Navigation lights

martinriches

martinriches

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I have a 25' cabin cruiser. Navigation lights consist of: red & green side lights and a all round white light on a short mast roughly midships. My colregs book says this is OK as you can combine stern and steaming light if you are under 12m. Another book says you must have separate lights and I have had people saying to me that my lights aren't correct.

So I am concerned now. who is right?

Martin
 
You're covered by Rule 23 (c) (i) of the IRPCS which allows you to show an all-round white light plus sidelights, so you're fine.
 
"I have had people saying to me that my lights aren't correct."

Not peeps whose opinions you should respect in future then!

I bought a boat with separate steaming and stern lights and eventually got round to combining them in one masthead light 'cos the Regs say it's permissible. A double pole switch means the masthead can work with the side lights or on its own as an anchor light, releasing a circuit for something else.
All quite legal. However, isn't there is a minimum requirement that the white should be at least a metre above the side lights?
Not always easy on a small boat so best check.
 
You may be interested in the diagrams below which show the various acceptable combinations of lights.

Although I drew them to illustrate the lights required by sailing vessels the lights shown for use under power are in fact the same as the lights shown by any power driven vessel.

Navigationlights.jpg
 
[ QUOTE ]
any chance you have one for a 15m boat

[/ QUOTE ] Sorry. No. I'll have to do one one day.

For boats between 12 and 20 metres
the all-round white is not acceptable in place of separate stern and steaming lights
the steaming light must be at least 2.5 metres above the side lights.

Then I suppose I'll have to include the visible ranges.

Must add before some pedant picks it up again that vessels below 7m and with a top speed less than 7 knots can just show an all-round white
 
[ QUOTE ]
For boats between 12 and 20 metres
the all-round white is not acceptable in place of separate stern and steaming lights

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm aware of that rule but I must admit that I cant see the logic. The steaming and stern amount to, taken together, a 360deg white light. So why not be permitted, it if suits the boat, to fit exactly that? My boat has separate steaming and stern lights, fastened right next to each other, then a 360deg anchor light immediately above. 3 lights all in a cluster together. So why not a single 360deg white light? (OK, the anchor light might be less powerful to save batteries, but still the steaming and setern lights could be replaced by a single 360)
 
Thanks all the same, I was just looking up these details last weekend and I remember thinking 'Why not include a graphic' so when I saw your post I had to ask!
Shall not be needing just yet, got to get the superstructure fabricated first, but no harm in familarization is there?
 
Thanks all for the clarification there, I have been wondering about my two sides and all-round white (anchor light) on my 8M boat.
Glad its all legal and ok - I did wonder 'cos the boat is a 2002 model and is as she left the factory.
Then I thought she is Australian - but then thought "Internations" Coll Regs ......... ah, must be ok then!

Cheers
 
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