The sidelights from Innovative Lighting were more visible to our observer and less expensive than the Perko 170 Series.

Back in the fall of ’01, LED navigation lights were in their infancy. Today, there are enough of them on the market to make them worth a head-to-head evaluation. Pending the results of our look-see, we could think of only one reason not to use them when it comes time to replace or upgrade running lights—their staggering cost.

Why LED Running Lights

As most readers know by now, LED technology has already been a boon to boaters, in the form of flashlights, trailer lights, courtesy and emergency lights, and even as cabin and engineroom lights. The reasons are simple: They’re tough as nails, virtually impervious to vibration and hard knocks. They…