Terisass Boat Navigation Lights Review: cheap LED nav lights that do the job (with a few caveats)

I put these Terisass LED boat navigation lights on a small fishing boat that I use on a lake and occasionally in coastal waters. I wasn’t looking for fancy gear, just something simple, visible, and that didn’t drain the battery. The price was low enough that I went in thinking, “If they last a season, fine.” I’ve used them on about a dozen outings, including two at night and a few very early mornings in light rain.

Right away: these are basic, no-name lights. They’re not some big marine brand, and you can feel that in a few details. But they’re also not total junk. They light up properly, they’re clearly red and green, and they run on 12V without any weird wiring tricks. For a small boat that just needs to be legal and visible, they basically get the job done.

Where things are less convincing is in the finish and the documentation. The listing says boat and motorcycle, the description randomly talks about a motorcycle gas cap, and there’s no clear marine standard mentioned (no USCG or CE spec for visibility range). So you’re kind of trusting the seller that the LED brightness and beam angle are okay for your use. For a little lake boat or tender, I’m fine with that. For serious offshore or heavy traffic areas, I’d want something with clear certification.

Overall, my first impression after installing and using them a few times is: decent budget lights, but clearly budget. If you accept that and don’t expect premium marine hardware, they’re usable. If you want something you’ll rely on a lot at night, I’d probably spend more on a known brand. I’ll break down what worked and what annoyed me in the next sections.

Given the price point and the no-name brand, I went in with pretty low expectations. In that context, the value is actually not bad. You get two LED navigation lights that are reasonably bright, easy to wire, and so far have handled water and basic abuse. If you compare them to big marine brands, they’re definitely cheaper, and for a small, low-budget boat project, that alone can be enough reason to pick them.

Where the value is a bit less convincing is when you factor in the unknowns: no clear standard compliance, thin documentation, basic materials, and the feeling that they’re not going to last forever under harsh conditions. If you use your boat a lot at night, or in busy or regulated waters, the extra money for a certified set from a known brand might be worth it just for peace of mind. You’re paying for better materials, clearer specs, and usually better support.

For my use — small fishing boat, mostly day trips with occasional night returns — I think they’re good value. They made my setup legal and visible without costing much, and if they last a couple of seasons, I’ll consider them paid off. If they die earlier, I won’t be thrilled, but at this price I won’t be shocked either. It’s that kind of product: not a big investment, not a big risk.

So, in terms of value, I’d say they fit well for: backup boats, tenders, small fishing boats, or anyone who needs simple nav lights on a tight budget and is okay doing a bit of DIY on the install. If you want long-term gear and crystal-clear compliance, they’re less attractive. For budget-conscious DIY boat owners, though, they’re a reasonable compromise.

The design is functional but not fancy. Each light has a black plastic housing with a colored lens (red or green). They’re meant to be mounted on the bow, one on each side, with a horizontal beam of about 112.5°, which matches what’s written in the description. On my small open boat, I mounted them slightly above the gunwale on each side of the bow. Once installed, they sit fairly low-profile and don’t get in the way of lines or fenders.

In terms of visibility, I tested them at dusk and in full dark from about 50–100 meters away with a friend on shore. The colors are clear and bright enough to be seen without being blinding. They don’t look like super high-end LEDs, but for a small craft, they’re fine. The beam seems reasonably focused frontwards with some spill to the sides. It’s not a sharp cut-off like some certified nav lights, but the general directionality is there. You can tell where the bow is pointing, which is the main point.

One thing I noticed: the plastic lenses scratch pretty easily. Just wiping off dried salt spray with a slightly rough cloth left faint marks. Nothing dramatic yet, but I can see these lenses getting cloudy faster than better-quality ones. Also, there’s no integrated shield or hood to reduce glare back onto the deck. On my boat, it’s not terrible, but if you mount them too far back, you might get some annoying reflection on a wet surface.

Overall, the design is basic but usable. They look like exactly what they are: cheap LED nav lights. They don’t upgrade the look of the boat, but they don’t make it ugly either. If you care a lot about aesthetics and perfectly controlled light beams, you’ll probably find them a bit rough. If you just want red on the left, green on the right, and visible from a reasonable distance, they get the job done.

The housings are made of PA + PC plastic, which is basically a hardened plastic mix. In the hand, they feel light and a bit on the cheap side, but not completely flimsy. If you squeeze them, there’s a tiny bit of flex, but no cracking or creaking. For a small boat that doesn’t get beaten up by big waves all the time, that’s acceptable. I wouldn’t mount these on something that slams into chop every day, though, without at least adding some rubber under them to absorb shock.

The seller claims an IP66 rating, which means dust-tight and protected against powerful water jets. I obviously didn’t run a lab test, but I did hit them with a hose several times while washing the boat and got caught in light rain and spray. No fogging inside the lens, no water droplets visible, and they kept working fine. The seam between the housing and lens looks decently sealed, and the cable entry point has a molded strain relief. I still put a dab of marine sealant around the screw holes and where the cable passes into the hull, just to be safe.

