Yes, our underwater boat lights are legal.
As long as they’re installed properly, and you don't break regulations in your area.
In this post, we'll cover the considerations you need to be aware of, including federal, state, local, and some international considerations, and other best practices.
Federal Considerations
The U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Rule #20 and #21 of the U.S. Navigation Rules apply to underwater boat lights.
- Rule #20(b) states that the lights, “cannot be mistaken for [Navigation] lights … or impair their visibility … or interfere with keeping of a proper look-out … between sunset and sunrise.”
- Our take: Do consider installing the lights far below the waterline so that the lights won’t flash above the waterline under the natural rocking of the boat in waves. Our lights need to be underwater anyway when operating for proper cooling. This will help prevent them from being confused with navigational lighting
- Rule #21(f) and (Annex V - Pilot Rules - Inland Only) restricts flashing blue lights at a frequency of 120 flashes of more to law enforcement vessels
- Our take: 120 flashes per minute is the same as 2 flashes per second. You’d have to be rocking the boat pretty fast. It’s none of our business how you might accomplish that but something to keep in mind from a third perspective
Another federal regulation is the Clean Water Act by the Environmental Protection Agency. However, since we last checked (April 2023), the page referring to underwater boat lights has been taken down. It basically outlined similar guidelines as the DHS.
Local Considerations
Local considerations relate to your marina, should you have a boat slip. Please refer to guidance set by your dockmaster when using underwater boat lights at night. Certain locations may be considered protected areas but we have not heard of any specific complaints from our customers.
State Considerations
State regulations (in America), in many cases, refer to the federal regulations that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets. The Gateway to State-by-State Resource Locators, sponsored by EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, provides access to state-by-state environmental regulations, compliance assistance, and where applicable, permits and forms for a variety of topics.
International Considerations
For international regulations we’ll consider the South of France since according to Yachting Pages, three quarters of the global yachting industry happens there between May - August. They are more strict and prohibit any underwater lights other than navigation lights 3 hours after sunset, except if you’re a professional fishing vessel using authorized light sources.
Best practices:
- Install lights below waterline to avoid interference with navigation lights, glare, other operators, and being confused with blue emergency flashing lights
- Don’t recommend using while in motion
- If you’re in South of France, don’t use them 3 hours after sunset
- According to our lawyer, this is not legal advice