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View Full Version : Blue LED lights on the OUTSIDE of your boat



Rugburn
06-28-2015, 06:17 PM
Ive been searching for the right transom LED's for my LSV and had my eye on the color blue since my interior LED lights are blue. This article has since changed my mind, which is too bad. The blue looks really cool.

http://dnr.wi.gov/news/weekly/article/print.asp?id=3322

Looks like Im going green instead. :(

trayson
06-28-2015, 06:29 PM
Lame. I have run blue LED tower speaker lighting on my last boat and my current boat. I've run with the blue LED's in front of sheriff boats from 3 different counties and USCG. No problems ever. Do I flash my LED's? NO. just steady blue and never had an issue in WA or OR.

Rugburn
06-28-2015, 06:33 PM
With all these pontoon boats with blue LED lights, folks may actually behave thinking Johnny Law is all around. Every lake has its share of Jackwagons.

I completely agree trayson. Last night for a big July 4th firework event on the lake, I had no problem distinguishing who could arrest me and who could moon me.

bergermaister
06-29-2015, 02:16 AM
I don't have anything on the tower but the all-around light, but plenty of blue in and off the back of the boat. Haven't gotten busted at night yet in 8ish years and the lights are on more than off when we're out at night. In fact I still need to mount a dimmer for the bow lights because they can be really distracting when trying to navigate...

If ever do mount something up on the tower it's definitely going to have a strobe feature :p

smokeysevin
06-29-2015, 03:30 PM
Do you know if you can "cover" or tint the rear of the bow light? I know on our old welcraft fishing boat it was covered and could only be seen from the front and sides which made it much easier on the eyes.

Sean

mikenehrkorn
06-29-2015, 03:37 PM
I believe the law in the two states that I boat in (IL and MI) both say that the white light has to be visible from any direction. Since the red/green lights up front can only be seen by oncoming boats, how would the boats coming up behind you see you at all if that light only shown forward too??

smokeysevin
06-29-2015, 03:41 PM
I think in Texas you are required to have a rear multicolored light illuminated on a pole, our old boat was a center console fishing boat so the light wasn't visible anyways.

(Edit: https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/boat/safety/vessel_requirements/ Yep, Only visible from the front. )

Sean

zabooda
06-29-2015, 05:30 PM
You can't alter the navigation lights unless it can still meet CG requirements in any state. A boater won't know if they are the stand-on or give-way vessel without the lights properly orientated. As far as LEDs around here, I don't think there would be problem unless it hinders viewing of the navigation lights or if law enforcement has something going on where locations are known by their light bar. When dive rescue responds at night we are looking for the blue strobes of the sheriff as they are usually the first to be on the scene. Our boats have red strobes so the other entities know we are dive rescue.

gregski
06-29-2015, 06:34 PM
I had to double check our laws. They specifically state "flashing red or blue lights" are prohibited, except by federal, state or other designated authority. I can see the argument against any blue though, when boats bob in the water, even a solid light can look like it is flashing.

smokeysevin
06-29-2015, 06:54 PM
You can't alter the navigation lights unless it can still meet CG requirements in any state. A boater won't know if they are the stand-on or give-way vessel without the lights properly orientated. As far as LEDs around here, I don't think there would be problem unless it hinders viewing of the navigation lights or if law enforcement has something going on where locations are known by their light bar. When dive rescue responds at night we are looking for the blue strobes of the sheriff as they are usually the first to be on the scene. Our boats have red strobes so the other entities know we are dive rescue.

http://boatwiringadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/old-bow-light-300x225.jpg

This is the style I am used to, the rear portion of the light is covered which prevents the light from blinding the driver. This picture is viewed from the front.

Currently the mobius does not have a rear cover on it which shines straight back at me. Based on some reading the standard requirement is 20 degrees back on each side

Sean

trayson
06-29-2015, 07:45 PM
In fact I still need to mount a dimmer for the bow lights because they can be really distracting when trying to navigate...


I'm pretty sure that when Berg is talking about mounting a "dimmer" it's for his blue LED accent lights that happen to be in the open bow. For example, in my last boat I had speaker and cupholder LED lights in the bow that were blue. There were times that I'd turn off my LED's at night because the bow LED's made it hard to navigate like Berg said.

yz 2smoke
06-30-2015, 01:48 PM
My last boat I had blue LED'S everywhere. In all my cup holders, above my in boat speakers, transom, and even in my air intake vents so when the boat was coming at you it looked like it had blue eyes.

My new boat is covered in blue LED's, more so than my last boat. My underwater lights say they will strobe but it's more like dimmer switch that goes from very bright to not so bright. I've been on the lake since Friday and do a lot of boating at nice because the water is smooth and calm and it's not hot as fire. I've past several DNR/sheriff boats and they just wave.

I like them as it is easier to see a completely lit up boat than it is to see a boat with the normal nav lights. As long as you don't have lights that really would look like a cop boat then you should be fine here. (Lake Lanier)

I would say more than half the boats at night on Lanier are lit up. Blue LED'S seem to be the most popular.

It also never hurts to flag a DNR boat down and asked them. I've done it before when I first started boating on my own.

mikenehrkorn
06-30-2015, 01:53 PM
It also never hurts to flag a DNR boat down and asked them.

There's the best advice as the law and/or enforcement seems to be quite different in different areas.