LED Anchor Lights: Coast Guard approved?

[Bob Ohler]

I have heard and read various things about whether or not LED anchor lights are Coast Guard approved. From what I have been able to find, it would appear that that retro fit kits are not approved, while complete, new fixtures probably are. I have also read that regardless of approval, an argument could be made that LED anchor / steaming lights may not be a good idea as, from a distance, they can blend in with stars.

I know that there are experts on this Board that can clarify this for me.

Thanks!

[Steve Laume]

I have heard that LED replacement bulbs in running lights are not CG approved. I am not sure if the same applies to anchor lights.

I do have LED bulbs in my running lights. I also have new lenses and they are very bright! While this may not be legal I feel much more comfortable being seen with this set up than most of the 20 year old fixtures I see on other boats.

I also added a OGM mast head tricolor with anchor light and strobe. This is CG certified and is a beautiful light as well it should be for the price. I use the mast head for off shore and the rail mounted lights in close quarters.

We have a battery powered anchor light that hangs low in the rigging and now the mast head one as well. Two anchor lights are acceptable and will better enable you to be seen. In a tight anchorage I have to agree that any mat head anchor light can look like a star. The nice thing about an LED light is that it looks like a very bright star. Mast head lights can also look like a light on shore if there is a hilly background.

I wonder about the CG certification of anchor lights as I believe a proper oil lamp may also be legal, Steve.

[Russell]

Replacement bulbs are not CG approved and never will be. The reason for this is CG approval requires approval of the entire fixture. Even a company like Hella or Perko, they cant just take their CG approved case and stick and LED bulb in it and be approved. If they change even the slightest thing in their nav lights it needs to be resubmitted for approval. So Joe boatowner making their own modifications by replacing the bulb certainly does not meet approval.

That said, no one will ever cite you for plopping in a replacement LED bulb. Just like you will never get cited for sailing with kerosene nav lights. If you show lights you are okay.

It is certainly true to some degree that LEDs can be mistaken for stars for anchor/steaming/stern lights. But dont worry about it unless you are planning to be out somewhere where a freighter might be running you down 800 miles from land. And in such cases, seriously if they are not watching AIS and Radar, they are going to run you over anyways. I actually loved my LED anchor light for many years because I could look out at the anchorage and find my boat instantly and dingy right to it, not so much these days since its more common these days.

The power savings is absolutely worth it if you are cruising for extended periods. If not, why mess with something that still works? An extra house battery is often cheaper then a LED conversion if power is your only concern.

[Maine Sail]

Dr. LED is the only aftermarket LED bulb with a certification in an existing fixture. The PolarStar 40 bulb must be fitted into an AquaSignal Series 40 All Round fixture then it has a USCG certification. Other than that bulb, with that one fixture, no other brands in an aftermarket fixture has a certification.

Marine Beam just launched an entire line of LED USCG certified nav lights for a VERY reasonable price.

Marine Beam LED Nav Lights
http://store.marinebeam.com/uscelednali.html

[hilbert]

My boat was out at sea when anchor lights were given out.
Is there any rule that an anchor light must be at the top of the mast?

[Maine Sail]

Is there any rule that an anchor light must be at the top of the mast?

No but it needs to be placed where it can "best be seen"...

[hilbert]

I may be rationalizing because I don't have an anchor light on the mast, but it seems to me that they become increasingly difficult to identify as the range decreases (it moves higher among stars, landscape lights, etc.). In the past, I have illuminated an anchor riding sail at night. This provides visibility and substance that increases as the range decreases.

As an alternative, I have an outlet in the cockpit for a Utility LED Anchor Light.
http://store.marinebeam.com/utanliwiduto.html

[rorik]

Copy/pasted from the COLREGS:

Rule 30 - Anchored Vessels and Vessels Aground

(a) A vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen:

(i) in the fore part, an all-round white light or one ball;
(ii) at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light prescribed in subparagraph (i), an all-round white light.

(b) A vessel of less than 50 meters in length may exhibit an all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule.

