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So I hooked up all my Kicker led speakers with blue. We'll po po out here does not like you to have blue, even if you are moored or anchored.
So my question is can I make my speakers white? Without running more wires and without an led controller? I.e hook up red and blue together etc.? I only ran 2 wires for led as I didn't want rgb. [emoji1304]
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I would get a copy of regulations and read it then keep it with you. They like to make stuff up to suit there power hunger
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I haven't got stopped but on another forum someone in a Magic deck boat got yelled at while parked to turn off his blue lights. I'll see if I can find itQuote:
Originally Posted by bennymabernathy
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They don't make that up. Colored lights on the water each have a specific purpose and dictated in each state almost exactly. Green and red are navigation lights and are restricted and using these color of LEDs after dark could easily be a collision especially green and that gives the other boater the right of way when visible. Blue can't be used as that is law enforcement, red is fire department. At dive rescue, we are allocated alternating yellow and red as well as the Coast Guard. During a water exercise or an event identification at night is by the color of their lights. Like I've said before, blue lights attract law enforcement if nothing more to see what other agency is on the water.
You will need 4 conductors and and an RGB controller to make white. No way to change the color of an LED.
Regs typically dont explain what is not legal but clearly state what is required. Any other color other than white seen aft or 360, can be a violation. So tower speaker LEDs other than white, can be considered a violation. This goes for under water LEDs as well as the lights seen strung around pontoons.
here is the page from instructions, best you can get is blue whitehttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6dca5064d5.jpg
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Yeah I can see while you are under way it would be illegal. I only want to use them when parked 🤷🏼*♂️Quote:
Originally Posted by zabooda
My next boat will be RGB controlled or all white.Quote:
Originally Posted by MLA
Thanks, I guess I can try a speaker and see what it looks like [emoji1303]Quote:
Originally Posted by deckwork
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Wiring all three together is an ugly white. Ive seen some that even have a hint of the red showing. The controller controls the on time of all 3 to get a more true white.
Flashing blue lights are reserved for law enforcement and search and rescue services. As per local and state laws. Solid blue if not overpowering the navigation lights is by the word of the law technically legal. from the research i have done on it in the last 15 minutes it would appear that enforcement is subject to interpretation and falls in a legal grey area. I personally have blue lights in my cupholders (which reflect off of my tower brightly) and under my swim grid and have them on in crowded areas with police around often. Have never had an issue. it would appear that its not like that everywhere.
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I found out just now that blue is the only color in the state of Washington that is specifically prohibited.
WAC 352-60-060
(1) The requirements in this section shall be complied with in all weathers. The requirements concerning lights shall be complied with from sunset to sunrise, and during such times no other lights shall be exhibited, except such lights as cannot be mistaken for lights specified by the United States Coast Guard, or do not impair their visibility or distinctive character, or interfere with the keeping of a proper look-out.
Navigation lights and shapes.
(13) Law enforcement vessels - Inland waters.
(a) Law enforcement vessels may display a flashing blue light when engaged in direct law enforcement or public safety activities. This light must be located so that it does not interfere with the visibility of the vessel's navigation lights.
(b) The blue light described in this subsection may only be displayed by law enforcement vessels of the United States, Washington, and its political subdivisions. The use of blue lights by other vessels is prohibited.
(14) Public safety activities - Inland waters.
(a) Vessels engaged in government sanctioned public safety activities, and commercial vessels performing similar functions, may display an alternately flashing red and yellow light signal. This identification light signal must be located so that it does not interfere with the visibility of the vessel's navigation lights. The identification light signal may be used only as an identification signal and conveys no special privilege. Vessels using the identification light signal during public safety activities must abide by the rules found in WAC 352-60-060, 352-60-065, 352-60-066, and 352-60-070, and must not presume that the light or the exigency gives them precedence or right of way.
RCW 79A.60.120
Tampering with vessel lights or signals—Exhibiting false lights or signals—Penalty.
An operator or owner who endangers a vessel, or the persons on board the vessel, by showing, masking, extinguishing, altering, or removing any light or signal or by exhibiting any false light or signal, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable as provided in RCW 9.92.030.
I live in WA but most of my boating is on the OR side of the river. Yeah, around here it's gonna depend on the situation and the personality of the authority. I've had MANY times in Oregon where I'm running or anchored with TONS of blue LED's glowing from everywhere on my boat and no worries whatsoever. They're really used to wake boats having blue LED's. I never ever make mine flash. :-)
Brett, what you'd want for the future is something I'd honestly thought about and that's RGB-W. It's alternating RGB and white LED's and you can get a controller that will turn off the colors and turn on the white. and you can get cool combos like Red/white alternating and white/blue alternating. It increases it from 4 conductors to 5 and also requires a more expensive RGBW controller. But it'd be the bees knees for sure.
So the referenced light is flashing blue. As per legal jargon, the blue light described in this section ie: the flashing blue light being the only light described in the aforementioned paragraph.
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I was thinking the same thing. the way they wrote the statute any good lawyer would be able to get me out of a ticket for solid blue...Quote:
Originally Posted by bennymabernathy
That said, last night I was motoring back in the dark with all my blue lights glowing (and of course my LED nav and anchor lights). I came across two boats tied up together that had a RGB disco light on their tower. I seriously thought it was police because it was flashing and I could see red and blue. (I also saw green, but thought that must have been a nav light). so yeah, that was really confusing because it was a mess of colored lights.