Out of curiosity do the Red and Green Side lights and White rear light have to be steady burn? Can they be flashing? I feel like flashing would make them more of an attention grabber. I know there were some aircraft in the 1950s that had a switch to make their navigation lights change from flashing to steady burn. Is there a law against flashing navigation lights for boaters? Thanks in advance.
Karen L
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Yes, they have to be a steady burn. If they flashed, they might be mistaken for the stationary lights on buoys, or lighthouses, or other markers meant to help boaters figure out where they are or where they're supposed to go or not go. Those often flash, and in a timed pattern that is marked on the charts.
Since stars don't flash, and there are no buoys or lighthouses in the sky, it's hard to mistake the flashing light on an airplane for anything but a light on an airplane. On the water, at night, it would be very easy to mistake a stationary or slow moving boat for a buoy if both could have flashing lights.
There are, at least here in Canada and presumably elsewhere since marine lighting regulations are usually consistent around the world, a couple of special situations where a boat can display a flashing light, but those are yellow or blue. They don't apply to the average recreational boater.