The weak point, in my opinion, is the lens material. It’s plastic (PC), which is normal for this price, but it marks easily. After a few outings, I already see micro-scratches. Not a big issue now, but over a couple of seasons with sun, salt, and cleaning, I wouldn’t be surprised if they go a bit cloudy. Also, there’s no metal reinforcement around the mounting holes, so if you overtighten the screws, you can deform or crack the plastic. I tightened mine gently and used washers to spread the load.

So, in terms of materials, I’d say good enough for light to moderate use, but not really built like heavy-duty marine gear. If your boat stays mostly on a lake or is used occasionally, they’re fine. If you leave your boat out in full sun and salt all year and it gets banged around a lot, I’d expect these to age faster than more expensive branded lights.

I haven’t had these on the boat for years obviously, but I’ve put them through a few weeks of use, including some rain, spray, and one trip where the boat bounced around a bit more than usual. So far, they’ve held up. No cracks in the housing, no water inside, and the LEDs still look as bright as on day one. That’s the short-term picture, which is positive.

Long term, I have a few doubts. First, the plastic lenses are already showing light scratching from normal cleaning and a couple of bumps. Second, there’s no mention of UV resistance on the product page. Cheap plastic and strong sun usually don’t mix well over several seasons. On boats that live outside, that usually means fading and possible brittleness over time. I’d expect to maybe replace these after a couple of seasons if they start to yellow or crack, especially in salty, sunny environments.

The wiring itself looks okay but not premium. The insulation is fine, but it doesn’t scream “marine-grade tinned copper” to me. I sealed my connections with heat-shrink and dielectric grease, and I also added a dab of sealant around the cable entry inside the hull to avoid any surprise leaks. With that bit of care, I think they’ll last a decent while on a lake boat or a lightly used coastal boat. If you just twist the wires and leave them exposed, don’t expect miracles in a salty environment.

So durability-wise, I’d call them average for the price. They’re not falling apart, but I don’t see them as a 10-year solution either. For a cheap upgrade from old bulb lights or for a small backup boat, they’re fine. If you want something you install once and forget for a decade, I’d spend more on a known marine brand with better plastics and confirmed UV resistance.

Performance-wise, I wired these into a 12V system with a small battery and a simple fused switch. Power draw is low (5W per light), so they barely make a dent in the battery, which is exactly what you want with LEDs. I left them on for around 3 hours one evening just to see if they heated up or dimmed over time, and they stayed stable and only slightly warm to the touch. No flickering, no weird color shift.

On the water, visibility is decent. From another boat at around 100 meters at night, my buddy could clearly see the red and green and tell which side was which. They’re not as intense as some bigger-brand LED nav lights I’ve seen, but they’re clearly visible for small-boat distances. For typical inland or nearshore use where you’re not getting swarmed by big ships, they’re fine. I wouldn’t rely on them as my only lights in very busy shipping lanes, but that’s not really what they’re aimed at anyway.

One limitation is that the listing doesn’t mention any official range rating (like 1 NM or 2 NM). So if you care about strict compliance with regulations, that’s a problem. Practically speaking, for my little fishing boat, the effective range feels around the 1 NM mark or a bit less, but that’s just eyeballing it, not a measured test. Also, the beam cutoff isn’t super sharp, so the light spills a bit more than ideal. You still get the general nav light behavior, but it’s not textbook perfect.

In real use, though, they’ve been reliable and consistent. No issues with moisture, no random shut-offs, and they turn on instantly every time. For a budget set, that’s what I care about most: they work when I need them, and they draw little power. If you’re picky about standards and beam shape, you’ll probably want something higher-end. If your main goal is being seen at night on a small boat without draining your battery, these are acceptable.

In the box, you get two lights: one red, one green. That’s it. No screws, no gasket tape, no connectors, no instructions beyond a very basic label. So if you expect a full kit ready to mount, you’ll be a bit disappointed. I had stainless screws and crimp connectors lying around, so it wasn’t a big deal for me, but if you’re starting from scratch, plan a quick trip to the hardware store.

The lights are rated at 5W and 12/24V, so they’re fine for pretty much any small boat setup. I wired mine into a 12V system with a simple toggle switch, and they fired right up. Polarity is straightforward: two wires, no mystery. The LEDs are already inside the housing, so there’s nothing to assemble. You basically place them, drill two small holes, and wire them in. From opening the package to first test, I spent maybe 30–40 minutes including measuring and drilling.

What’s a bit messy is the product description itself. The Amazon listing mixes boat navigation lights with text about a motorcycle tank cap, which doesn’t inspire confidence. It doesn’t affect the lights directly, but it tells you the seller isn’t super careful with their listings. No real manual is included, and there’s no clear statement about compliance with marine navigation standards. For casual use, okay; for strict regulatory environments, that’s a red flag.

In short: you’re getting two basic LED nav lights and nothing more. If you’re handy and already have mounting hardware and connectors, that’s fine. If you expect a plug-and-play, fully documented marine kit, this feels a bit barebones. For the price, I didn’t expect much, but the presentation definitely screams “budget import” more than “serious marine equipment.”