The flare blocks the lights, Doubt says. Sidelights are installed too close to the stem so both the red and green light are seen at the same time from abeam. This causes skippers of boats in crossing situations to misread the lights and think they are coming at the boat head-on. The Coast Guard will address problems of poor light design or manufacture by requiring those recreational and uninspected commercial boatbuilders who put navigation lights on their boats to use only certified lights, Doubt says. Lights for new boats will have to be submitted to a laboratory for testing.
Visibility ranges vary for different lights and different size vessels.
Doubt says problems related to poor installation, not the lights themselves, will be addressed through the Coast Guard s factory visit program. We expect a steady improvement in the quality of navigation lights as this kicks in, he says. Lights on inspected commercial vessels already are certified. The new rule only will regulate boatbuilders and won t require boat owners to swap out old lights for certified ones. Doubt expects publication of the final rule by June, but it won t become effective for a year to give boatbuilders a chance to draw down their inventory.