Lights for yak regulations

[dasher]

Video below claims most if not all diy light solutions are illegal.

Anyone know what the real answer is relative to non motorized yaks in MD are?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmXP...ature=youtu.be

thanks

[DonV]

Very interesting. He may be on to something and may be right. I'd imagine it would be up to the discretion of the officer checking you but if they go by the book you may be in trouble.

[Goody]

Interesting topic. Here is more to add to it. http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/f...?f=53&t=165359

[daolai]

Just watched the video myself.. interesting.. makes me wonder if my visipole is compliant to the official USCG rules.. Goody you better get a brighter light for our night fishing ventures this summer

[Salty Dog]

After watching this vid, I thought to myself, this guy never covered headlamps. They blink, have red light for night time fishing, and numerous other options. From my surf fishing experience, you can see this light miles away at night. Never thought to check if it was Coast Guard approved. Of course now I don't fish at night anymore. Just don't like the thought of meeting up with the boogie man.

[EMSer]

Just watched the video myself.. interesting.. makes me wonder if my visipole is compliant to the official USCG rules.. Goody you better get a brighter light for our night fishing ventures this summer

I wsa thinking the same the same thing. It turns out it is not USCG certified. At only 19 Lumens, it is not bright enough to meet the 2 mile criteria. You only need be concerned while at anchor though. While under way, a flashlight / headlamp will suffice

[suicyderider]

http://www.uscgboating.org/images/420.PDF

Anchored Vessels
At night: All vessels at anchor must display anchor lights If your
vessel is less than 164 feet (50 meters) in length, then its anchor light
is an all-round white light visible where it can best be seen from all
directions

EXCEPTIONS: If your vessel is less than 23 feet (7 meters) in length, it
is not required to display an anchor light or shape unless it is anchored
in or near a narrow channel, fairway, or anchorage, or where other
vessels normally navigate.

Vessel Under Oars (no motor)
A vessel under oars may exhibit the
lights for a sailboat If it does not, it shall
have ready at hand an electric torch
(flashlight) or lighted lantern showing
a white light that shall be exhibited in
sufficient time to prevent collision(no visibility distance stated IE 2miles)

Vessels operating on U S coastal waters, the Great Lakes, and
territorial seas, as well as those waters connected directly, up to a
point where the waterway is less than two nautical miles wide, must
be equipped with U S Coast Guard-approved visual distress signals
(VDS) Vessels owned in the United States and operating on the high
seas must also be equipped with U S Coast Guard-approved visual
distress signals. The following vessels are not required to carry day signals, but must
carry night signals when operating from sunset to sunrise:
• Recreational boats less than 16 feet in length
• Boats participating in organized events, such as races, regattas,
or marine parades
• Open sailboats less than 26 feet in length that are not equipped
with propulsion machinery
• Manually propelled boats

Electric Distress Light
• Acceptable for night use only
• Automatically flashes the
international SOS distress signal
( • • • – – – • • • )
• Must be marked with an indication
that it meets U S Coast Guard requirements in
46 CFR 161 013

Under Inland Navigation Rules, a high-intensity white light flashing at
regular intervals from 50-70 times per minute is considered a distress
signal Such devices, however, do not meet the Visual Distress Signal
carriage requirement
Regulations prohibit display of visual distress signals on the water
under any circumstances, except where assistance is needed because
of immediate or potential danger to persons on board a vessel.

The following are just a few of the many combinations of devices that
will meet the requirements:
• 3 hand-held red flares that are approved for day/night use
• 1 hand-held red flare and 2 parachute flares for day/night use
• 1 hand-held orange smoke signal and 2 floating orange smoke
signals for day, and 1 electric distress light for night

A vessel under oars, and sailboats less than 7meters (23 feet)
in length may display those lights prescribed for a sailing
vessel, but if they do not, they shall have ready at hand an
electric torch or lighted lantern shining a white light which
shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision.

Rule 25 - Sailing Vessels Underway and Vessels Under Oars Return to the top of the page

(a) A sailing vessel underway shall exhibit: Sailing Vessel Underway

(i) sidelights;
(ii) a sternlight.

