Navigation lights for boats are essential, especially for boating at night. You shouldn’t drive the boat at night if you don’t have any navigation lights on the boat.
Boats need lights, regardless of the use. If you are boating at night, then you should have navigation lights on the boat. That doesn’t mean that, if you are not boating at night, then you don’t need to have lights. As for the boating laws, you should have some lights on the boat.
In general, it’s recommended to have navigation lights on the boat, regardless of the use. But the boaters who don’t operate the boat at night, won’t install any lights on the boat. As for the boating law, you should have navigation lights on the boat. Many people won’t follow the rules (having navigation lights on a boat, even if they don’t go boating at night).
What they (boaters who don’t operate the boat at night) think is since they don’t use the boat at night, there is no need to have any navigation lights on a boat. So, some people won’t install any navigation lights on the boat. Navigation lights are essential for a boat, and whether you use them are not, you should have them on the boat.
Navigation lights are not only necessary for boating at night, but you can also use them if you are boating in low light or visibility conditions (during fog or in the evening or any adverse weather). During these low visibility times, you should use them because it will help other boaters to alert themselves by seeing any of these navigation lights.
Overall, if you are boating at night, then you should have navigation lights on the boat. Boat size doesn’t matter. You should have navigation lights (undoubtedly) on the boat if you are boating at night. Even though if you are operating a dinghy or any small boats (boats less than 20 feet in length) at night, you should have small navigation lights (at least torchlight) on that boat.
What happens if you don’t have navigation lights on the boat?
If you don’t have navigation lights on the boat, then while boating at night, other boaters can’t identify your presence, and you may cause any problems for them because they can’t see you in the dark. As for the law, you should have navigation lights on a boat regardless of the use.
It is not safe to drive the boat at night without navigation lights. You should have them if you are boating at night. Sometimes, if the coast guards inspect the boat and you don’t have navigation lights on the boat, then you may need to pay fine.
Mostly, no one will check whether you have any navigation lights or not if you are not boating at night. But, many people won’t install lights if they don’t use the boat only at night. It is good to have them on your boat even though you won’t use them. They will help in low visibility times or evenings.
What types of boats need navigation lights?
Every boat needs to have navigation lights on the boat if you are using or operating the boat at night. Undoubtedly you should have them if you are using the boat at night regardless of the boat type and length (even if you are using any small vessels like dingy, boats powered by manpower, etc.).
No need to have navigation lights on small boats like dingy, kayaks, boats powered by manpower, etc. or boats less than 20 feet in length, and all paddling boats are not required to have navigation lights on the boat if you are not using them at night. But, you should have at least one torchlight on small boats if you decide to go boating at night.
Whether you need navigation lights for a boat (boates powered by manpower) or not depends on the usage (when you are going to use the boat? at night or day time?). For small boats, you can carry torchlight if you don’t have navigation lights on the boat.
If you are using a powerboat, then you should have lights on the boat, regardless of the use because the boating law states that you need to have navigation lights on the boat. Keep at least torchlight on the boat.
But no one will care much if you are not using or operating the boat at night, and you don’t have any navigation lights. Still, it is good to have them on the boat even though you won’t go for boating at night. Other boaters should be able to see all these navigational lights without any obstacles in between.
Check this video on the navigation lights required for a boat.
What types of navigation lights do you need for the boat?
| Boat length (in feet) | Power boats | Sailboats | Small boats or boats powered by manpower |
| less than 39.4 feet (12 meters) | 1. All-round light 2. Sidelights (red and green) at the bow | 1. Masthead light and All-round light on the mast 2. Single tri-color light (red+green+white) or Sidelights (red and green) 3. Stern light | 1. Side lights 2. OR All-round light or torchlight |
| more than 39.4 feet (12 meters) | 1. Masthead light and All-round light and single tri-color light on the top of the boat 2. Sidelights (red and green) 3. Stern light | 1. Masthead light and All-round light on the mast 2. Single tri-color light (red+green+white) or Sidelights (red and green) 3. Stern light | — |
There are four types of navigation lights for a boat. 1. Sidelights 2. Stern light 3. Masthead light 4. All-round light. These are the four types of navigation lights. All of them aren’t required for a boat. It depends on different factors like length, power type, and anchoring of the boat.
Check the BoatUS website on night navigation click here (don’t worry, it will open in new tab).
