Kayak fishing safety esp at night

[Luketrician]

Are kayaks required to have anchor lights and bow lights?

Just a thought..I know several people night fish. I could see a potential accident/collision happening at night, esp if the Kayak doesn't have anchor and/or bow lights to identify location.

 

[HunterDuck25]

http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Navigation-Light-Rules

Yes all vessels require navigation lights


You can also find it here in the menu under paddlesports laws.
https://www.tn.gov/twra/article/boating-equipment

 

[Luketrician]

thank you sir

 

[bullshot]

NO red and green lights bow lights. They indicate a boat that is under power (i.e. motorized). A 360 degree light along with a torch (i.e. flashlight/spot light) is good to have. Only a torch is required.

 

[derek81]

Whatever you decide to do just please use bright lights. I almost hit a kayak last year fishing at night around 1:00 in the morning out on the river in front of Chester Frost. Thank god there was a little moon light and I have bright headlights on my boat. I caught a glimpse of something and turned my lights on and there he was 30 yards in front of me. I was going about 35 mph and had to turn fast. I went back to advise him he needs lights....his response was I should watch where I was going....lol I just drove off. Either way it really shook me up as I could have killed the guy.

 

[HunterDuck25]

+1 to Derek81's comment. It's amazing at the amount of dumb things people do on the water with no regard to rules or common sense.

 

[ricerocketjp]

i am new to kayak fishing i have a hobie pro angler 14 all i need is a single 360 BRIGHT bow light? im with derek 81 i don't wanna be hit

 

[Buoy-Master]

I stepped out of a bass boat for a yak lately. I would just spend thenlittle.extra for bow and anchor lights AND and decent spot light you can depend on. Walmart, and a lot of other places, are carrying green/red led strip lights for the bows. They won't drag much power off the small batteries we use for graphs. I'm installing mine pretty soon. The better your seen, the safer you could be.

 

[Guest]

Ok I'll just invest in all of them I found some red blue and white led light strips I think will work great and are really bright

 

[Guest]

Guest - 4/29/2016 7:25 AM

Ok I'll just invest in all of them I found some red greenand white led light strips I think will work great and are really bright

 

[richg99]

Ahhh...as stated above....red/green lights are for powered vessels.

The "all around white light" is normally placed at the stern; it has to be high enough so that it isn't blocked by you or anything on the boat. I wasn't able to find a specific height rule. It does have to CG approved and visible for two miles. Lots of guys have used little LEDs and they may not be legal.

Something to consider....if you have a non-powered boat (yak; canoe; rowboat) and you illegally have and show a red light (on your port side)...a power boat that approaches on your left cannot proceed. He is obligated to wait until you cross in front of him. If you are NOT moving....pretty soon he's going to be mightily p*** ed off. Who knows what he might decide to do then.

I'd read the rules before you buy a bunch of stuff, and then get a ticket (or run over) because you didn't have the right lights.

richg99

 

[Guest]

Ok it's why I asked searched a couple of sites it's not clear some say powered and unpowered and some say it's by boat lengths was just gonna use a globe on a light pole filled with bright led lights

 

[richg99]

From what I can gather, there are actually two sets of rules. One for "at anchor" and another for "under-way". Whether paddling a non-motorized kayak qualifies as "under-way" I really don't know.

The "at anchor" part is easy. A CG approved single white light visible for 2 miles. The "under-way" is still unclear to me, too. richg99

 

[richg99]

Here is another thread. This one is from TXP&WD..

Manually Driven Vessels when Paddled, Poled, Oared or Windblown
A sailing vessel of less than 20 meters (65.6 ft.), while underway shall exhibit sidelights and a sternlight which may be combined in one lantern carried at or near the top of the mast where it can best be seen.
A sailing vessel of less than 7 meters (23 ft.) shall, if practicable, exhibit the sidelights and a sternlight, or shall exhibit at least one bright light, lantern or flashlight from sunset to sunrise when not at dock.
All other manually driven vessels may exhibit sidelights and a sternlight, or shall exhibit at least one bright light, lantern, or flashlight from sunset to sunrise when not at dock. In vessels of less than 12 meters (39.4 feet), white lights shall be visible at a distance of at least two (2) miles. Colored lights shall be visible at a distance of at least one (1) mile. "Visible" when applied to lights, means visible on dark nights with clear atmosphere.
http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/boat/safety/vessel_requirements/

 

[Guest]

Ok that clears it up better sound like all I would need is a bright single light thanks

 

[Guest]

In reference to your night time question... Every vessel, regardless of size, if underway at night requires a "white" 360* light to be considered legal. Depending on size, your vessel may require port & starboard nav lights to be considered legal; so as for kayaks, you would not be "required" to outfit your boat with a red & green but you could do so if you wanted.

As a Coast Guard Veteran I feel compelled to mention day time visibility also. I know you guys love your camo but I can tell you first hand that camo and other similar "dark and/or nature" colors are incredibly difficult to see by other boaters in day or night; not to mention if you find yourself in need of assistance from search and rescue, then the very choice you made in the color of your kayak can make the difference in how quickly you find rescue. So if you have a boat like this, while you're outfitting it to increase your night time visibility you may want to think about day time also...and if you're purchasing a kayak/small boat you may want to re-think the color.

Oh, and a couple more things. Don't rely solely on your boat lights for visibility. Have a water proof, floatable flash light or spot light (like a divers light) close by and if you even think another boat is heading your way, do not wait until they get close to flash it. You'll be doing you and them a favor. One last thing: it's never a bad idea to keep a marine flare kit on board, you won't know it's there until you need it and then you'll be so glad you had it.




("Naked fishing is a bad idea")

 

[calveryc]

Days or nights I keep my hand held air horn in my cup holder where I can get to it in a second if a boat is approaching and doesn't see me.

 

[bullshot]

Doggie Paddle - 5/9/2016 11:47 AM

In reference to your night time question... Every vessel, regardless of size, if underway at night requires a "white" 360* light to be considered legal.

NOT TRUE…. For lighting, ONLY a torch is required for boats under oar (i.e. dingy, raft, canoes, kayaks etc). Torch is defined as a flashlight or flare. I am not saying it is a bad idea, but a 360 light is not required.

Depending on size, your vessel may require port & starboard nav lights to be considered legal; so as for kayaks, you would not be "required" to outfit your boat with a red & green but you could do so if you wanted.

Again NOT TRUE. Red/Green are required on sailboats and powerboats but not boats under oar. Doing so makes others think you are under power (or sail), and have the ability to move rapidly. Dangerous situation IMO.

PS I agree on the colors. Hi-Vis kayak is helpful to others.