Navigation light requirements

Scott T-Bird · Mar 21, 2018

You don't have to have a tricolor on top of the mast if you have the navigation lights at the bow and stern, but if you are out on Lake Michigan at night with all those big commercial ships around you, you might want to have that option.

If you install this product from Marine Beam it functions as an anchor light, tri-color, and SOS in one fixture with just 2 wires. It changes mode thru the switch mechanism. I installed it last year. It is a pretty slick product.
https://store.marinebeam.com/classic-style-smart-tri-color-anchor-sos-fixture/

nat55 · Mar 21, 2018

No need for a tricolor @ mast top. All around white is adequate, as long as you have red/green elsewhere.

kloudie1 · Mar 21, 2018

If I remember correctly, you can't legally have the tri and the lower nav lights on at the same time.. I think that is the only restriction..

Scott T-Bird · Mar 21, 2018

tipsyravensailing said:
i had just found that lamp - its cool. Its on the list

and yeah, i want those big ships to see me and vice versa. I'll spend extra to put it up there. I just wanted to know if putting i t up there was incorrectly lighting my boat for its size.

Nope, you'll be fine with it. Good decision!

Scott T-Bird · Mar 21, 2018

kloudie1 said:
If I remember correctly, you can't legally have the tri and the lower nav lights on at the same time.. I think that is the only restriction..

We had that discussion once before. Legally ... no you shouldn't. But somebody, either in Maine or the PNW, said they do it in fog because they would rather be seen than not seen for choosing the wrong option. I said that I can't think of any situation where seeing both on would be confusing enough to cause a problem. So what if you "look" like 2 boats, close together, going in the same direction. How would it cause the ship that "sees" the pair of navigation lights to react differently?

Scott T-Bird · Mar 21, 2018

tipsyravensailing said:
I'm already set up to switch them all separately so that works

Well, you would naturally switch them separately. The lower set is your navigation light switch. The anchor light/tricolor combo would be on your anchor light switch. You would still have to remember to switch off the navigation lights when you use the tri-color option.

dlochner · Mar 21, 2018

tipsyravensailing said:
the stern light would be switched independantly too right? I think its currently tied to the bow lights. I had intentions on giving it its own circuit.

The stern light is usually wired along with the lower nav lights. No need for a separate circuit.

The Tri-color is not legal while motoring, so it is good to have an LED up there. The lower lights will be used while motoring, so you can get away with incandescent lights and save a few dollars, assuming you have an inboard engine that is charging the batteries.

When you look at the regulations, you will not see a "steaming" light, it will be referred to as a Masthead light not to be confused with the anchor light located at the top of the mast. The language stems from powered vessels that have a small mast to display the light.

Scott T-Bird · Mar 21, 2018

tipsyravensailing said:
the stern light would be switched independantly too right? I think its currently tied to the bow lights. I had intentions on giving it its own circuit.

There would be no purpose in using separate switches for the bow and stern lights.

dlochner · Mar 21, 2018

tipsyravensailing said:
So the rear facing mast white light replaces the need for a stern light?

There is no rear facing white light, except for the one on the tricolor.

Here's a good article on nav lights. Light Up The Night - Seaworthy Magazine - BoatUS

Scott T-Bird · Mar 21, 2018

tipsyravensailing said:
So the rear facing mast white light replaces the need for a stern light?

Not sure if I understand the question, but if you have your "Navigation Light" switch on, you would necessarily be showing your bow lights (red and green) and your stern light (white) in all circumstances. There would be no reason to have your bow lights on and your stern light off or vice versa. If you are using the tri-color at the top of the mast instead, then you would switch off your "Navigation Light" switch. It's an either / or condition. The "Steaming Light" or forward-facing white light that is about half way up the mast is a separate issue. That light requires a separate switch.

Scott T-Bird · Mar 21, 2018

dlochner said:
There is no rear facing white light, except for the one on the tricolor.

??? the stern light is rear facing white used with the nav lights.

dlochner · Mar 21, 2018

Scott T-Bird said:
??? the stern light is rear facing white used with the nav lights.

yes but its not on the mast. Its on the transom or pushpit. There's that big piece of cloth on the back of the mast.

The tricolor lights are all on one switch, with a separate all around anchor light.

Parsons · Mar 21, 2018

For the regulations, this is a great link, with pictures of lights see Rules 20 - 30 in section C: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=NavRulesAmalgamated

Essentially, if the motor is engaged, you are a power-driven vessel underway (Rule 23) and show a red-green forward, white aft, and another white forward, above the red-green. If you are sailing (Rule 25), you do not show the white light forward, but everything else is the same. In all cases, you must be able to see at least one light from any direction. Showing two lights the same color (red over red, for example) means something else (in that case, not under command - Rule 27) and may confuse people who are familiar with the rules. Legally, the US Coast Guard can fine you, but honestly they have better things to do than write tickets for lights. It's just a good practice to not show the deck-level navigation lights and a tri-color, or the anchor and steaming lights, at the same time so you don't look like a fool.

One other problem with tri-lights is that they are difficult to see close-in. Your average power boater is not looking up 40 feet, so they may not see you. I normally only turn on a tri-light when sailing well off shore where another vessel would be approaching for half-an-hour or so, not running close in. A great advantage is also that way up there, it preserves your night vision as the rest of the boat is dark.

Stu Jackson · Mar 21, 2018

Scott T-Bird said:
I said that I can't think of any situation where seeing both on would be confusing enough to cause a problem. So what if you "look" like 2 boats, close together, going in the same direction. How would it cause the ship that "sees" the pair of navigation lights to react differently?

Parsons said:
It's just a good practice to not show the deck-level navigation lights and a tri-color, or the anchor and steaming lights, at the same time so you don't look like a fool.

One other problem with tri-lights is that they are difficult to see close-in. Your average power boater is not looking up 40 feet, so they may not see you. I normally only turn on a tri-light when sailing well off shore where another vessel would be approaching for half-an-hour or so, not running close in.

Like an endless tennis match.

Sumner · Mar 21, 2018

Parsons said:
....Essentially, if the motor is engaged, you are a power-driven vessel underway (Rule 23) and show a red-green forward, white aft, and another white forward, above the red-green. If you are sailing (Rule 25), you do not show the white light forward, but everything else is the same.....

+1....

Basically if motoring you need an all around white showing as mentioned above where two separate white lights fill the all around requirement. Another option that meets that is using the anchor light as an all around along with the bow lights. In that case the stern white would be off.

Since I'm not running a forward facing masthead white light (below the top of the mast) I use the anchor light for the all around and have the stern on a switch so that I can turn it on or off depending if I'm sailing or motoring,

Sumner
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