When is a stern light required?

[Reel Poor]

Re: When is a stern light required?

Originally posted by Realgun:<br /> So if I pull up the boat on the beach and it gets dark do I go and light the 360 light? Or just leave it alone?

If your beached you are not in navigatable water so you dont need the light. However, if you are on the boat, or in a very narrow path of navigatable water, or worried about idiots running over your boat, by all means for safety sakes turn the light on.

 

[QC]

Re: When is a stern light required?

Originally posted by Reel Poor:<br /> When running this set-up the red and green light must be a single unit and mounted centerline at the bow. NO seperated side lights.

Then my boat is illegal:<br /><br />

<br /><br />I knew that the non-switchable anchor light thing was incorrect, but I don't encounter that situation with this boat i.e. at anchor at night. Should have a three way rocker instead of the two way. Pretty cheap omission . . .

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: When is a stern light required?

Originally posted by QC:<br />

Originally posted by Reel Poor:<br /> When running this set-up the red and green light must be a single unit and mounted centerline at the bow. NO seperated side lights.

Then my boat is illegal:<br /><br />

<br /><br />I knew that the non-switchable anchor light thing was incorrect, but I don't encounter that situation with this boat i.e. at anchor at night. Should have a three way rocker instead of the two way. Pretty cheap omission . . .

I dont think your boat is illegal....It surely has a stearn light (mounted in the transom). Also those may be close enough to bow centerline that they may not be considered "side" lights.

 

[QC]

Re: When is a stern light required?

Well that's better. But no, I actually have a high mount 360* on the stern, just like almost every boat on these western lakes . . . Some of the boats are running fully separated red/greens amidships, but I'm pretty sure they also have high mount 360s.<br /><br />My two boats before this one had the same style stern lights, but the bow lights were the single style you showed above. The Chap 236 SSi has the same style stern light but a single bow and a three position switch.<br /><br />Edit:<br /><br />I almost bought this boat and have a ton of pics. See the little chrome dot above the bow rail right about at the helm position? That's a side-mounted bow light. This boat uses a high mount 360 at the stern.<br /><br />

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: When is a stern light required?

QC this covers the close enough. All these rules are listed in the link in one of my previous post. This rule just about allows any placement with justification. ing <br /><br />The masthead light or all-round white light on a power-driven vessel of less than 12 meters in length may be displaced from the fore and aft centerline of the vessel if centerline fitting is not practicable, provided the sidelights are combined in one lantern which shall be carried on the fore and aft centerline of the vessel or located as nearly as practicable in the same fore and aft line as the masthead light or the all-round white light. [Intl]

 

[beauff]

Re: When is a stern light required?

You can seee in the picture I have the nav lights where they should be and the anchore is not in its hole in this pic. About another 4 weeks I sould get it out of my garage and take more pictures of it. I have been working on it <br />

 

[QC]

Re: When is a stern light required?

I think I get it now RP . . .<br /><br />This issue is not really the bow lights, but the 360 stern light placement makes them the issue. On most of the boats I see under 25 ft. (and some up to 30 ft.), the 360 is placed off the centerline. My last three were all on the port gunnel at the transom. With the sternlight off the centerline it cannot be assumed that a perfect "triangle" of green, red and white means the boat is coming at you directly. If the red and greens are further apart it just makes this geometric issue worse.<br /><br />So I would guess that my boat (recessed into the bow, separate, but close) is probably technically illegal and the second one I posted with the "bow" lights mounted amidships is definitely illegal unless it has a fixed sternnlight on the centerline. There are a lot of builders here who either don't know or don't care because they "look" cooler . . . I am thinking they don't know as a recessed stern light into the transom would be even cleaner/cooler looking . . .<br /><br />One of the bigger of these builders is Eliminator, and you have probably seen their boats around as they, unlike most of the others, actually have dealers throughout the country. They use those amidships "bow" lights with the high-mount, off center, 360. Whew . . . That's a mouthful.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: When is a stern light required?

You got it QC. It does kinda boil down to the manufacturer keeping to the rule as close a practicable. All differences typical of individuallity, some do what they should, some do what they THINK they should, and some do what they want to without reguard. How some of these manufacturers get Coast Guard or Yacht Class certification is a mystery to me.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: When is a stern light required?

Wow, all these posts on lights! If people are that confused on here, imagine how many others out there are too?<br /><br />Heres's an idea that will help us all:<br /> <br />LIGHTS ON = BEING SEEN = NO ACCIDENT

 

[mattttt25]

Re: When is a stern light required?

this is a scary thread. but at least the people here are learning. like cobra said, imagine joe boater out on the water who hasn't been educated and relies on how his boat may be wired to a switch.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: When is a stern light required?

People don't read the owners manuals for their cars either so thats why manufacturers put lights on the dash for oil pressure, temperature, and alternator and why they are appropriately called "idiot lights". Now the problem is the light comes on and people make an appointment at the shop two weeks out, continue to drive, and can't imagine why that stupid car blew the engine.

 

[wreckless]

Re: When is a stern light required?

Unfortunately here in southern Md there are a lot of idiots that run crab lines and fish on smaller boats early in the morning during dark hours with no lights on at all. I come close to running over several of them every spring and summer during the height of crab season. It really gets your attention when you hear a voice yelling out of the dark and see a light from a handheld flashlight directed at you when you are bearing down on another boater. I don't have radar and I do run slower during dark hours but and idiot in a twelve to fourteen foot jon boat is really hard to see in the dark until you are up close and personal.

 

[brownies]

Re: When is a stern light required?

a stern light is required when it's dark outside.

 

[dancerscap]

Re: When is a stern light required?

On a 17' boat a stern light is not necessary and may be substituted with a white all round light. On that size boat if there is a stern light it may be used with the white all round light or without the all round. But if the boat is underway( not docked, moored, anchored or aground the all round light nmay not be used with any bow lights or a stern light. If the boat is anchored, moored or aground, the white all round light must be lighted,and stand alone. DRifting would consitute underway, unless there is a problem that causes the vessel to be not under command. That's another topic.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: When is a stern light required?

Good grief -- isn't this settled yet? What's not to understand.