Head Lights
- Thread starter Emer-Teacher
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minner
Well-known member
bronzeback45
Well-known member
emoUpsmile emoUpsmile emoUpsmile emoUpsmile, I have headlight like yours and wouldn't dare atempt to navigate at night without em emoGeezer
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What did I do? emoScratch </p>
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That's basically the same concept that I use. Except I have a toggle switch mounted in a very handy place that I can easily manipulate on and off momentarily as needed.
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Carl Guffey
Well-known member
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<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Sorry EricM, I misspoke, headlamps by themselves are not illegal, you are correct. A docking lightcan bea permeanetly mounted light that is legal as long as it is used to dock your craft or to sight a trailer at the dock.If these same docking lightsor light are being used as a navigational device then their use is illegal. A permanetly mounted white light on the front of a craft can cause confusion as to the vehicles direction of travel. The white light on the front of the craftmay also cause visiual problems with the bow lightconcerning the possible direction of travel either to port or starboard.</font></p>
<font size="3" face="Georgia">Hand helds are not a problem unless they are used to blind another driver. Generally they are used from mid-ship and do not interfer with the visual acuity of the crafts navigation lights and may be well seen by all approaching craft.</font></p>
minner
Well-known member
BTW, If any of you know where I can get a pair of the Stan Sloan lights, I would appreciate a heads up. I would like to come up with pair for temporary mounting. Also can anyone tell me the difference between those and the T&H marine ones?
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Don't get the T&H Marine lights. Although Bill Huntley is a dear friend of mine, his headlights are not of the same caliber as the Sloan lights. T&H mounts are excellent, but the lights are not so great.
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I just remembered a picture that I have of Darris Allison ... the owner of Allison boats ... in his own personal boat. Wonder if he's worried about the legality of headlights? emoLaugh </p>
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elwestb
Well-known member
... I know what the LEGAL answer is. However, my question is this, when has anyone ever been stopped for having head lights on their boat? I've been seeing the on boats for over 40 years!?
Carl Guffey
Well-known member
<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Those are factory installed docking lights. Legal for use for docking. </font>
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<font size="2"> <font size="1">emoRolleyes emoDoh </font> YEAH ..... Sure they are. Next time you see Darris ask him if he uses those for docking or as headlights. I've fished with him. I KNOW what they are. </font>emoLaugh </p>
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<font size="2">I can't quote an exact date, but I started night </font><font size="2">fishing regularly (meaning more than once a week) in the summer of 1978. That was 34 years ago. I have always ... ALWAYS had a headlight on my boat. Granted, the first ones weren't nearly as good as they ones we use now, but they were a headlight nonetheless. As for getting stopped ..... <u>NEVER</u>, in <u>34 YEARS</u>, have I been asked, questioned, or cited for running a headlight at night. So the nay-sayers can bitc<font size="2">h and squawk, quote navigation rules, read their qualifications, and quote laws all they want to. The fact remains that most people DO run them and will CONTINUE to run them, and I've yet to talk to anyone who has been questioned about it by law enforcement. </font></font><font size="2">And I have also been "lit up" by them at night. Didn't bother me a bit. If you say a headlight hitting you momentarily causes you a problem, then I'd question your capabilities of navigating at night in the first place.</font>
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<font size="2"> <font size="1">emoRolleyes emoDoh </font> YEAH ..... Sure they are. Next time you see Darris ask him if he uses those for docking or as headlights. I've fished with him. I KNOW what they are. </font>emoLaugh </p>
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<font size="2">I can't quote an exact date, but I started night </font><font size="2">fishing regularly (meaning more than once a week) in the summer of 1978. That was 34 years ago. I have always ... ALWAYS had a headlight on my boat. Granted, the first ones weren't nearly as good as they ones we use now, but they were a headlight nonetheless. As for getting stopped ..... <u>NEVER</u>, in <u>34 YEARS</u>, have I been asked, questioned, or cited for running a headlight at night. So the nay-sayers can bitc<font size="2">h and squawk, quote navigation rules, read their qualifications, and quote laws all they want to. The fact remains that most people DO run them and will CONTINUE to run them, and I've yet to talk to anyone who has been questioned about it by law enforcement. </font></font><font size="2">And I have also been "lit up" by them at night. Didn't bother me a bit. If you say a headlight hitting you momentarily causes you a problem, then I'd question your capabilities of navigating at night in the first place.</font>
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elwestb
Well-known member
... all I can say is that I would much rather see the guy that has lights on than the guy that doesn't! JMO legal or not!
chillerman69
Well-known member
I think most people keeping up with saga, accept that using fixed headlights, for anything but docking, are illegal. I seriously doubt anyone would ever be stopped and cited, for using them, UNLESS, there was a serious accident, at night, of some sort. Even if you felt the accident wasn't your fault, some slick **** lawyer can take the letter of the law and make you look like irresponsible boater. Just like everything else: it's all fun and games, till somebody gets hurt.
HJ, I never said this but nice job, mounting the lights. I think they would work great, especially at the safe speeds, you go, while using them and it looks like you've taken care of that annoying reflective glare. I would recoomend that you edit or delete some of your posts, just in case you get caught up in something, not of your doing. You've posted pictures of your lights on your boat but luckily, not your numbers. You've publicly admitted to a 1000's of counts, of running with fixed headlights, at night and doing it over 3 decades. You've also posted your picture and I don't think it would be too hard to pick you out of a police line up. Also, the reason you've never had legal issues with your lights, is that you've operated your boat in a safe manner and have had no (serious) incidents and hiopefully, that'll always be the case.
Carl, appreciate your effort, in trying to give everybody a heads up on the legal issues. While verifying things, you said, that I questioned, I realized that the laws were designed to make the waters, safe for all and were enacted to address a serious incident(s). A little common sense and courtesy will head off most incidents. Paying attention, should eliminate the rest.
HJ, I never said this but nice job, mounting the lights. I think they would work great, especially at the safe speeds, you go, while using them and it looks like you've taken care of that annoying reflective glare. I would recoomend that you edit or delete some of your posts, just in case you get caught up in something, not of your doing. You've posted pictures of your lights on your boat but luckily, not your numbers. You've publicly admitted to a 1000's of counts, of running with fixed headlights, at night and doing it over 3 decades. You've also posted your picture and I don't think it would be too hard to pick you out of a police line up. Also, the reason you've never had legal issues with your lights, is that you've operated your boat in a safe manner and have had no (serious) incidents and hiopefully, that'll always be the case.
Carl, appreciate your effort, in trying to give everybody a heads up on the legal issues. While verifying things, you said, that I questioned, I realized that the laws were designed to make the waters, safe for all and were enacted to address a serious incident(s). A little common sense and courtesy will head off most incidents. Paying attention, should eliminate the rest.
chillerman69
Well-known member
to the left of all your comments
chillerman69
Well-known member
Hey, you look better than me
