My DIY green/red marker lights

so i had some strip LED lighting laying around, and figured i wanted to upgrade my one dinky little marker light for the front of the boat....here is what i came up with..... works pretty **** well too!

Looks great! I've been thinking of something similar for my boat as my post light is no longer taller than the trolling motor. My concern with re-purposing LED's is will they be visible from far enough to (hopefully) keep me safe? There is only one lake around here that would be an issue, but that lake has more boats on it at night than other lakes in the area do during the day, especially in the summer when the lakeside bar is open - so you know most of those boaters are sloshed on their way home.

Pity police don't value boater's lives as highly as drivers/pedestrians. They could make a killing on impoundments and DUI's sitting in the mouth of the cove leading away from the bars running a safety checkpoint like they would a seat belt inspection on the road.

At least one person has died on that lake each summer due to DUI related boating accidents, sadly it seems to usually be the night fishermen out there for night tournaments who get hit by the drunks - but I can't say for sure if it's because they don't run their marker lights the way they should.

onthewater102 said:

Looks great! I've been thinking of something similar for my boat as my post light is no longer taller than the trolling motor. My concern with re-purposing LED's is will they be visible from far enough to (hopefully) keep me safe? There is only one lake around here that would be an issue, but that lake has more boats on it at night than other lakes in the area do during the day, especially in the summer when the lakeside bar is open - so you know most of those boaters are sloshed on their way home.

Pity police don't value boater's lives as highly as drivers/pedestrians. They could make a killing on impoundments and DUI's sitting in the mouth of the cove leading away from the bars running a safety checkpoint like they would a seat belt inspection on the road.

At least one person has died on that lake each summer due to DUI related boating accidents, sadly it seems to usually be the night fishermen out there for night tournaments who get hit by the drunks - but I can't say for sure if it's because they don't run their marker lights the way they should.

Click to expand...

well i can certainly say they were brighter than i even thought they would be....they actually illuminate the first foot or two of water in front of my boat....didnt want that but hey its okay with me...i think you'll be okay if you do them....i am thinking of doing something of this nature to my post stern light but have yet to finalize my idea.....

I think if I recall the stern light has a minimum height requirement, you may need to just swap out the bulb for LED's if you're looking to get low draw-lighting back there.

Where did you source those strips if you don't mind me asking? I'm assuming they're submersible (given the amount of water they'll be sprayed with on the front of the boat) and I haven't found any in my half hearted searches that fit that bill.

they are just the typical LED strip lighting that you can grab from amazon for $7 a roll (30ft) i believe. i also helped stick them to the boat with clear silicon and it gives extra protection to them too. no problem at all being water proof. i ran a wire up over the bow of the boat and tapped into a wire i had running to the interior LED lights that i installed previously....

The only rules of the water that I am familiar with is the USCG and Florida, as this is my home state.
Florida probably has more boating related accidents and fatalities than any other state as we
boat 365 days a year. We are heavily saturated with lakes and boaters which sometimes
becomes a problem.

The Florida Marine Patrol, DNR, Sheriffs Office and local police of each county often can be
seen doing their job. BUI (boating under the influence) is a major problem.

