Nav Lights on the Dink

[velero]

Check w/state regulatory agency. In Maryland you have to have navigation lights for boats less than 16ft.

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/boating/p..._req_equip.pdf

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by velero

Its not enforced but when you get stopped it could be a couple of hundred dollors (as in pain) in MD. If you have an outboard attached to your dinghy you must comply w/CG n MD regs. I was in Solomon Is during the grand opening of the Tiki Bar w/lots of DNR around. Got on my dingy to go to dinner and dit not see the DNR boat. They found the following - no reg numbers (I had them in but not aboard), no nav lights (just a flaslight), no registration card onboard (yes you have to carry your (paper) registration card w/you while using the dingy) and not having lights nor sound devices on our life jackets. Since we were close to the mothership we were lucky they let us find the stuff that was missing. I found all the stuff aboard but could not find the registration card.... ouch a $85 fine. I did have something saying that it was my dinghy.

Your comment on the lights or sound devices on your life jackets was interesting so I looked up Maryland laws. I could not find any requirements for sound producing or lighting devices on life jackets. While certainly a good idea I could not find any requirement for them. I have a set of removable lights for my dink that I only take with me when I'm planning to be out past or near dark, otherwise they stay on the boat. It helps with the corrosion issue. One thing I do not have is night distress flares. The idea of lighting a hand held flare on an inflatable plastic dink seems pretty stupid to me. It seems that no one is making an electric distress light that meets USCG requirements any more. Strobes don't meet the requirements but seem wiser from a safety point of view.

One interesting observation is that it seems the in the US at least the USCG has us in a Catch 22 situation with dinghy lights. While the only legal (USCG certified) lights must be installed by the manufacturer, as far as I am aware, no small inflatables come with lights from the factory, yet lights are required for use after sunset. So even though I have lights, they are not technically legal, though I am not aware of anyone getting a ticket or hassled for not having "certified" lights on their dink. I have a waterproof container attached to my outboard kill lanyard in which I keep my registration and a whistle. Since I can't start my outboard without the lanyard, I always have my registration with me.

So in short, my dink is almost legal at night.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by Abaco

. . . He was running through a crowded anchorage at full speed with no lights on either. I didn't see him and he didn't see me.. . . Moral of the story is to always use lights.

Actually whether you have lights on or not makes no difference in most of the 3rd world cruising areas that we frequent. The locals do and will run over you in broad daylight and especially at night. They cannot see over the front of their long pirogues/panghas and so don't even bother looking. They know where they are going by feel and the surroundings.
- - And there are no penalties if they run you over, foreign cruisers are "expendable" in their minds. Sad but true. Because each year new ones come down the road.
- - That leaves you 100% in charge of your safety which means aggressively looking around, using beam-style flashlights and using techniques to spot movement relative to other things around you.
Most importantly - get the hell of of the way of anything near to you.

[MarkJ]

What???????????
I just read that Florida is requiring holding tanks in all dinghys!! I clicked on the link and read it and then accidently clicked it off, now I can't find it...

[svsanuk]

we carry the red/green but dont leave it on the dink. we worry it will be stolen. plus, its a pain to attach and disconnect. if we suspect the authorities are lurking we pull it out, and turn it on.

the all around white stern light stays on the dink and we _always_ use that at night. abaco is correct, NOT using lights could cost your life!

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by Capt Roy

The size and power of the dinghy will determine what lights need to be displayed. Rule 23 states that a power vessel under 7 meters (23 ft) and 7 knots is only required to display a white 360 degree light. This is known as the 7 & 7 rule. Vessels under 12 meters (39.4 ft) require combo running lights and one white 360 degree light. This would include dinghys faster than 7 knots. Rule 25 states that a sailing vessel (under sail only) or row boat less than 7 meters (23 ft) can simply shine a torch (flashlight).

Capt Roy, you must not have taken the navrules test. The 7&7 rule is only valid for international waters, and most of the time you are in the dingy in the US you are under the inland waters rules, which require the red, green, and white lights for a power driven vessel of any size and speed.

[Dave the Canuck]

Just read the section on lights through (Chapter 1416, Schedule 1 Sections 3,4. Rules 22 through 25.) Proof positive, once again, that I have no life, and the summary is this. Any vessel under power and less than 12m must exhibit masthead, sidelight (nav lights) and stern light. Only when a vessel is powered by oars or is a sailing vessel less than 7m is it permissable to have a light on hand and ready to be "exhibited in sufficient time to avoid collision."

That being said, I keep only a light at the ready and have never, nor have I heard of, anyone having an issue with the police over this matter

[Sailorman Ed]

We saw nearly everyone with a small solar light attached to the top of the outboard while in the Bahamas which was white front and rear but now I cannot find a picture. Does anyone have one?

I am looking into getting these made but with red and green for the front, no, not CG certified but should be enough to keep local law enforcement at bay and still provide other boaters an idea of your direction due to the red and green.

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by off-the-grid

Technically they're required. I see them sold everywhere, but...

Not once have I ever seen anyone using them.

When running at night, I always see people using just a flashlight...maybe 2. And I've yet to see anyone pulled over.

So, does anyone here actually use a red/green on the dink?
If not, have you ever run into trouble for not having them?

I use it all the time... a single all around stuck atop the OB

[model 10]

Originally Posted by Sandero

I use it all the time... a single all around stuck atop the OB

Our 8hp outboard has an electrical output but it's some weird voltage. Have you tried powering your light from the engine?

[a64pilot]

This is what I have and it is slick, CG approved, bright enough so you could use it on the big boat, a thin plate attaches to the motor top, and a magnet holds the light, waterproof and if it falls in, it floats, light up.
Navisafe Navi light TriColor LED Navigation Light

This may not be the model with the rare earth magnet mount, but there is one

[motion30]

Has anybody found a green and red bow light the can be worn on a headband like the work lights. Seems like a good solution

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

............ It seems that no one is making an electric distress light that meets USCG requirements any more. ...........

That is incorrect. I don't remember the manufacturer but I bought mine from defender. West Marine is selling them now as well. About $99.00

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by motion30

Has anybody found a green and red bow light the can be worn on a headband like the work lights. Seems like a good solution

As long as you don't turn your head.
No, it's not a good solution.

The smart thing to do is to learn the requirements for your area and any area you are planning to transit and then comply with these requirements. They might not enforce them but they can enforce them and you might be the unlucky one that gets them enforced.

These requirements are actually there for your safety.

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by Guy

Our 8hp outboard has an electrical output but it's some weird voltage. Have you tried powering your light from the engine?

No I haven't. The lamp uses a few AA I think and pretty soon these portable lights will be available with long lasting LEDs. Not much of a problem.

More of a problem in a crowded anchorage with house and streets around is the difficulty in seeing ANY light on a dink.

I have small ble LED which I can velcro to the motor which is stead on bright or flashing. I can use this if I feel I need to be noticed.