LED nav lights

Roger Long · Mar 20, 2009

Your boat is small enough that you are not required to have a copy of the Colregs on board (I am at 32 feet) but it's still a good idea. If anything ever happens, it will show that you at least had access to navigation rules information and weren't just ignoring the whole subject. Besides, few people know the rules well enough to make not looking through the book occasionally worthwhile. The answer to your question is there.

sailingdog · Mar 20, 2009

From the USCG website:

(c)In vessels of less than 12 meters in length:

• a masthead light, 2 miles;
• a sidelight, 1 miles;
• a towing light, 2 miles;
• a white red, green or yellow all-round light, 2 miles.
• a special flashing light, 2 miles. [Inld]

BTW, I would highly recommend that you only get USCG certified lights... Not all of the LED lights available are USCG certified.

Ross in Tampa said:
I am tossing around upgrading to LED navigation lights, replacing the factory lights on my 1979 Oday 25. The market is now rich with LED nav lights, and they vary widely as far as price goes. My question is, what is the visibility requirement for the red/green nav lights on a 25 foot sailboat?

Rick Webb · Mar 20, 2009

A Single White light Will Satisfy the requirementsup to 23'

You are probably right on the edge of that one.

Some of the LED lights are made for power boat and not sail boats I guess their arc is not that great vertically.

It may be cheaper to add another batterythan to go with LED nav lights

You do not need the Nav Rules aboard till you get to 39.4'

Stu Jackson · Mar 20, 2009

sailingdog said:
I would highly recommend that you only get USCG certified lights... Not all of the LED lights available are USCG certified.

SD, in lots of recent dicussions points were made that USCG has NOT certified any LED lights. Perhaps I am mistaken. Could you point us to those that are certified?

sailingdog · Mar 20, 2009

Glad to help.

Ross in Tampa said:
Thanks Sailingdog. It's good to know that I could actually get away with the cheaper lights.

Rick Webb · Mar 20, 2009

http://www.uscg.mil/directives/cim/16000-16999/CIM_16672_2D.pdf

Around page 142 or so it list the characteristics the light must meet and gives you an idea of why a light is not a light and a bulb is not a bulb.

Your nav lights or as I refer to them sometimes as "anti smash lights" may not be the part of the boat you want to save a buck or two on

RAD · Mar 20, 2009

There are light fixtures that are USCG certified and there are LED replacement bulbs that meet CG requirements for brightness, I would think that if you replace a bulb with an LED replacement and the mfg. says it meets USCG requirements then your covered
heres a link for Dr. LED
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...rue&storeNum=5002&subdeptNum=9&classNum=14182

sailingdog · Mar 20, 2009

Basically, that's why I said to stick with USCG certified lights...

Rick Webb said:
http://www.uscg.mil/directives/cim/16000-16999/CIM_16672_2D.pdf

Around page 142 or so it list the characteristics the light must meet and gives you an idea of why a light is not a light and a bulb is not a bulb.

Your nav lights or as I refer to them sometimes as "anti smash lights" may not be the part of the boat you want to save a buck or two on

Dave Groshong · Mar 20, 2009

Dr. LED bulbs, that fit in the AquaSignal series 25 are the only ones I know of that are US Coast Guard approved:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?fno=400&group=1162&cat=3111

The "Festoons" fit the series 25:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?fno=400&group=851

Rick Webb · Mar 20, 2009

The Trouble With the Replacement Bulbs

There are characteristics laid out out for the light out put at five degrees and at 20 degrees. A ski boat won't see twenty degrees of heel often or for vey long in a sailboat it is not so unusual. Some of the LED lights out there say for powerboat. I saw no distinction in the ColRegs between power and sailboat light fixtures but maybe they are certified for power boats.

Call me skeptical but if there were LED bulbs for Perko, Aquasignal or Hella fixtures that met the requirement wouldn't Perko, Aquasignal or Hella be marketing them?

Deadhead · Mar 20, 2009

Colregs Required on Board?

