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Old 10-16-2020, 08:52 AM   #14
CaptTom
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City: Southern Maine
Vessel Model: Prairie 36 Coastal Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,717
Bright lights are all the rage around here with the recreational fishing fleet. The "big boys" in the 60-foot steel fishing boats go around in a huge bubble of light from massive fixtures all around their boats. Now, with the lower cost of LEDs, all the "wanna be's" in small fiberglass boats are doing the same. It's frightening.

Lighting up the decks ahead of you is never a good idea. Also consider other vessels around who you might be blinding.

Some sort of low-level docking light might be OK while docking, if you're not blinding anyone else with them. A hand-held spot that you can briefly illuminate objects ahead can be very helpful if used sparingly. I agree that shore lights pointing out, instead of down, can make docking difficult.

Overall, the absolute best thing you can do at night is protect your night vision by avoiding any unnecessary light.
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