Yes, you must comply with the
regulations. NO, if you modify your existing light by changing
from the original bulb as supplied with the fixture, it is no
longer legally CERTIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER as being in
compliance. If you end up in court, you will have the burden of
proving that the light you were using complied with the
regulations. It will no longer be accepted as complying simply by
virtue of being certified. It doesn't matter at all if your light
now exceeds the requirements by 2 or 3 times the visibility. It is
no longer CERTIFIED. People can try and make this as complicated
and convoluted as they like, but the facts don't care. Meeting the
requirements is not the same thing as CERTIFIED as meeting the
requirements.
Bill Bina
On 10/31/2014 12:14 AM, Rick Brass via CnC-List wrote:
The USCG minutia is contained in 33CFR84. You will find it in
Annex I of the COLREGS, which you are required to have on your
boat if you have a Captain's License. And which you probably
have on you boat in any event.
33CFR88.05 says: The operator of each self-propelled vessel
12 meters (39.4') or more in length shall carry on board and
maintain for ready reference a copy of the Inland Navigation
Rules.
As has been pointed out before, a navigation light is
certified by the light manufacturer to comply with the USCG
requirements. IF YOU MANUFACTURE A BOAT FOR SALE IN THE USA YOU
MAY ONLY USE A CERTIFIED LIGHT ASSEMBLY. If you are a boat
owner, or building a boat for your own use, you can use any
lighting device or bulb you chose, provided that the lights meet
the requirements of COLREGS RULE 22 (visibility) and RULE 23
(light patterns).
Raise your hand if you have one of the Davis LED anchor
lights that plug into a cigarette lighter, or a battery operated
Perko anchor light you keep as a backup. Both meet COLREGS 22
for boats less than 39 feet, but neither are certified by the
manufacturer. At least mine aren't marked as certified.
I can find no direct reference to the nav lights required in
46CFR Subchapter C covering uninspected passenger vessels of
less than 100 tons carrying 6 or fewer passengers, other than
the requirement to comply with COLREGS 22 & 23.
For small inspected passenger vessels up to 100 tons carrying
100 or fewer passengers, 46CFR Subchapter T paragraph 183.420
says: All vessels must have navigation lights that are in
compliance with the applicable sections of the International and
Inland Navigation rules, except that a vessel of more than 198
meters (65') in length must also have navigation lights that
meet UL 1104 "Standards for Marine Navigation Lights" or other
standard specified by the Commandant.
Bottom line is that as a Captain you must comply with the
light visibility and patterns specified in the COLREGS, and you
must have a copy of the current COLREGS aboard.
If you don't have a captain's license and you boat is less
than 12 meters you must comply with the COLREGS.
And if the boat is over 12 meters you need to comply and
carry a copy of the COLREGS.
I could not find anything in the 2000+ pages of Federal
Regulation I got while obtaining my Masters License that
indicates you need to use a certified light, use the same type
of bulb, or buy the same bulb used in building your boat - but
you must comply with COLREGS 22&23.
Rick Brass
Sent from my iPad
I'm guessing from previous discussions that you only need to
worry about
this USCG reg minutiae is if you have a Captain's license.
Right?
:)
Cheers,
Russ
Sweet
35 mk-1
If you dream, dream big.
If you can think of a better world you will have a better
world.
If pigs could fly imagine how good their wings would
taste...
At 06:53 AM 30/10/2014, you wrote:
And then there
was the
discussion of whether putting LED bulbs in old fixtures
would be
compliant with USCG regs. Many said no as the whole unit,
both
bulb and fixture, has to be certified. And that was why
for a long
period there were so few USCG approved LED running lights;
the approval
process was long and involved and many companies did not
want to expend
the $ or effort…
So, if an incident were to occur and it was discovered that
the whole
fixture was not in compliance [and lights were relevant to
the incident]
might liability fall differently and insurance companies not
be
forthcoming with any coverage?
Any current thoughts?Â
From: CnC-List
[
mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of
Bill
Coleman via CnC-List
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2014 9:24 AM
To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com
Subject: Stus-List Running Lights
Now this really confuses me, when I first went LED on my
forward running
lights, I replaced them with red and green, and then
someone, I think at
the boat show, or maybe in one of the boat magazines, said
you had to
have white coming through a colored lens, so I changed back
to
white.
Now my port running light is broken, and I am in the market,
and now I am
really confused!
Regards,
Bill Coleman
C&C 39
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