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Headlights on Boats Illegal

rsimms

rsimms

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This discussion came up on another forum and on Facebook.

I'm 63 years old. At one time I was a Tennessee game warden who enforced boating laws. I've been an outdoor journalist for 33 years and a fishing guide for 12 years.

But lo and behold... it is true. I called a game warden friend and I have learned that external lighting other than the required navigation lights is indeed, illegal. In spite of the fact that it is not mentioned in ANY online Tennessee Boating Regulations anywhere on TWRA's website. (I suggested that be changed)

Also amazing considering many boats are sold with headlights actually installed. What salesman is ever going to tell a customer, "Yea, it's got headlights but it's illegal for you to use them."

I guess I better start being far more judicious with the LED headlight installed on my duck boat huh?

We're never too old to learn.
 

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Oh well... I will continue to use them on mine. Never heard of anyone getting a ticket for them. Crazy to me that they are illegal
 
i hate to disagree with you Mr. Simms(or TWRA) but the TWRA, state of Tennessee does not set navigation rules for any waterway, the USCG does. i was researching headlights for my boat a couple of weeks ago and posted a question on the watercraft forum when a TWRA member said to make sure that they do not interfere with the 3 navigation lights or they would be illegal. so i called an old buddy, that got out of the Army and went into the CG and asked him. he referred me to the rules and it doesnt say that they arent illegal, but they must be approved lights by the yaht club and UL rules and must not interfere with the required navigation lights or any blue colored lights.

here is the bulletin on the type and approved lights that should be used:

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO% ... s/1015.pdf

here are the USCG rules 20,21 and 22 which pertain to lighting:

https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=Rule20

nothing in those rules states that the use of lights are illegal except for the lights that dont have the yaht club or UL stamp, as i assume is a safety standard.

if someone can point me to the laws that state otherwise i would appreciate it.
 
and if you look at rule 23, vessels less than 50 meters while underway may exhibit a sternlight although not required to do so. i would imagine double stern lights (used as headlights) may be illegal, but im mounting mine as a single light.
 
We have been warned a couple times in both TN and NC while bowfishing at night. First time, we were running the lake with all our bowfishing lights. Hellen Keller could've seen us coming but we were told since those lights outshown the nav and anchor lights, we had to turn them off when not bowfishing. We always turned them off after that if we were runnIng very far but it Never failed, they always stopped us when we were running 100yds to the next cove. They were always very cordial and polite and never wrote us a ticket.
 
Well write me a ticket then. I'm not gonna tear up my lower unit and possibly get ejected from my boat. There's a lot of floating crap, whole trees sometimes, on the rivers and lakes where I hunt and fish.

LED bars on trucks are also illegal...but how many of us have those installed as well


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Carlos Viagra":3lnbtl4f said:
How are boaters supposed to see where they're going??
Click to expand...
on open water with no debris it's not a problem. Especially with any kind of moon. When recent rains have washed logs and trees into the water, it's almost necessary to have a headlight


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catman529":1q4hbqnz said:
Well write me a ticket then. I'm not gonna tear up my lower unit and possibly get ejected from my boat. There's a lot of floating crap, whole trees sometimes, on the rivers and lakes where I hunt and fish.

LED bars on trucks are also illegal...but how many of us have those installed as well


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...


Same here
 
this pretty much settles the debate on headlight type lights, from the FAQ page of the US Coast Guard, question 14:

https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=n ... FAQ#0.3_14

"Should a mariner opt to use additional lighting, we suggest you look at this lighting from afar to ascertain whether it would violate Rule 20; and, we exhort you to adjust or refrain from using such lighting, if that is the case."

ive read some other responses on other sites and the two reasons that some people give is that it interferes with your night vision and dock type lights are only supposed to be used at docks, neither of which are in the federal rules.
 
Those headlights do make it tough sometimes to figure out which way someone is heading in some situations since the brighter white lights obscure the nav lights, fortunately I use radar
 

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