Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Navigation Lights

The red and green lighting must conform to the illustration above. Red should be on the left side of the bow and green on the right side of the bow.

The required navigation lights differ depending on the type and size of your vessel. The common lighting configurations for recreational vessels are discussed below. For other configurations and requirements for larger vessels, see the U.S. Coast Guard's Navigation Rules.

Power-Driven Vessels Less Than 65.6 Feet Long When Underway

If less than 65.6 feet (20 meters) long, these vessels must exhibit the lights as shown in illustration 1. Remember, power-driven vessels include sailboats operating under engine power. The required lights are:

• Red and green sidelights visible from a distance of at least two miles away—or if less than 39.4 feet (12 meters) long, at least one mile away—on a dark, clear night.
• An all-round white light (if less than 39.4 feet long) or both a masthead light and a sternlight. These lights must be visible from a distance of at least two miles away on a dark, clear night. The all-round white light (or the masthead light) must be at least 3.3 feet (one meter) higher than the sidelights.

An alternative to the sidelights and sternlight is a combination red, green, and white light, which must be exhibited near the top of the mast.

If less than 23.0 feet (7 meters) long, these vessels should:

• Exhibit the same lights as required for unpowered vessels less than 65.6 feet in length.
• Have in possession a handheld light (as shown in illustration 3) to be used between sunset and sunrise when operating on bodies of water other than natural lakes, Corp of Engineers impoundments, border rivers, or impoundments on inland rivers.