What do you see? A sail boat? A power boat? A navigational aid? A house on shore?
If you’re not certain, maintain a proper look-out and proceed at a safe speed.

In 1990, the BoatU.S. Foundation evaluated running lights, judging color, intensity, and arc of illumination. Running lights, which are generally installed by manufacturers, are Coast Guard certified for color, arc of illumination and distance. Since it has been nearly 20 years since our initial test, we wanted to take a fresh look and evaluate the visibility of a typical recreational boat’s running lights at the distances for which they were rated, and we also wanted to look at LED lights, which were not available for our first test.

There is no requirement for a boat manufacturer to install running lights on modern boats, but if they do they must use US Coast Guard (USCG) certified fixtures and installed per regulations. However, it is ultimately the boat owner’s responsibility for the proper display of navigation lights and owners should take note if purchasing a used boat, especially if fixtures have been moved to accommodate additions like T-tops or bow pulpits. At the end of the day, it is your responsibility to be certain your lights are positioned properly and are the proper intensity for your sized boat. To see USCG minimum requirements, click here (opens in new window).

In both tests, we found that even properly installed, Coast Guard certified lights can blend with background lights from other geographic features or get lost in the myriad of other possible light sources often called “backscatter.” Sometimes backscatter even reflects off the water, making it difficult to determine exactly how many lights you are seeing. Reports of these challenges, as well as complaints about glare may leave many wondering if there are easy solutions to help the average recreational boater “see and be seen.”

This test did not compare manufacturer’s products head-to-head. Instead, we evaluated the lights that came factory-installed on our 11-year-old center console test boat. We then replaced them with a handful of new lenses, new fixtures, and some readily available portable LED lights to see what simple modifications can be made to improve the visibility of your boat at night, and to reduce on-board glare that can affect nighttime operators.

For an overview of the tests click Print Article (top left) to download a PDF of the article from the January 2010 issue of BoatUS Magazine. For a more detailed account of our testing procedures, use the buttons at left to navigate through our methodology or simply click "Next" below.