Boating SAFETY is taken SERIOUSLY . . . if your boat does not meet the specs,
it is towed back to the landing and tickets are issued accordingly.
Due to our party type weather at night, there are hundreds of boating crashes and fatalities
every year. Some are due to just plain not being familiar with Nautical Rules of the Road.
When it comes to boating at night, your watercraft MUST HAVE the proper lights !!!
One of the most common boating problems is a boat full of impaired party people running
up and down the lakes and rivers at high speeds with total disregard for anyone elses safety.
Many a Jon boat has been run over while slow trolling or anchored fishing at night by a bigger
and much much heavier boat ..... we all must be aware of the Nautical Laws put in place to protect us.
I have seen so many boats on this forum that would be towed back to the dock in Florida.
Your red and green rope lights may look cool as all get out .... but are they SAFE ???
If you have green strip lights all the way down your right side only means you are in a Boat Parade.
NOT a serious and responsible boater. If you are on a public body of water, it is your responsibility
to comply with the USCG Rules of Navigation.
Can another boater, approaching you at a high rate of speed, really "understand" what your
boat is telling him by reading the "red/green/white" orientation ???
The USCG has navigation rules and laws set in place to ensure all boats, ships and aircraft
comply with the same standards for everyone.
maybe if you read https://newboatbuilders.com/pages/navlts.html
and https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=navRulesContent
and https://boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/sidelights.htm
and https://boatingsafety.com/boats/cglights.asp
they will give you some insight as to how to mount your running lights and what is legal and what is not.
Boats under 12 meters (39.4') to 20 meters (65.6')
Sailboats-Separate or combination red and green sidelights, 112.5°, visible 2 nautical miles.
White stern light, 135°, visible 2 nautical miles. OR, tri-color masthead light.
Powerboats-Separate or combination red and green sidelights, 112.5°, visible 2 nautical miles, placed above hull at least 1 meter (3.3') below masthead light. Masthead: white, 225°, visible 2 nautical miles, at least 1 meter above side lights. White stern light, 135°, visible 2 nautical miles.

LOL I guess spending 21 years in the United States Navy has burned Nautical Navigation into
my brain LOL sorry for the rant, but, when it comes to properly lighting your boat, you are
literally taking the risk of something terrible happening to you, anyone with you as well as
the other guy that hits you because he could not understand your lights.
Personally, I think all new boaters should take a USCG sponsored Safe Boating Course.
At least one of the online courses as a minimum safety requirement.
https://www.boat-ed.com/ will educate you to the point of safe boating.
Your Seamanship skills are to be earned with experience and more education.
And in Florida, 99.9% of all crashes and fatalities occur in watercraft less than 21 feet in length.
If you want to plow the waterways looking like a Christmas Tree = your call.


Jus my Dos Centavos on LIGHTS

Those strips are way too close together. From any distance they will just blend so no one can see how your boat is oriented.

Plus are they easily viewed from the side?

Sorry, but I too must disagree with the use of those lights, more-so the way they are laid out. As posted above, viewing angles are important so other vessels know what direction you are traveling. The way yours are done it might not be so clear. I fish quite a bit at night, and see plenty of boats under way with the LED's all the way down each side. it makes it extremely difficult to estimate movement and direction, if very close at all I just have to stop and let them go on their way when we both should have good lighting to read. We also have a couple of bow fishing rigs that like to run balls out across the water at night lit up like a football stadium, they can see great, everyone else is blinded.

I have LED's on my boat too (green outside, red inside), but I turn them off any time the boat is moving. The last thing I want is for someone to mistake my lighting and hurt me or themselves. And I bet such an incident could also result in a lawsuit as well.

The Game Wardens here in Texas are hammering bass fishermen at night on a couple of popular night fishing lakes for using the rub rail mounted LED's, hitting them strictly because of viewing angles.

On a stock navigation light the red and green light are divided by a rib down the center of the assembly to block the light coming from the far side. It looks like on your light setup you will be able to see both red and green at an extreme angle from the side. The other boaters may not be able to tell what you are trying to get across to them. If there is an accident they are going to after the way your lights were setup.

thanks everyone for the input....i guess because it is such a small lake that i ever go fishing on, i never thought of the other issues from major boating areas and what not. so my question is, can i still use them....if i move them more port and starboard than bow mounted? basically so most of the side of the boat is lit up and the bow is not? like this?

I provided several websites full of information - - - Read them, then make your own decisions.

