replacing all boat lights with LED ; do we have a good source ?

[hockeyfool]

  I used superbright company for my LED replacements on my catalina 22,
but they didn't  have navigation lights for mast.
Has anyone done this for their 16, 19, or 23,ect. ?

[Caboose]

If you are replacing incandescent bulbs with LED's in your USCG approved lights, then you no longer have USCG approved lights. Those lights were approved using the factory supplied bulb. If you do not replace bulb with same bulb, then all bets are off. Sure, it'll give off light, but it's not the same.

Replacing one of your tires on your car/truck with some off brand just because it's black and round doesn't make it a direct replacement does it?

[brackish]

If you are replacing incandescent bulbs with LED's in your USCG approved lights, then you no longer have USCG approved lights. Those lights were approved using the factory supplied bulb. If you do not replace bulb with same bulb, then all bets are off. Sure, it'll give off light, but it's not the same.

Replacing one of your tires on your car/truck with some off brand just because it's black and round doesn't make it a direct replacement does it?

do you have the regulation or reference material for that position?  I thought that the Coast Guard regulations indicated the position, color, illumination direction and distance, and times of use for navigation lights.  I was unaware that they indicated what brand of anything HAD to be used.  But I certainly could be wrong.

With regard to tires, often that replacement will be better than the OEM.  Matching should be in terms of speed rating, heat rating, etc.

I used to manufacture woodworking machinery.  I made UL/CSA rated machinery and non rated machinery in the same factory, using the same quality standards.  In fact, the non UL/CSA was often better because the regulating agencies were slow to approve functional improvements.  At the time the company also imported machinery from China and got it UL/CSA rated.  I know that without a doubt the quality level of my non rated machinery was far superior to the rated imports.

I guess I'm a skeptic when it comes to judging the quality of an item based on its regulatory agency rating.  And I will always let common sense prevail over COLREGS when the situation warrants.

[Salty19]

The only requirement is to meet the USCG and COLREGs specifications.  Certification only proves they meet the requirement.  Doesn't mean a non-tested product does not meet them.   Lights DO NOT need to be certified but they do need to meet the requirements of certification.  

With that said, if the new lights meet the requirement, you are good.  However...if you are involved in a night accident, it will likely be UP TO YOU TO PROVE they meet the requirements to avoid liability (assuming you were not at fault).  That could be difficult, but it's doable.

I'm going to go with Bebi Electronics all the way around soon.  Except the steaming light for now.   They are not certified but far exceed the requirements of 2nm visibility.   My plan is to have my wife photograph the lighting from 1, 2 and 3  miles away for evidence that the boat can be seen from this distance.  Will take and print plenty of photo's, circles and arrows with a paragraph on the back on each one.  I'm also going to ask the ranger to sign a form that I'll make to "certify" that he could see me from 2nm.  Who knows if he'll sign, but they probably will.

A related story:  Last year while night sailing on my lake I darn near hit,literally within 8-10 feet,  a small fishing boat with what appeared to be llegal aliens on board out fishing on the lake. I say illegal because they yelled out in spanish "lo siento!!", which means sorry.  And there are lots of illegals around here.   They did not display any lighting whatsoever.  I did not see them at all until literally the last second as the moonlight broke their sillouette, or better said, created a dark spot on the water that made me look closer.  If an accident occured, they would be at fault. If I didn't change course, I would have probably hit them. Of course I would have probably sunk their boat and they would have drowned unless I could have plucked 'em out the water.  Water is very cold in this lake!


Cover you butt with proof they meet certification.

[kickingbug1]

   probably not the way to help solve the imigration problem

[Caboose]

The XYZ company got their lights inspected and passed with the supplied housing, lens color, and bulb. It's all one unit and if any modification that is done that makes that unit not OEM, then the certification is void.

Prove me wrong. Make a throwable PFD that meets or exceeds the USCG requirements and see if it's legal.

[brackish]

The XYZ company got their lights inspected and passed with the supplied housing, lens color, and bulb. It's all one unit and if any modification that is done that makes that unit not OEM, then the certification is void.

Prove me wrong. Make a throwable PFD that meets or exceeds the USCG requirements and see if it's legal.

Normally it would be incumbent on an individual who made the claim to back it up and prove it is right.  Some of the organizations that supply replacement bulbs address the issue.   If you have information with validity that would add to our collective knowledge, I suspect we would appreciate the information.

[Bob23]

Has anyone actually been boarded and had thier bulbs inspected? You could get a little crazy about this, eh?
bob23

[cp23enough]

I've been boarded twice and for some reason they forgot to check what type of bulbs I was using!
                                                                                                 larry CP23

[brackish]

Not boarded but had a DEA (assumption based on the particulars of the event) boat come up alongside off the coast of Miami when part of a delivery crew.  Completely blacked out cigarette boat (confiscated?)and crew came up along side, matched our speed, questioned the capt. about registration/origin/destination, seemed to be punching something into a computer, then, after a couple of minutes of anxious silence' said "have a safe trip" and were gone from sight in a flash.  They had NO lights, so I guess they were not interested in what kind of bulbs we had.  It was a surrealistic experience.

BTW, passing Miami at night on the way to the entrance to Hawks is a light show treat.  We were fixated on that sight when the DEA boat came up to our port, so we never noticed their approach.

[skip1930]

Does any sailor on the high seas really care if the actual bulb in any navigation light fixture has been retrofitted from a U.S. Coast Guard approved incandescent bulb to a non~approved LED light bulb?

I mean anything to run longer, cooler and brighter and still save battery juice will do me thinks.

Side Bar: However in their combined wisdom our City Father's in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin spent many $1000's of dollars to change all the stop light bulbs over to LED's only to find that in winter the bulbs will not produce enough heat to melt the snow off of the lens, thus rendering the actual stop lights useless for traffic control.

So to keep from going back to standard incandescent bulbs the stop lights are being retrofitted with these stupid high dollar 'Weather Shields' suppose to stop snow build up...HUmmm we will see what happens next winter. Why don't we just bite the bullet and buy the electricity....which by the way just took a giant leap in $$'s per kW price.

Of course since the estimated job cost to make these changes was over the $2,500 limit only our State Unionized boys can do the job by law.

Below are the offerings from West Marine.  skip.

"Of course I would have probably sunk their boat and they would have drowned unless I could have plucked 'em out the water.  Water is very cold in this lake!"

The rule of 50.
50 Deg F water.
50 years of age.
50 Minutes before hypothermia sets in.

Adjust up or down as these variables change.
And this does not take into effect the involuntary reaction of sucking in air/water [depends where your head is] when falling into very cold waters.