Saw someone else on the forum with something like this. Thought I would do it to my boat. My bow NAV light barely sticks up over the trolling motor. Fine when trolling or on plane, but hidden when getting on or off plane.

Ordered a couple of 1 foot side emitting LED strips and put them on the boat this evening. I think it looks pretty cool. Also means I don't have to install the pole light in the bow every time. Hopefully the double sided tape it came with is good enough to hold it in place. Guess I will find out Saturday morning. These are much easier to see than the old one. The bow plug for the old one is still wired and will be in the boat as backup.

I like it And what size lights did you use? Also and special to get them to stick to the side of the boat or did u use the 3m that came with it?

??? how much was the green strip?

Bought them from Oznium for $15 each strip plus shipping. They appear to come from 2 different sources since they looked a little different with different tape on them.

I just used the tape they came with. Cleaned the surface with alcohol and stuck them in place. They seem to stick pretty good, but the ends do stick up a little.

Chess101, I am guessing you want them for bait fish lights? I think the green is plenty bright enough to attract bait fish. I tried looking for longer strips to put down the side of the boat for the same reason. They have a 2 foot for $30. Might find it cheaper elsewhere.

yezir, i kayak(no motor boat) and those green would look real nice on the front of the yak and maybe a shorter red strip maybe 4inch up top in the pit wit me(something like what was posted earlier) but way less light, just want a bit of a dim glow....these run off a standard 12v batt?? i have a deer feeder batt that i use for the Fishfinder, can they be powered by the batt?

Yes, I have these wired to the boat's 12v power system. They are low amperage so you should be able to run them off a deer feeder battery for quite a while. You can drop the voltage down a little to make them dimmer. They have a 6" strip if you want something shorter. I think they can be cut every 3 inches but don't quote me on that. These are really bright. I turned them on a little while ago and they lit up the driveway nicely.

Looks nice !

Have you tried them out running at night. Looks like there might be some "glare in the face" when running.

I like the idea though. Very easy for others boaters to see.

Brian

I can't see you photos from work, but are we talking about the red and green running lights for the bow? If so, has the Coast Guard approved using them in lieu of the bow light? I want them in the nose of my boat but was told by a compnay that installs them that until approved by the USCG, you still have to use your standard bow light.

Your bow lights can only be seen from a certain degree aft of the bow so these would not be legal running lights until the coast guard approved them witch probably wont happen cause they show beyond that arc that will confuse boaters on are you comin straight at them or runnin straight across from left to right. And from the pic it looks to me that you can see them from behind also.

I will be running them Saturday morning. The LED strips are side emitting and angle down slightly. So all the LEDs point forward. From the driver's seat, you can't see the lights at all since they are mounted slightly lower than the front deck's edge. Even sitting the pedestal they shouldn't be a problem.



TPWD says they are OK so that's all I needed. I don't run in coastal waters.

The LEDs put out a 120 degree beam. On my boat, they have the same cutoff angle as the old running light. The only problem might be that the port light can not be seen from the starboard side after a certain angle. But that shouldn't be any different than a bigger boat with separate lights mounted on either side of a tower. And since the plug for the old light is still wired up, I can put the old one in if needed.

If you run in coastal waters, get the lights approved before you try to run them. As for Texas waters, my understanding is that they are legal.

toxarch, is that your "understanding" or do you have something in writing from TPWD? The state can enact more stringent laws than the USCG, but they can't circumvent USCG requirements for navigable waterways and the safety equipment required.

Please tell me you have something in writing and post it up. I've been wanting to put those on my boat. Bow light gets in the way when I lower my TM.

Yea, thats pretty cool. Want to do the same as long as it's legal and was also wondering if they can just be spliced into the existing bow light frame/power?

toxarch, I did the leg work. Yippeee! The bow lights are legal in the rub rail or underneath so long as they meet the reuirement of 1 mile visibility. You do still have to use the back pole light with 2 mile visiblity for 360 degrees, but the front can go.

I just confirmed that with a close friend who is a Captain Game Warden. I'll be getting mine installed soon!

AWESOME! I need some too! BTW, I noticed the ones you used look different then the ones on their site is that true or am I seeing things?

I may be dumb but I'm guessing I'm missing on how to order in a foot length....

fouzman, thanks for doing the legwork and confirming.

Chase4, yes, they are spliced into the existing bow light wiring. I can plug in the old bow light and run both lights if needed.

On my boat, if you can't see the bump rail, you can't see the lights. If the tape doesn't hold, I am planning to shove them into the bump rail above the rope in the rail. They are visible to the sides just like the plug in light. The plug in light was barely visible above the trolling motor and partly hidden by the trolling motor when deployed. These new lights are always visible

Here's a direct link to the lights.
http://www.oznium.com/side-emitting-led-strip

It will come with a plug on each end. I cut it off one side and put some liquid electrical tape over the cut end.

Thanks! Just got mine ordered!

Send beer.

I would be interested but yet I'm unable to find:
1) measurements or test results that confirms that the strip style of lights are properly visable from the required distances,
2) sight angles of strip lights are properly limited at the designated cut off angles and
3) no one has yet indicated that any particular manufacturer's bow light "STRIP" LED' spectral response curves can meet the required spectra cited in the regualtations.

