Nighttime Boat Headlight

Seems a little expensive for a light. I've always had good luck with these.

Yeah dont get that.

You can get similar cube ones off Amazon for far less. Yes, they arent going to last a lifetime, but Ive had mine on my boat 4 years now (i treat my boat like a beer can in the back of a truck bed)--yet the light has made it through everything (including falling off the boat 2x in the jump, running into trees, and the saltwater of venice).

Light bars are like outdoor TVs--buy the cheap ones replace every 3-4 years and youll still spend less in the longrun than buying an "outdoor/rigid" version.

An oil platform spotlight on a bay boat is a pretty badass idea.

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Light bars should be illegal

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Amen If you need a light bar to navigate you should stay at the dock until sunup or get back to the dock before sundown. You’re a danger to yourself and any other boaters you’ll encounter on the water.
First offense fines should be $500 for navigating with a light bar

What part of illegal for navigation don’t you understand? Your night vision is seriously compromised once you turn the light off. In tight areas you can’t turn the light off fast enough to keep from blinding approaching boats.
Safety and courtesy is navigating with a red/green & all around white light.
Next Friday there will be tons of light bars in use, if I’m out I will try and get some pics to post how unsafe they are.

I also have red lights in all of my gauges and compass.

If you know where you are going, as you should , you don’t need a light besides your running lights and a “hailing “ light. ( small flashlight or headlight).


Light bars suck.. mostly city slickers use them. Lights blind you at night.

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Light bars should be illegal. They are goofy and dangerous. Run at night without a light. Lights blind you. Always have one to hail with.

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I agree. If I could legally run at night without a transom / anchor light I would. Any light at night ruins your night vision for a long time...some folks claim until sunset the following day as eyes adjust to dark as light fails. I don't know about all of that but I know when I run a boat in the dark the fewer lights the better. Its a little different in a smaller river or creek where the light has something to reflect off of like car headlights do...but cast into a black void it just blinds me. I can see relatively well at night with no light compared to what I can see with a light outside of the direct path of the light...everything else is just black if there is a light. I'm not sure light bars might not be technially illegal....they certainly aren't part of the requisite lights that keep you in compliance and could be confusing to other boats.

Att noted to over take a vessel several years ago on our ship channel with transom light bars port and starboard

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they are illegal to run with

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I have always thought so but I am not certain why other than they are outside the normal bow and transom light. I have seen boats running with them at night and at a distance it is impossible to determine their heading and distance. That said folks run all manner of boats at night with all manner of lights on other than the required bow and stern light. I used to own a houseboat on a lake north of Atlanta and at times that thing would make a Carnival Cruise ship look cold and dark at night....


Interestingly enough I was told several times by different Georgia DNR officers that they could not board my houseboat without permission as it was considered a domicile. I don't think that is true either because they can, supposedly, enter your actual home without a warrant, but they apparently thought it was true of houseboats. Its a good thing because its against the law to operate a boat in Georgia with an open container of alcohol and I had a bar full of open containers on that boat all the time.

It's because they block you from seeing the red and green lights