SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/boat-decorative-lights

Can you run bright decorative LED lights on your boat at night?

Only if they neither confuse nor obscure navigation lights or lookout.

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  1. Yes, any lights are fine
  2. Only if they neither confuse nor obscure navigation lights or lookout ✔
  3. Only if they are blue

Why: Between sunset and sunrise, other lights must not look like required navigation lights, dim their visibility, or ruin your lookout. Some LED, rope and underwater lights can break these rules.

Huh, didn't know that: Daytime fog, rain or haze that restricts visibility also requires navigation lights.

The dad joke
Why did the boat get a ticket? Its lights were too flashy.
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References

Answer: Only if they neither confuse nor obscure navigation lights or lookout. Between sunset and sunrise, other lights must not look like required navigation lights, dim their visibility, or ruin your lookout. Some LED, rope and underwater lights can break these rules.

  1. NASBLA ESP TR 103-2022, Basic Boating Knowledge Core Plus Power technical report higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/NASBLA/76594a34-f3a1-4916-95ac-1e9c872170cc/UploadedImages/education/national-education-standards/ESP_TR_ESP_103_Core_Plus_Power_2022_06_01FINAL.pdf
    If other lights are used, they cannot be mistaken for the lights specified in the Rules
    Checked 2026-10-09.
  2. NASBLA ESP TR 103-2022, Basic Boating Knowledge Core Plus Power technical report higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/NASBLA/76594a34-f3a1-4916-95ac-1e9c872170cc/UploadedImages/education/national-education-standards/ESP_TR_ESP_103_Core_Plus_Power_2022_06_01FINAL.pdf
    rope lighting, underwater lighting, and other various types of decorative lighting, may violate navigation light provisions
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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Test yourself in the game

Boating & WaterAt night, a rowboat with no navigation lights must at least have what ready?Boating & WaterA powerboat under 12 meters (39.4 feet) may show which lights instead of the full set?Boating & WaterAt night you see a red, a green and a white light together. What is that boat doing?

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