Accident

[jdmidwest]

30 mph in a boat at night can still tear stuff up.  Did anyone say why they did not have lights on??

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

I hit a boat in the middle of the lake once that had no light on, it drifted off from Kimberling Inn. Luckily i was in a sailboat going about 4mph, but it still felt very hard and knocked us into the floor.  I was in the back of a 26ft boat just driving along, even going that slow i never saw that little bass boat

[Flysmallie]

I came around a bluff one night on the Kings and almost hit a houseboat that was anchored in the middle. I was going less than 30mph and still almost didn’t see it. And it was huge. 

[MoCarp]

26 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

I came around a bluff one night on the Kings and almost hit a houseboat that was anchored in the middle. I was going less than 30mph and still almost didn’t see it. And it was huge. 

darn some people shouldn’t drive a boat but anyone can it seems

be like someone setting up a camper in the hwy, lucky no one was hurt

[Lunker Lane]

Any speed over 30mph at night and you're really rollin the dice. 

[skeeter]

22 hours ago, MoCarp said:

Bowfishing spotlights are not legal if the boat is MOVING!

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/Alerts/1015.pdf

Thanks, seeing so much of those bright-as-the-Sun Bowfishing lights in use on a lot of nights.  The guy leaves them on moving from one area to the next and then running back into the launch ramp.  

Also, "docking-lights" that boaters are using as some sort of headlight while running at night are not legal but we are seeing more and more of them.  

Then there's the 20-slip dock owner across the White from point 17 that has two large dusk-to-dawn lights out on the end of his dock protruding out from under the dock's roof over his swim-deck that blinds boaters trying to see other boats' navigation lights at night.  

[bobby b.]

Humminbird, Lowance and the others need to come up with a RADAR unit add-on for our fish locators.  I use to think it was silly when I saw these spinning around on big boats on TR but maybe not. 

Bobby

[jdmidwest]

If they had lights on, They Could Have Been Seen.

How about night vision, that stuff is getting cheaper now.

[fishinwrench]

Personally I don't have a problem with spotlights and I think every boat should have one if navigating in the dark.  Everybody complains about it  "killing their night vision" .... but apparently their night vision sucks because they keep running into each other out there.    

Myself, I don't care whose night vision I harm, or what alleged "laws" I break.  If I can't clearly see what's in front of me then the spotlight gets plugged in.  

[Basfis]

I put 14k lumens of led on the front of my duck boat. Blinding to look at yet almost useless for navigating in the early morning. Usually better off without lights and still have a spot light at the ready. 

I do really like the led bow light strips many boats now sport. Very visible and no annoying white light from a bulb on the bow. I see mixed answers on legality and they are very effective. Anytime annoyance is reduced use improves.