The Nav Rules look to be required only aboard vessels 12 meters or longer.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/navrules_faq.htm#0.3_4

FAQ #4:

4. Am I required to carry a copy of the Navigation Rules? According to the Inland section of Annex V after January 1, 1983, the operator of each self-propelled vessel 12 meters or more in length shall carry on board and maintain for ready reference a copy of the Inland Navigation Rules.

sailingdog · Mar 20, 2009

Actually, the only DR. LED replacement bulb/fixture combination that has been USCG certified is the Aqua Signal 40 series anchor light. Maine Sail pointed this out a while back. The Dr. LED website doesn't make it very clear that NONE of the other lights/fixtures are USCG Certified.

I was under the mistaken belief that Dr. LED had gotten more fixtures certified, but this is not the case.

Dave Groshong said:
Dr. LED bulbs, that fit in the AquaSignal series 25 are the only ones I know of that are US Coast Guard approved:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?fno=400&group=1162&cat=3111

The "Festoons" fit the series 25:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?fno=400&group=851

sailingdog · Mar 20, 2009

Many of the OEM dedicated LED fixtures are USCG certified. Orca Green Marine, LopoLights, Hella Marine, Aquasignal, etc... all make them. The question is whether any of the replacement LED bulbs are certified, and the answer is only the Dr. LED Polar Star 40 and the Aqua Signal 40 series anchor light are so far.

As an example, the AquaSignal 32 Series LED bulbs are USCG certified, but the Series 43 and 31 are not, as seen in this WM catalog page:

Stu Jackson said:
SD, in lots of recent dicussions points were made that USCG has NOT certified any LED lights. Perhaps I am mistaken. Could you point us to those that are certified?

Stu Jackson · Mar 20, 2009

Thanks, SD

That answer is an important clarification for everyone.

RAD · Mar 20, 2009

Tomorrow morning I'm going to the boat yard with a 60ft bucket truck to replace the tri color,anchor & steaming lamps with Dr. LED replacement bulbs, the tri color and anchor fixtures are series 40 and the steaming is series 25 and all bulbs were bought from WM so I feel confident that if they sell them my attorney can take up the issue with them if ever something comes about from me replacing my bulbs.
BTW
my Buddy's boat next to me is the same exact setup and were replacing his too

Dave Groshong · Mar 20, 2009

I'll check with James, DR. LED Monday, I thought they had received Coast Guard approval on the Series 25. Dr LED is actually a patented technology and it does take quite a bit to get this approval through the hoops.

Benny · Mar 20, 2009

I'll do some work on my lights.

Tomorrow I'll do some work on my lights. I'll turn them on and do a visual check; if they all light up I'll shut the breaker off and I'm done.

sailingdog · Mar 20, 2009

The issue is that if you are in an accident, the other side's is going to question your navigation lights, and if you're using non-certified fixtures or lamp/fixture combinations, you'll have to prove that they meet the specifications, which can be very, very expensive to do. West Marine won't be paying for that expert witness testimony, as all they're probably on the hook for is the cost of the fixtures/lamps.

See this post by Maine Sail on this point.

RAD said:
Tomorrow morning I'm going to the boat yard with a 60ft bucket truck to replace the tri color,anchor & steaming lamps with Dr. LED replacement bulbs, the tri color and anchor fixtures are series 40 and the steaming is series 25 and all bulbs were bought from WM so I feel confident that if they sell them my attorney can take up the issue with them if ever something comes about from me replacing my bulbs.
BTW
my Buddy's boat next to me is the same exact setup and were replacing his too

Maine Sail contacted James and my information is based on the response he got from James only a few weeks ago. Maine Sail actually posted about it in another thread here on SBO forums IIRC. See his post HERE.

Dave Groshong said:
I'll check with James, DR. LED Monday, I thought they had received Coast Guard approval on the Series 25. Dr LED is actually a patented technology and it does take quite a bit to get this approval through the hoops.

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