Thanks eBay,for correcting my navigational mistake!

While I'm recuperating from the a common affliction males over 60 seem to all eventually get, hernia repair, I was in bed looking at replacement led running lights. Who would've thought that ,after all of these years of boating, I learned our boat has been improperly equipped... from eBay of all places!
I can't believe that with all of the miles I've logged, many at night, nobody has noticed the blatant mistake I and countless other boaters have made regarding navigation light placement.
Thank you eBay! I'll get to work relocating our running lights from the side of the boat to the transom like they should be as soon as I'm able!

Sorry, but I don't follow your post at all about placement...is there an E-Bay link or something??????....


Generally, red and green are port and starboard...and the transom is a lousy place for a stern light as the stern settles and the light is obscured by a stern wave.

psneeld said:

Sorry, but I don't follow your post at all about placement...is there an E-Bay link or something??????....


Generally, red and green are port and starboard...and the transom is a lousy place for a stern light as the stern settles and the light is obscured by a stern wave.

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You need to be able to see the attached picture to get the point of my post... Not sure why it's not visible to you.

Not only do we have them in the wrong spot, apparently we also have them reversed and green belongs on port......

The really sad thing is that I have seen similar things out on the water for real.

Clearly the picture was taken in Australia where everything is upside down and reversed.

Maybe that is the bow! ��

\They're just temporary Christmas decorations...

High Wire said:

Maybe that is the bow! ��

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It's sad but I had to look hard to figure out that it was the transom and not a flybridge. Modern bubbleboats...gotta love 'em.

Back in the 80's I briefly worked for a marina that was a Sabre dealer. At the time, Sabre wanted to try a line of powerboats, a fast trawler called the Sabreline 36. Well, I got to commission hull #1. It wasn't a bad boat at all but when we set the bridge , I noticed the red & green running lights were on the wrong sides! We informed them of that issue and a couple of other minor boo boos so when we got hull number 3 ,they must've listened to my concerns. The red & green running lights were mounted on the correct sides...the only problem was they were looking backwards! True story! It seems they've advanced a bit since those days.

SoWhat said:

Clearly the picture was taken in Australia where everything is upside down and reversed.

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Nah, definitely an American thing

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Marine-N...ailing-as-Signal-Lamp-Red-and-Green/612710526

Comodave said:

The really sad thing is that I have seen similar things out on the water for real.

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True. I have pointed out to other boaters that their bow light's colors were in the wrong order. Most had taken the light apart to clean them or change bulbs and inadvertently put the colored lenses back in on the wrong side. And that's not easy to do because they usually have some sort of tab to prevent that from happening.

Not all of the nav lights have orientation tabs, I have seen several that the colors can be reversed. And the owners apparently took both of the apart at the same time and put them back together on the wrong side, Darwin theory...

Greetings,
No, no, no. Those are stop and go lights. Red for stop. Green for go. They're to let the boat behind you know whether you are stopped or in motion. There should be a back up light there somewhere too. I guess the owner of the boat in the picture doesn't know if he's coming or going. Sheesh!


Hey that guy is missing his signal lights too. Better not let the cops see THAT one.

Walmart may be an American company, but everything they sell seems to be made in China. I am going to assume that the Chinese manufacturer put together the advertising as Walmart would not spend a dime to support the stuff they sell.

Simi 60 said:

Nah, definitely an American thing

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Marine-N...ailing-as-Signal-Lamp-Red-and-Green/612710526

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Obviously a German boat.

Greetings,
It gets even better!





Christmas on the starboard side (bottom photograph).

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
It gets even better!

Christmas on the starboard side (bottom photograph).

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:lol:

I'm getting the feeling that the folks that host that ebay store aren't boat owners.

Greetings,
Mr. b.

"You can confuse [fool] some of the people some of the time... but... you can't confuse all of the people all of the time! At least that's been the saying for centuries!

I use to believe that... then I read this thread. Geeezzzz!!

I would assume these lights come with a supply of tubing and blinker fluid...

They are psychic... clairvoyant too! Knowing which way you will go long before you do.

Hi

In my opinion, the boat should not be equipped with extra lights outside the boat, as the boat's lights are precisely defined to be uniform throughout the world to avoid problems in the dark. Most certainly know the rules of light, but for those who are unfamiliar, below is the link to light rules.

Navigation LIghts - COLGREGS

NBs

North Baltic sea said:

Hi

In my opinion, the boat should not be equipped with extra lights outside the boat, as the boat's lights are precisely defined to be uniform throughout the world to avoid problems in the dark. Most certainly know the rules of light, but for those who are unfamiliar, below is the link to light rules.

Navigation LIghts - COLGREGS

NBs

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Very much agreed!

IMO... there should be no unusually distributed distinguishing lights of specific size and color randomly placed on any boat that may interfere with another boat captain's capability of recognizing a boat's standard issue navigational/operational light setup.

That said, while at anchor or underway a boat can have other lights aboard [such as cabin lights and the like] illuminated that do not interact with nor interfere with its standard issue navigational/operational light setup.

I fear that some are interpreting this thread with too much seriousness. I was lampooning the E-Bay sellers ad and their marketing. Rest assured, I will not be adding navigation sidelights to the stern of our boat.
Although, the concept of using them as a "stop" or "proceed" signal could hold some merit for a slower vessel such as ours while on the AICW. If the red/green/stop/go transom lighting doesn't work out & causes confusion while we're underway, I'll blame it on Mr. RTF. It was his idea...

boomerang said:

I fear that some are interpreting this thread with too much seriousness. I was lampooning the E-Bay sellers ad and their marketing. Rest assured, I will not be adding navigation sidelights to the stern of our boat.

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LOL, no subject is so light-hearted that someone on TF can't cite COLREG's.

Obviously, someone in China makes these lights, probably to the correct specifications. Someone else, in China or elsewhere, resells them on eBay and WalMart. Obviously these resellers are not boaters, but fancy themselves pretty good with Photoshop.

I love the unique wording their translations end up with.

I find these things an interesting window into another language and culture.

Plus, it's always good for a laugh. Thanks for posting!

Greetings,Mr. b. My father-in-law had stop lights on the transom of a boat he once had. NOT the father of my bride! My MIL remarried after the passing of her first husband. Nice enough guy (second husband) but just a few sandwiches short of a picnic.


So. Not my idea.

Heck... with today's low voltage use yet very high lumen lights it seems we could have a mast with flood lights illuminating the entire boat, while it's running or at anchor.

That way the boat's silhouette as well as its general configuration could be viewed clearly by all others on the water. This ["illuminati" type of of enlightenment - lol] would pretty much enable the others to judge a boat's maneuvers/trajectories not too unlike while in daylight!

Just a thought... Seeing as the colreg rules for boat/ship lighting are basically stemming from the dark ages and needs to enter into the 21st Century!

We mounted ours like that on the transom one year when our forward gears went out and we still wanted to go boating.

Might turn into a new requirement for backing at night!