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

I was just curious what type of lights everyone is running. My wife and I would like some type of headlights/spot llights on our boat for navigation at night. We really wanted to go out and watch the fireworks show from the river yesterday in our hometown, and again tonight in the city down the river from us, however I wasn't willing to go out without the proper gear. I've seen some boats with bow lights.. and spot lights. I'm just not sure where i'd mount a spot light on my 2001 Diablo 180? and i'm not sure how to mount the bow lights either.. well.. I realize you drill holes BIG HOLES.. and that scares me. Is that all they did on the Mariahs with the box lights? just hole saw the opening? or were those hulls molded specific for the lights and integrity. What other options do I have? I want something bright and functional, and will not be an eye sore on my boat. My budget it is $100-200.00 max (maybe a little more if necessary). What other items should I have for night time navigation?

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

Thanks again for any help, it is greatly appreciated!

Nick

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

I may have worded that wrong... I guess they call them docking lights? but do you use those on the open water like headlights?

Thanks, Nick

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

You have a number of choices when it comes to installing docking lights but....that is why they are called "docking" lights. They are not meant for navigating at night. If you are interested in buying a pair have a look at iboats.com site. Personally, i installed the Attwood LED lights that they sell. A small 1/4" hole is all that is needed to run the wire thru the hull and they give a nice spread of light for docking the boat at night.

I'm not certain of the boating rules in the USA but north of the border you are not allowed to run with docking lights and/or spot lights on at night. They can be used for temporary viewing of something though. You would likely be better served to buy a portable/rechargeable spot light and keep it in your boat.

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

nglauer,

Mikeyt may be correct about our laws now. Many moons ago, I owned a wooden Grew runabout with two deck mounted spot lights. One light had a wide beam and the other one had a narrow beam. As for cruising after dark, they were useless. All they did was produce glare that made vision worse that having no lights at all.

I have never had docking lights, so I cannot offer an opinion about them.

Shabah 198SE

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

Go with a portable handheld spotlight. Much more cost effective, saves deck space, no holes to drill, and you can take it with you to recharge. You can pick them up almost anywhere, and in ranges from 4000 candlepower upwards to 15 million candlepower.

Docking lights are illegal to run while underway. A little birdie named the USCG Marine Detachment Ohio River Division reminded me of that.... Thankfully it was just a warning. :)

Honestly I very rarely ever use mine. The docking lights are only good for about 5 ft in front of the boat, and are only useful when tying up to a dock in the water or dropping anchor. Don't try and use them for anything else, especially loading onto the trailer. You'll blind your helper/significant other!

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

I recently installed a pair of surface mounted docking lights. These are LED and are made by Innovative Lighting. They only require a 1/2 inch hole for the wires. These lights have 2 modes. The main lights will light up the dock, trailer, etc. The others spread out around the boat. You can use them independently, or use them together. They use very little amperage. But remember, the other folks said they are for docking, not running. So far, they have been perfect for us. I am very happy with them. I have attached a couple of photos (I hope they come through). Good Luck.:)

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

I really like the look of those, do you have any additional picture? I'm curious what they look like up close and head on. If you don't mind me asking... how much were they? Do you have any pictures of it lit up at night? Just wondering how much light they produce... because it would be nice to light up my trailer when loading at night. I load/unload solo...the wife wont come near when I'm doing it. She prefers I pick her up at the dock, and enjoys the sun. If you have other pictures I can give you my number to text, or my email if that's easier.

Thanks again everyone. I had no idea lights were illegal to run. The barges on the Ohio nearly blind me with their spot lights when I'm going down the road...... I suppose its a lot worse if they hit ya with it while on the water. I just wasn't sure what I could use...and didn't want to add anything that detracts from the look of my boat. I haven't seen a small boat like mine with the flush bow lights...and I was Leary about cutting big holes to flush the fixtures...plus they are expensive. I'll try to pick up a spot light from cabelas next trip... and maybe a pair of those docking lights too.

Thanks,
Nick

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

These light generally sell for approximately $300.00. However, I found a brand new pair on Ebay for $150.00. If you check the internet, they can be found from marine vendors.
Keep in mind, these lights will not light up a city block. They are not halogens. But, they will light up the dock or the trailer very well. I am very impressed with them.
Also, I am not sure about the legal technicalities, I did use the lower intensity side of the lights (8 leds the light up the water around the front 1/3 of the boat) as additional anchor lights. This has been especially useful during amateur night (holiday weekend) where there were boats everywhere, and they were not looking.
Another note: these lights are surface mounted. This means you need to be careful around docks that sit low in the water. Although they are strong, you don't want to get them hit.
Pulling the anchor is also a bit tricky. You don't want to hit the lights with the anchor. Just be careful. I hope this helps. If I remember to take more photos, I will post them.:)

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

Here's what my Attwood LED's look like installed.

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.