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docking lights


BenBu

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can you adjust the docking lights?i really don,t get alot of light from these lights and it seems the lightbeam is too low.

i noticed this last night.the front tower lights on my last boat where much better.

anyway maybe the can be adjusted.

(sp?) sorry i,m dutch.

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I do not think you can adjust them.

In the States it is illegal to have forward facing lights. That is why they have such a short range downward angle to them. They are truely for docking only.

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well i tried it again last night.the docking lights doesn,t help at all.

i think they better call them trailering lights cause they shine down 3 feet in front of the boat.A waste of money.

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That is odd. I know mine shoot into the water, but when i get near a dock or trailer they really light it up. Could they be mounted wrong?

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i still haven,t looked at it,to busy breakin in the engine.

i found out fuel consumption is much worse than my old mastercraft,but the wake is good.

i,m used to my front tower lights shining down right into the dock,i,m leaving the in the water from april till oktober and 90% of the time returning in the dark from our sessie,s.It,s no big deal i will or adjust them or install some aftermarket lights.

i didn,t like the original tower lights anyway.

interior lights are nice specially the front and walk thru,..drivers area however could use some extra light near the cup holder.

15 hours so far, nice boat.

Edited by BenBu
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I realize that. You said that it was illegal to have forward facing lights in the states. What states are those? Certainly not all. What makes them illegal in the states that they are prohibited? The size, location, etc.?

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I could be wrong, but I believe the reason is because the coast guard defines the light configuration for navigation and identification purposes. Red and green on the bow to signify course/direction and 360 degree white light for general identification. We were stopped on Lake Michigan once for using our spot light while underway in open water.

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I realize that.  You said that it was illegal to have forward facing lights in the states.  What states are those?  Certainly not all.  What makes them illegal in the states that they are prohibited?  The size, location, etc.?

CA for one.

If they are forward facing they are considered to 'blind' oncoming traffic. And if you've ever been in front of them, you'll agree.

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I realize that.  You said that it was illegal to have forward facing lights in the states.  What states are those?  Certainly not all.  What makes them illegal in the states that they are prohibited?  The size, location, etc.?

CA for one.

If they are forward facing they are considered to 'blind' oncoming traffic. And if you've ever been in front of them, you'll agree.

Weird. So are rear-facing lights banned in California?

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Ben-- Your docking lights are intended for just that....docking. They are designed to throw a beam into the water just in front of the boat for docking and loading on your trailer at night. They are NOT intended to provide enough light at cruising speeds.

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I could be wrong, but I believe the reason is because the coast guard defines the light configuration for navigation and identification purposes.  Red and green on the bow to signify course/direction and 360 degree white light for general identification.  We were stopped on Lake Michigan once for using our spot light while underway in open water.

That is the rule in all 50 states. Intercoastal waterways, etc.

The navigation lights are red=port starboard =green, allow other boaters to tell which direction a boat is travelling.

Docking lights and tower lights should only be used for maneuvering around a dock, etc.

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I could be wrong, but I believe the reason is because the coast guard defines the light configuration for navigation and identification purposes.  Red and green on the bow to signify course/direction and 360 degree white light for general identification.  We were stopped on Lake Michigan once for using our spot light while underway in open water.

That is the rule in all 50 states. Intercoastal waterways, etc.

The navigation lights are red=port starboard =green, allow other boaters to tell which direction a boat is travelling.

Docking lights and tower lights should only be used for maneuvering around a dock, etc.

Well, either thats not the law in all 50 states, or my state's water police don't know the law. While the federal government can make laws which affect the navigable waters of the country and shared waters between states and make maritime law within the jurisdiction of the admiralty courts, waterways purely within a state come under the jurisdiction of state law and courts. The coast guard does not have jurisdiction over state-controlled waterways.

So which is it: are forward-facing lights illegal in your state, or all lights which do not signify the bow or stern?

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Most states, such as NC, have adopted federal boating safety rules so that they would apply to wholly-intrastate waters. That said, I can't find any law, NC or federal, that says you can't have forward facing lights. Very well may be there, I just didn't find it.

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