The 10 Best Stern Lights | Boating Buying Guides and Review

This review has been updated 4 times since it was first published in June of 2019. If you enjoy taking your boat out for a spin after the Sun goes down, it’s important to make sure you’re as visible as possible. These stern lights will alert other vessels of your presence before it’s too late, while also helping you spot potential dangers in the water behind you. We’ve included a variety of options, such as pole-mounted, portable, and lantern-style models. When users buy our independently chosen editorial recommendations, we may earn commissions to help fund the review.

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Top 10 Stern Lights

10. Shoreline Marine Snap Adjustable

You can set the height of your lamp to your personal preference with the Shoreline Marine Snap Adjustable. It extends from 28 to 49 inches, so you can make it as prominent as you like. The 360-degree visibility will ensure no other vessels bump into you accidentally.

9. Seasense Folding

As the name suggests, you can simply lay the Seasense Folding down when not in use, so it won’t be in your way during the daytime. It draws minimal amps, limiting the energy it takes from your battery, so you shouldn’t find yourself left adrift without power.

6. Shoreline Marine All-Round

The Shoreline Marine All-Round has a universal plug compatible with most two-pin bases, so it’s a versatile option you can move from boat to boat if need be. The anodized aluminum pole is more than capable of standing up to anything the water can dish out.

5. Pactrade Navigation

The lantern-style Pactrade Navigation provides an alternative to the pole-mounted options on the market, and can match virtually any of its counterparts in terms of brightness. The 135-degree beam angle ensures the light covers nearly the entirety of your stern.

4. Bright Eyes Portable

If your boat’s a rental — or if you have several in your fleet — the two Bright Eyes Portable are easy to take with you once you get back to land. Each offers three light modes: solid, strobe, and slow blink, letting you communicate effectively with other ships.

3. Shoreline Marine

The Shoreline Marine boasts a beam that belies its small frame. It’s extremely bright, so don’t be surprised if you can’t look directly at it for long, and it folds out of the way once you put your boat on the trailer, so as not to get in the way.

2. Total Marine 304

The Total Marine 304 doesn’t just make you visible to other vessels, but also illuminates the surface of the water. If you enjoy the occasional midnight dip, this will give you plenty of light to swim by. Of course, it will alert the sea monsters to your presence as well.

1. Perko Inland Series

At 42 inches tall, the Perko Inland Series is hard to miss even from a distance. The clear fluted globe does a good job of projecting the illumination, and the height keeps the glare out of your line of sight, so you won’t accidentally blind yourself.

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