Do some math, I agree the law is antiquated and stupid.
Towboat/Push boat on the Ohio River runs its 25 million candle power searchlight to see the banks most of the time. Don't believe me, do some boating from Brandenburg Ramp up to Greenwood. Oh, and by the way these boys all have very sophisticated radar going on, so they darn sure know where they and the banks are at all times.
Handheld and most mounted onboard remote comtrol pleasure craft spotlights range for 2.5 million, to 500,000 candle power. That's 1/10 to 1/50the the power of the light you run into on the Ohio.
Pleasure boat docking lights, 55W/12V might on a good day put out 50,000 candle power. That's 1/500th the power of a towboat searchlight. And we ain't got the level of radar or displays on board to tell us some smuck with no lights is dead in front of us.
So if the commercial guys can run them to see foreign objects like the banks, and run that light to avoid hitting the bank, then tell me why its illegal for me to run a light 1/500th as strong to avoid hitting the moron without lights on, or that floating log IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE that jeopardizes my craft, and my health?
Doesn't this hint that the commercial shipping craft is more important than the safety of pleasure boaters and fisherman?
If a meathead with a car approaches me on the highway with his "highs" on, we have all been trained as drivers to look slightly away from the bright lights. Same same is logical on a boat.
All that said, the current law is the current law, and he who runs a foul of it pays the fine. Atleast until somebody at the good old Federal and Coast Guard level starts to recognize that we pleasure boaters and fisherman are just as darned important as the commerical shipping rigs, and so we too ought be able to "see in the dark".
Incidentally, tow boats run aground and hit stuff quite often, ever heard of anybody dying from it?
And to be fair, why in the name of sense do people run 60 mph in a bass boat at night knowing they can't see in front of them? Just plain stupid. I always learned as a car and boat driver that your speed is dictated by the limits of your visibility.
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