Aftermarket Lights

Aftermarket lights for vessels have become popular. These lights are intended to enhance the nighttime experience by providing a series of colored lights in the water. Unfortunately, in most instances, these lights are not legal to use when the boat is underway because colored lights can often be mistaken for law enforcement vessels or worse, distract or confuse other boat operators. The legally required red and green lights on the bows of boats and the white sternlights are designed so boat operators are able to determine the direction boats are moving at night. When aftermarket lights are used in conjunction with the legally required navigation lights, it can become a dangerous situation very quickly. In addition, it is not legal to have dock lights on while operating a boat. The purpose of dock lights is to assist boat operators when docking a boat in a slip at night. If these lights are displayed when operating a boat on the water, other boater operators can get easily confused because of the interference with legally required navigation lights, producing a potentially dangerous situation.