those are docking lights, only to be used when docking. they are only legal near the dock/landing within the break waters and at idle speed as you pull up to a dock

in the front of the boat, they actually dont work well for docking lights. they are supposed to shine to the sides to illuminate the dock as you tie up at night.

 

[dingbat]

As time goes on things get more confusing.----At one time ( 30 years ago ) our local harbor had a flashing red right.-------One red light flashing every 15 seconds or so.-------Now there are 300 or more windmills on the shore.------Nothing but flashing red lights.-----The people who allow this to happen sit at desks.----They have never been 10 miles out looking for the harbor at night.

The days of visual navigation where numbered since the advent of digital maps and inexpensive charting devices to use it

At his point, the government no longer supports non-digital (printed) mapping.

I still carry an old school map set but I rarely if ever use them. It’s far easier to select a way point and push the navigate button.

 

[Scott Danforth]

It’s far easier to select a way point and push the navigate button.

Just make sure you dont have it tied to the auto-pilot and then leave the helm to go get your drink on. lots of crashes into piers and break-waters in the past few years from people doing that.

 

[racerone]

It would be called a chart for marine use.-------And yes there are documented cases of people getting lost / stuck due to following the GPS on their vehicle.-----Many vehicles today do not have maps.-----There are many lakes that do not have a chart for them.-----And some GPS units actually say that they are " Not to be used for navigation " ----likely as an escape clause should something go wrong.-----Been on board a 38' sailboat where the GPS showed us in the forest when we were safely in the channel.

 

[Scott Danforth]

some of the channels down here in the ICW have a sign "local knowledge required" as the channel changes every tide

 

[sam am I]

10-20 miles out, it's dark night with some stars out, there's string of tiny shore lights in the waaaay far distance, ya light the motors up and you set your heading at those distance shore lights.

Ahhhh, remember the days coming in at night from a all day fish and somewhere in those distant shore lights is one faint red light and one faint green light..........A few too many beers (and what have you) and nothing much more to get ya back but a dimly red backlit compass and shore lights (hopefully)........Ya set your eyes out front on a few of those lights, one hand on the wheel, the other on the throttle and ya just listen to the engines

White knuckles and a dry mouth only once, okay, maybe twice!

 

[Scott Danforth]

FWIW, my boat was originally equipped with a compass that the prior owner removed. I was out in a squall about 5 years ago where I could not see anything, and the old GPS knew where I was, however did not know my direction because my speed was too low. so I literally ended going in circles for about an hour until the rain slowed enough to see more than 200'

in that hour I literally only went 150 yards mainly because I kept doing circles and couldnt get my bearings with the GPS

with my resto, I have a brand new compass going back on the dash. and a new GPS with electronic compass