Someone on the forum installs them professionally and they got the blessing from the TPWD office not long ago. I'll get it if I need it. I sent pictures to TPWD to what they have to say. Would be nice if more manufacturers did do this. I'll trust an LED light more than the filament in an incandescent bulb.

For 1 and 2, you can meet me at the lake Saturday morning and test it yourself. They are brighter than the old light and follow the angle of the boat's nose. These should be easily seen from a mile away. According to the TPWD website, that is all that is required. Any of these are allowed with no specification about viewing angle, though mine is the same as the old light.


For 3, I doubt there is any spectral definition for the color of lights. If there is, most boats on the water would fail that test since most of the lenses (especially the green) fade over time from the sun and/or incandescent bulb.

I too really dislike taking my old style stick Bow NAV light in and out each night and I do like the idea to use permanently mounted LED strip and I'd like to see the boat builders begin putting them in new boats.

But I find it is likely quite contrary to the current written regulations to pick up any particular LED lighing strip and stick it on the bow and call it a certified, tested and approved replacement legal NAVIGATION light

The state of Texas and the applicable Texas referenced USCG regulations state our NAV lights' design have to be tested and approved and labeled as approved before being used on a Texas boat.......

From the current Texas Water Safety Act:
� 31.064. Lights
A vessel or motorboat when underway between sunset and sunrise in all weather must have and exhibit the lights prescribed by the commandant of the Coast Guard for boats of its class. No other lights that may be mistaken for those prescribed may be exhibited.
Acts 1975, 64th Leg., p. 1405, ch. 545, � 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1975. Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 422, � 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.
And from the Commandment of the U.S. Coast guard...
(a) Except as provided by paragraph (b) of this section, each navigation light must�
(1) Meet the technical standards of the applicable Navigation Rules;
(2) Be certified by a laboratory listed by the Coast Guard to the standards of ABYC A�16 (incorporated by reference, see �183.5) or equivalent, (3) Bear a permanent and indelible label that is visible without removing or disassembling the light and that states the following:

(i) �USCG Approval 33 CFR 183.810.�
(ii) �MEETS___.� (Insert the identification name or number of the standard under paragraph (a)(2) of this section, to which the laboratory type-tested.)
(iii) �TESTED BY___.� (Insert the name or registered certification-mark of the laboratory listed by the Coast Guard that tested the fixture to the standard under paragraph (a)(2) of this section.)
(iv) Name of manufacturer.
(v) Number of model.
(vi) Visibility of the light in nautical miles.
(vii) Date on which the light was type-tested.
(viii) Identification and specifications of the bulb used in the compliance test.
(b) If a light is too small to attach the required label�
(1) Place the information from the label in or on the package that contains the light; and
(2) Mark each light �USCG� followed by the certified range of visibility in nautical miles (nm), for example, �USCG 2nm�. Once installed, this mark must be visible without removing the light.

Just like Lou posted the TPWD cannot say they are legal lights to run only the USCG can make that call and they have to be tested and approved by the USCG before they are legal. Go have an accident with these at night or morning and see what the USCG does to you. It doesnt matter if your on lakes or offshore the USCG makes all the rules and regs for all vessels on US waters why do you think everything on your boat has to be USCG approved you dont see anything on your boat thats says TPWD approved thats because they dont make the rules. I work offshore for a living Im a Captain on Towing Vessels so I do know what Im saying. People like this are the reason you need to be required to take a boater education exam on all the rules and regs and the requirements for boating.

I've never seen USCG on any inland lake in Texas so...just sayin'

These new lights are a LOT more visible than the old light. That makes me and others safer on the water at night. Until the USCG stops me on the water and tells me to put in the old light, then I am going to run them on my boat. I don't need a class and an exam to tell me that being safe is wrong.

I see lots of boats with spot lights mounted on the front for running at night. That's illegal too. But it's safer and they don't get tickets for it. Guess they need to take an exam too?

Lou R Pitcher. Do you think I'm lying? They're approved.

You know enough about TPWD written regs to know they're only changed once per year (the currents run through August 31, 2011)'

Why do you think all of the ski boat, pleasure craft manufactureres are putting these lights in the rubrails of their new models, without any port for a front bow light staff?

The Captain Game Warden that I called is a close friend. He used to train at the academy and he knows the regs seven ways from Sunday.

I did not ask about the stick ons versus the ones built into the rub rail. The ones I'm going to use are professionally installed into the rub rail, not stuck on. But it shouldn't matter so long as you have the red and green on the coorect side of the bow and they are visible for a distance of at least one mile.

If you don't believe that, then call TPWD yourself.

The earlier post lists the current State of Texas bow light regulations....we each can choose for ourselves to disregard them or not.

sheesh, just put them on if you want them. Don't, if your scared your going to get a ticket.
I think they are cool.

Got mine in today, now gotta install them and figure out how to run my blue lights inside the boat.

+1

Hey,they are nice led strips,look fancy.But as per your pics,they seem not side-emitting led strips. I purchaed my side emitting led strips at http://www.hero-ledstore.com/led-flexible-light-c-8.html. They have a wide selection of auto / car led strips. I bought them for my Audi A4L headlights six month ago, leds' are bright, so far so good .