(b) In a sailing vessel of less than 20 meters in length the lights prescribed in Rule 25(a) may be combined in one lantern carried at or near the top of the mast where it can best be seen.Sailing Vessel Underway

(c) A sailing vessel underway may, in addition to the lights prescribed in Rule 25(a), exhibit at or near the top of the mast, where they can best be seen, two all-round lights in a vertical line, the upper being red and the lower green, but these lights shall not be exhibited in conjunction with the combined lantern permitted by Rule 25(b).Sailing Vessel Underway

(d) (i) A sailing vessel of less than 7 meter in length shall, if practicable, exhibit the lights prescribed in Rule 25(a) or (b), but if she does not, she shall exhibit an all around white light or have ready at hand an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light which shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision. Sailing Vessel Underway less than 7meters

(ii) A vessel under oars may exhibit the lights prescribed in this rule for sailing vessels, but if she does not, she shall exhibit an all around white light or have ready at hand an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light which shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision. Vessel Under Oars




So technically unless you have a motor you do not need to even have a lighted mast its just an added benefit for us to have one.

[dasher]

Excellent! thanks for the information! I looked but could not find the details from the USCG. [I] thought I had read that many lights were illegal, but without the correct regulations it was impossible to really tell.

[Egriger]

The one thing that has always stuck out to me is- most visi flag type devices that everyone uses while under paddle/pedal would represent (by itself) an anchor light. If i was a vessel under power I would assume that the vessel with only a 360 white light on, would be anchored.


I am surprised to here lights made by larger manufacturer are not in CFR compliance.

[clm]

IMG_20140829_210649526.jpg

This is the single strand of white LEDs...I have a double strand of red and a circle of white around the top. All on separate switches. The 360 whites are bright enough by themselves to allow me to read my watch. I've fished at night and have not had issues with being seen. Many boats have stopped to see what the heck is illuminating the river. LEDs running off of rechargeable LiPo batteries.

[DonV]

Allright I'm still lost, getting conflicting info from the video versus here and the Texas fishing forum.

But lets throw something else in the mix. I noticed something in the info posted by suicyderider concerning not a stern light but a distress light at night. Seems a flashlight is not going to meet the requirement unless it meets U S Coast Guard requirements in 46 CFR 161 013. Flares would be the only alternative the way I read the regulation.

Vessels operating on U S coastal waters, the Great Lakes, and
territorial seas, as well as those waters connected directly, up to a
point where the waterway is less than two nautical miles wide, must
be equipped with U S Coast Guard-approved visual distress signals
(VDS) Vessels owned in the United States and operating on the high
seas must also be equipped with U S Coast Guard-approved visual
distress signals. The following vessels are not required to carry day signals, but must
carry night signals when operating from sunset to sunrise:
• Recreational boats less than 16 feet in length
• Boats participating in organized events, such as races, regattas,
or marine parades
• Open sailboats less than 26 feet in length that are not equipped
with propulsion machinery
• Manually propelled boats

Electric Distress Light
• Acceptable for night use only
• Automatically flashes the
international SOS distress signal
( • • • – – – • • • )
• Must be marked with an indication
that it meets U S Coast Guard requirements in
46 CFR 161 013

Under Inland Navigation Rules, a high-intensity white light flashing at
regular intervals from 50-70 times per minute is considered a distress
signal Such devices, however, do not meet the Visual Distress Signal
carriage requirement

Am I seeing it right?

[suicyderider]

I believe you read it correctly, but as you said conflicting from what you see here vs other places... everything I posted came from the USCG website and in the link I shared with it .. none of it was hearsay... interpretation on the other hand.. sometimes its best to make a phone call notice some regulations do not pertain to certain bodies of water while others do and we all need to know the regs for each place and time that we are in....

Allright I'm still lost, getting conflicting info from the video versus here and the Texas fishing forum.

But lets throw something else in the mix. I noticed something in the info posted by suicyderider concerning not a stern light but a distress light at night. Seems a flashlight is not going to meet the requirement unless it meets U S Coast Guard requirements in 46 CFR 161 013. Flares would be the only alternative the way I read the regulation.


Am I seeing it right?

[suicyderider]

I agree, but I bet they take into account that its not REQUIRED but preference and therefore they get away with lower standards... even most ocean kayaks are less than 16ft long and are well short of any big USCG regulations, you get the changes when you add any type of motor regardless of length though

The one thing that has always stuck out to me is- most visi flag type devices that everyone uses while under paddle/pedal would represent (by itself) an anchor light. If i was a vessel under power I would assume that the vessel with only a 360 white light on, would be anchored.


I am surprised to here lights made by larger manufacturer are not in CFR compliance.

[buzz]

I'm not seeing any of this 2nm or US Coast Guard approved stuff relating to Navigation Lights.

I have read MD DNR recreational boating regulations on Navigation Lights and also the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats. I even checked out 46 CFR 161.013.

I think people are confusing navigation lights with distress lights.


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