Side Nav Lights

[jgwinks]

The "aim" of nav lights is worth checking even on a brand new boat or one that has never had the lights modified. Often they're not aimed correctly from the factory. The worst are the ones that are set into the sides of the hull, they're off the shelf items and the maker has no idea what actual angle to the centerline they'll be mounted at. And there's no easy way to correct them.

 

[rgano]

Amen. Before I replaced the combination p/s light fixture on the bow of this boat, I discovered that both colors were clearly visible in a sixty-degree arc across the centerline. Clearly an accident waiting to happen.

 

[rslifkin]

I'll third that one. Many boats, especially those 40 feet and under, are built with garbage nav light setups. Personally, I'm of the opinion that the 1 mile visibility side lights allowed up to 40 feet are uselessly dim and all smaller boats should follow the "up to 65 feet" standard of 2nm visibility side and stern lights and a 3nm visibility masthead light. The difference in brightness and visibility is massive.

Making sure lights are placed and aimed well is also important. Getting aiming, overlap, etc. perfect is a challenge, but everyone should at least try to get as close as they can. If memory serves, the limit for overlap is a maximum of 3 degrees for the sidelights.