(c) A vessel at anchor may , and a vessel of 100 meters and more in length shall, also use the available working or equivalent lights to illuminate her decks.

(d) A vessel aground shall exhibit the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Rule and in addition, if practicable, where they can best be seen;

(i) two all-round red lights in a vertical line;
(ii) three balls in a vertical line.

(e) A vessel of less than 7 meters in length, when at anchor not in or near a narrow channel, fairway or where other vessels normally navigate, shall not be required to exhibit the shape prescribed in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Rule.

(f) A vessel of less than 12 meters in length, when aground, shall not be required to exhibit the lights or shapes prescribed in subparagraphs (d)(i) and (ii) of this Rule.

(g) A vessel of less than 20 meters in length, when at anchor in a special anchorage area designated by the Secretary, shall not be required to exhibit the anchor lights and shapes required by this Rule.




As far as "That said, no one will ever cite you for plopping in a replacement LED bulb." is concerned, I recall reading, I think on this board-I may be mistaken, about someone not having certified lights and his insurance company not paying for damages because his boat wasn't as visible as it should have been if he had had a "certified" set of lights.

[bamabratsche]

There are many people on this board who know way more about this than I do, so comments from others as to whether or not this is true are welcome.

My understanding has always been that the Coast Guard does not actually certify individual brands/models of nav lights, but rather they just issue requirements that lights have to meet to be in compliance. In the case of an anchor light it would be a white light visible from 2nm and from 360 degrees around the boat. Beyond that, my understanding is that it's the operator's responsibility to ensure that his/her setup meets these requirements, whether that's done with an LED, conventional bulb, LED in an old fixture, really bright kerosene lamp, or whatever, as long as it's bright enough and visible from all sides of the boat. That said, I find it hard to imagine that the CG is going to go around seeing if they can see people's anchor lights from 2nm away, and I would think the only time any of this would matter is if there were a collision and the operator would need to prove in court that his/her setup was compliant with the regs and therefore that they were not at fault.

[Maine Sail]

There are many people on this board who know way more about this than I do, so comments from others as to whether or not this is true are welcome.

My understanding has always been that the Coast Guard does not actually certify individual brands/models of nav lights, but rather they just issue requirements that lights have to meet to be in compliance. In the case of an anchor light it would be a white light visible from 2nm and from 360 degrees around the boat. Beyond that, my understanding is that it's the operator's responsibility to ensure that his/her setup meets these requirements, whether that's done with an LED, conventional bulb, LED in an old fixture, really bright kerosene lamp, or whatever, as long as it's bright enough and visible from all sides of the boat. That said, I find it hard to imagine that the CG is going to go around seeing if they can see people's anchor lights from 2nm away, and I would think the only time any of this would matter is if there were a collision and the operator would need to prove in court that his/her setup was compliant with the regs and therefore that they were not at fault.

Actually "Nav Lights" need to meet multiple parameters before meeting the definition of a nav light. Independent labs like Imanna Labs do the certifications to the USCG/Code of Federal Regulations standards. These certifications are expensive and many fixtures do not pass...

They need to meet:

Distance/Power
Horizontal sectors
Vertical Sectors
Color Rendering

For boat builders installing USCG "certified" nav lights is a federal law. If your boat was built to these standards altering with non-certified lights could be risky if you ever wound up in court.

An "all round" light needs to be a 360 degree fixture but its arc of visibility, installed, can not be broken by more than 6 degrees.

[2tocruise]

As it was explained to me by a LED navigation light manufacturer regarding the LED replacement bulbs: Look at the original bulb: the filament is going to be a very narrow strip, essentially a line emitting light. The lenses are designed to amplify and spread that line into the proper arc visible at the required distance. An LED is not going to match that, so the lenses can do very unpredictable things. You impact visible range, you get a different arc and possible bleed over of colors, you get different colors than anticipated. There is no way to control the result, which is why USCG certification is not going to happen.

The certification process is very strict in many areas. I know of one manufacturer not able to achieve a USCG rating on their running lights, not due to range requirements (which it actually exceeded), but because their LED produced the wrong shade of green.