A little help for you California sailors

[TonyHouk]

Here is a light bar I found while I was looking in the Overton's catalog the other day. I know how you have to have a light on the rearmost object on your boat for trailering. So here it is:
http://www.overtons.com
Item number 711136.
Hope that helps and happy sails, Tony

[Tom Root]

I recieved a similar plastic version of that light bar. (BTW the link did not go directly to the item, some web sites do not hold certain pages open for links I've found!) It came from the factory I believe? It is somehow supposed to fit on the motor to comply with the law. I still haven't figured out how to mount it there, but gotta work on that!

What I have seen is people rigging a home made light bar, where they take a 2X4X7' piece of wood, and bungee it in the upper transom area. This works good as you are not dunking your lights, wires etc. You run all the wiring along one side of the boat, and store the whole rig in the tow vehicle when not needed. I have seen some owners that have used this system without replacing it for 20 plus years!

My slant on this would be LED lights, and instead of wood use that great plastic lumber. It only comes in the 2X6 dimension currently, (that I have found anyway!) but would outlast me!

Tom Root
2002 26
Great White
San Diego

[HERNDON]

Is this a new law or has it been in effect but not inforced? I will have to
check out all the other boats at the Lake. Is it just the brake light and is
there a pig tail to connect into from the factory and where is it?

Rob H.

[Tom Root]

Rob,
This law has been around a long time, MacGregor finally got on the bandwagon evidently (or dealer) and provided a running light/3rd brake light for code compliance. It states something like "rear lights shall be displayed on the extreme rear....blah, blah, blah!" Well, as you know, our trailers end is not close to the most extreme portion of what is protruding back there. I cannot find where to plug it in anywhere, anthough I do have what seems to be a long enough wire and assembly provided for this purpose.

I guess the biggest problem would be if someone nailed you from behind, and their lawyer tried to pin liability on you for not having proper light arraingement. I have seen cop cars pass me all the time, and no, I have not recieved a citation for this .......yet! It is an enforceable offense...as it's on the books. It is online somewhere on a ca.gov site, I just haven't located it again, but it is accessable online!

[Frank C]

Installing the third light is the dealer's responsibility. Mine was installed in-line with the portside tail-light, using little crimp-on pigtails as I recall. After it popped my dashboard fuses twice, I ripped it out of the circuit and tossed it in a box someplace.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Trailers over 80" wide are required to have identification lights to define the perimeter of the trailer. These include the three red lights at the rear. My trailer has a pigtail for this light hanging of the harness in the port tail light area at the rear crossbar. Unfortunately I've never had that light to plug into it. The yellow clearence lights at the front of the fenders also fall into this requirement as do the reflectors on the frame up toward the bow. I feel lucky just to have all the stop, tail, and turn lights working at the same time. I think a stop for the others would be a pretty nick picky stop, but is within the law.