Re: bow lights? spot lights? need some help... with night time navigation
 

My advice is also to go with a handheld just not this Brinkmann one. 'Candle power' is a relative term to begin with but this thing is weaker than any 1 million I've ever used and the battery life is a total joke... like... to the degree that it's useless on the battery. It's the only battery one I've ever used so maybe none of them are that great but the lack of brightness on that one was disappointing enough that I always take the opportunity to advise against it anytime a spotlight conversation comes up. :)

Re: bow lights? spot lights? need some help... with night time navigation
 

I've owned a few battery powered spot over the years.. and each was a total disappointment. Then again, I could never afford one of the really expensive ones.. so maybe they work better. I almost pulled the trigger on a set of the thru hull docking lights, then I got nervous about the idea of cutting large holes in my Diablo. I wasn't sure it they would look good on a small open bow boat like mine, vs the larger sportier boats. I love the look of them, especially the chrome one's that give some boats an angry look. I may buy a set one day though... but first I will be buying a spot light of some type.

If anyone has suggestions on portable spot lights, feel free to chime in. I would like to stay under 100.00 for something that will last. Granted, I know batteries will wear out over time. (I do have a brinkman Q series 100,000 or 500,000 candle power plug in unit). It works great... but it's older than the hills, and the cord is a pain (it's super long and tangles and knots easily)

Thanks again,

Nick

p.s. can you run a filter on a spot light to make it more friendly on your vision? maybe yellow? or red/green/blue/amber? then again, I suppose the colors would kill the point of the light..

Re: bow lights? spot lights? need some help... with night time navigation
 

Ordered a set of Sierra docking lights on ebay and they arrived last week.
Got around to installing them today.
Cut the holes in the hull, using a cardboard replica of the supplied template.
The hull up there is a solid 1/2 inch thick, but thanks to the bow anchor storage i didn't have to pull a single panel.
Mariah even went as far as prewiring two #14s, splitting and labeling conductors. Grounding as well was done at the factory. That was a very pleasant surprise. Saved me from fishing wire. :wink_thumbup: to Mariah.
Adding the switch was just as easy and there were open spaces in the fuse blocks to run power.
Less than 2 hours to do the whole job well.
The Sierra lights aren't inexpensive but the adjustment they have should allow me to cast light both forward and to the sides.
They look awesome.
I can't wait untill it gets dark so I can see how they work.

Re: bow lights? spot lights? need some help... with night time navigation
 

Just don't be one of those amateurs out there with your docking lights on going down the lake. It makes it very hard for boats going the other way to see and has been mentioned already it is unlawful as well.