Quote:
Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin
There is no doubt the law governing recreational boat lighting need to be revisited. Cockpit and cabin lights are usually not a problem. However the now popular underwater accent lights can be an issue, as they can drowned out the nav lights from a distance. I have noticed this several times this summer. As for dashboard instrument lights, they are just like instrument cluster lights in a car... they are not a problem, unless the effect your night vision. Even the rules for cars don't detail the instrument cluster lights.
And oh by the way that is the difference when you look at the Mount, it is a commercial Vessel and laws are different.
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One moonless dark evening, I detected a boat in my path solely by the dash lights as he didn't have ANY nav lights! With the availability and now lower cost of LED lighting, I would like to see an acceptable standard allowing for a lighted side stripe, perhaps running the length of the boat, maybe in the green and red colors per the bow light rules. With the low power consumption of LEDs they could even be tied into the ignition to operate any time the motor is operating and the shifter is in gear (sort of like daytime running lights in a car). I often see boaters who put their anchor light on instead of their nav lights or forget to put any on at all.