1. Sidelights
| Boat types | Less than 39.4 feet (12 meters) | More than 39.4 feet (12 meters) |
| Power boats and sailboats under power (powered by motor) | Need sidelights (1 mile visibility and 112.5 degree visibility for each light) | Need sidelights (2 miles visibility and 112.5 degree visibility for each light) |
| Sailboats under sail | Tri-color light at the top of the mast (red+green+white lights with 120-degree visibility for each light) OR Sidelights (red+green lights with 1 mile visibility and 112.5-degree visibility for each light) | Tri-color light at the top of the mast (red+green+white lights with 120-degree visibility for each light) OR Sidelights (red+green lights with 2 mile visibility and 112.5-degree visibility for each light) |
Sidelights or combination lights are navigation lights for a boat, and they are located at the bow side of the boat. These lights consist of two colors, red and green, red on the port side and the green on the starboard side. Red and green lights indicate the port and starboard side of the boat.
Larger boats are required to use lights with a higher visibility range and cannot combine sidelights into a single bi-color light. Smaller boats can use bi-color lights. For a sailboat, you can use tri-color light (red+green+white 120-degree visibility for each light) on the top of the boat instead of sidelights.
Each boat that is less than 39.4 feet (12 meters) in length should have sidelights (red on the port side and green on the starboard side) on the boat, and the visible range is 1 mile. Each light has 112.5-degree visibility and covers a total of 225-degrees (combined red and green).
Meaning if you are boating at night and you saw a red light means it is the port side, and a green light means the starboard side of the boat. If you are using a small boat (less than 20 feet in length), then you should have at least a torchlight on the boat if you don’t have navigation lights.
2. Stern light
| Boat types | Less than 39.4 feet (12 meters) | More than 39.4 feet (12 meters) |
| Power boats and sailboats under power (powered by motor) | Can use all-round light instead of stern light (2 miles visibility and 360-degree visibility) | Need stern light (2 miles visibility and 135-degree visibility) |
| Sailboats under sail | Can use all-round light instead of stern light (2 miles visibility and 360-degree visibility) | Need stern light (2 miles visibility and 135-degree visibility) |
Sternlight is a navigation light for a boat. Sternlight is white light, and it is located at the backside of the boat. This light has 135-degree visibility and covers the backside of the boat.
Every boat which is above 39.4 feet (12 meters) and less than 65.7 feet (20 meters) in length should have this stern light, and the visibility should be 2 miles.
Boats (powerboats or sailboats) less than 39.4 feet (12 meters) in length no need to have stern light on the boat. Instead of using a stern light at the back, you can use all-round light on top of the boat.
3. Masthead light
| Boat types | Less than 39.4 feet (12 meters) | More than 39.4 feet (12 meters) |
| Power boats and sailboats under power (powered by motor) | Need masthead light (2 miles visibility and 360-degree visibility) | Need Masthead light (3 miles visibility and 225-degree visibility) |
| Sailboats under sail | Need masthead light (2 miles visibility and 360-degree visibility) OR you can use Tri-color light at the top of the mast (red+green+white lights with 120-degree visibility for each light) | Need Masthead light (3 miles visibility and 225-degree visibility) OR you can use Tri-color light at the top of the mast (red+green+white lights with 120-degree visibility for each light) |
Masthead light is a navigation light for a boat. Masthead light is white light, and it is located at the top of the boat. For a sailboat, it will be on the top of the mast. These lights will cover 225-degree visibility (112.5-degree on the port side and starboard side), in the forward direction.
You can use these lights on the powerboats and sailboats while sailing or under power. The visible range should be 2 miles for a boat, which is less than 39.4 feet (12 meters) in length and 3 miles for a boat, which is more than 39.4 feet (12 meters) in length.
For a sailboat, you can use tri-color light (red + green + white lights with 120-degree visibility for each light) instead of masthead light on the top. When the masthead light (a total of 225-degree visibility) and the stern light (135-degree visibility) are combined, that makes up 360 degrees visibility.
4. All-round light
| Boat types | Less than 39.4 feet (12 meters) | More than 39.4 feet (12 meters) |
| Power boats and sailboats under power (powered by motor) | Need one all-round light on the top of the boat or on the top of the mast (2 miles visible range and 360-degree visibility) | Need one all-round light on the top of the boat or on the top of the mast (2 miles visible range and 360-degree visibility) |
| Sailboats under sail | Need one all-round light on the top of the boat or on the top of the mast (2 miles visible range and 360-degree visibility) | Need one all-round light on the top of the boat or on the top of the mast (2 miles visible range and 360-degree visibility) |
All-round light is a navigation light for a boat. All-round light is white, and it is located at the top of the boat or on top of the mast. This light has 360-degree visibility, and you can use it when the boat is anchored. You need to turn on all-round light if you anchored the boat at night.
This light is also known as an anchor light. Meaning you should turn on this light if you anchored your boat. All boats need to have this light regardless of the boat length if you are boating at night.
Bottom line
Boat navigation lights are essential for boating at night. For small boats, you can use torchlight or all-round light at night. For big boats, install all those lights mentioned above. Drive the boat slowly while boating at night and wear a life jacket as well.