Okay - I tried to piece together a simple drawing of how you are REQUIRED to have
your Navigational Running Lights mounted to your boat. It DOES matter what "kind"
of lights !!!! any navigational lights you put on your boat MUST BE USCG APPROVED !!!!
All Navigational Running Lights must be "distinctly visible at two nautical miles".
with that being understood, I think that Christmas Lights do not fall into this category.
If you want to be a RESPONSIBLE and SAFE boater, it is YOUR responsibility to ensure
that you, your passengers, your boat and any other vessel that you may encounter on the waterways
are as safe as possible. And just because you "never boat at night" is a misnomer that you do not
have to have navigational lights. The USCG requires you to have at least the minimum of the small battery
powered clip-on running lights. The laws and regulations are in place for a reason.
Just read up on what you are required to have in your area. Not just lights, but your emergency box also.


If I have given any misleading or incorrect information,
please post any notes for clarification as well as where to find
the correct information. It is in all our best interest that
this information be as accurate as possible.

that delineation is what I remember from my boating course - if you're on the right you should see green only & visa versa from the left. I do need to get the corner lights for mine as I've got a problem where the post does not reach high enough to clear my trolling motor so there is no visibility of my red marker.

I don't think this diagram can possibly be posted enough. Probably straight from the 'Puddle Jumpers' handbook. Should be a sticky.

Here is a link to a free boaters safety course. https://elearning.boatus.org/catalog/ I challenge everyone to chose your state, and see how you do. It can't hurt, right? If I knew what a gauntlet was, I'd throw one down LOL

Barefoot_Johnny said:

I provided several websites full of information - - - Read them, then make your own decisions.

Okay - I tried to piece together a simple drawing of how you are REQUIRED to have
your Navigational Running Lights mounted to your boat. It DOES matter what "kind"
of lights !!!! any navigational lights you put on your boat MUST BE USCG APPROVED !!!!
All Navigational Running Lights must be "distinctly visible at two nautical miles".
with that being understood, I think that Christmas Lights do not fall into this category.
If you want to be a RESPONSIBLE and SAFE boater, it is YOUR responsibility to ensure
that you, your passengers, your boat and any other vessel that you may encounter on the waterways
are as safe as possible. And just because you "never boat at night" is a misnomer that you do not
have to have navigational lights. The USCG requires you to have at least the minimum of the small battery
powered clip-on running lights. The laws and regulations are in place for a reason.
Just read up on what you are required to have in your area. Not just lights, but your emergency box also.


If I have given any misleading or incorrect information,
please post any notes for clarification as well as where to find
the correct information. It is in all our best interest that
this information be as accurate as possible.

Click to expand...

Another concern that no one has brought up, and might only be an issue in my state- legally. LED's are bright. Sometimes stupid bright. In NH it is illegal to have any lights other than a nav and anchor light when travelling. Some people leave their docking lights on by accident and get a ticket. The intent is that if the lights are too bright they disrupt the night vision of other boaters. LED lights can be offensively bright by nature. Please consider this when other boaters are trying to navigate on the same water. Night vision is important.

And ggoldy, I just took a NASBLA classroom course, and just passed that test!

I saw one of the "Auxiliary USCG Inspectors" in my local Wal-Mart the other day.
He hangs out at the boat ramps giving complementary free inspections and a sticker
if you pass.

During our conversation, I brought up how I am a member of a couple of online boating
forums and the hot debate is the new interest in LED lighting. And he agrees, most of the
home installed LED lights are stupid bright, causing vision problems for other boaters.
He went on to say, there are very very few LED Navigational Running Lights that have been
approved by the USCG. And, those must be purchased from a reputable company that sells
boating goods. The lights must be clearly marked, USCG APPROVED - 2nm visibility on the item itself, not just the package.
The "Auxiliary Force" is strictly volunteer members that work for free. They have no authorized
power to either report you or stop you from launching your boat. Just a courtesy inspection is all.
Plus, answer any questions you may have to keep you and your family safe on the waterways.
Also, I learned a new term from him used by the USCG . . . . " Termination of Voyage " LOL which is what
happens if you are found to be acting dangerously and your boat is towed back to the dock.
Termination of Voyage . . . .

In Florida, there are several law enforcement agencies that can issue you a "Termination of Voyage " ticket.






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