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I've been thinking about putting underwater lights in the transom of my Bertram 33. How many and what kind of lights would you recommend for my boat without breaking the bank. I'm going to be looking at underwater lighting at the FLIBS. Thanks Buzz
I've said it on other threads but you should definitely check out the Ocean LED Thru Hulls. Very high power, minimal power usage, easy to install, last forever etc. etc. I love mine.
__________________ Like Guns? I've got a pretty awesome personal collection that I am selling. I've moved to Mexico and now own and operate a Playa del Carmen Fishing Charter. So, I am also looking to trade for high end fishing equipment. Take a look http://www.wasabiloco.com/guns
I have Ocean LED lights on my boat. I bought the middle model, couldn't see spending any more than I did. 4 amps @ 12 volt each. No warmup time, I can leave the lights on while running at night.
I think they're great for me.
__________________ 1998 48 Ocean Super Sport
1997 20 Boston Whaler Dauntless
I used the http://www.abysslite.com/they were not break the bank $$, and they are surface mount, no need for a 3 inch hole. LED power so i can run them all night, with the boat on or off, no issues with power drain.. i picked the longer throw lights vrs the wide beams.
I have two Ocean LED 2010 thru hulls on my boat. They are very bright. We use them in the canyon chunking. Here is a picture of my wake at 3:00am heading out the canyon. I can price these for you if you are interested.
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800-338-8223
I have two Ocean LED 2010 thru hulls on my boat. They are very bright. We use them in the canyon chunking. Here is a picture of my wake at 3:00am heading out the canyon. I can price these for you if you are interested.
Your picture makes me wonder if the are USCG regs concering the use of lighting aboard vessels other than the required running lights (and maybe a spreader light) while running at night. Since my UW lights are Xenon, I can't have them on while running, but you can with LED's. Lighting other than recognizable configurations could sure be confusing to another vessel. With all the crazy lighting being installed on boats today, I wonder if they're all "legal".
In other words, can we display ANY lighting on a boat in addition to the required running lights?
Rule 20
The Rules concerning lights shall be complied with from sunset
to sunrise, and during such times no other lights shall be exhibited,
except such lights as cannot be mistaken for the lights specified in
these Rules or do not impair their visibility or distinctive character, or
interfere with the keeping of a proper look-out.
Widespread Panic - 10/27/2007 9:47 PM Rule 20 The Rules concerning lights shall be complied with from sunset to sunrise, and during such times no other lights shall be exhibited, except such lights as cannot be mistaken for the lights specified in these Rules or do not impair their visibility or distinctive character, or interfere with the keeping of a proper look-out. Quoted from the Nav rules.
So those can't be mistaken for nav lights and they don't hinder the night vision of a look out, they are ok to run while on.
__________________ "Give me your hungry, your tired your poor I'll pee on em
Thats what the statue of bigotry says
Your poor huddled masses, lets club em to death
And get it over with and just dump em on the boulevard"
-L.Reed
"If you don't like it, go to Russia" -Homer Simpson.
Widespread Panic - 10/27/2007 9:47 PM Rule 20 The Rules concerning lights shall be complied with from sunset to sunrise, and during such times no other lights shall be exhibited, except such lights as cannot be mistaken for the lights specified in these Rules or do not impair their visibility or distinctive character, or interfere with the keeping of a proper look-out. Quoted from the Nav rules.
So those can't be mistaken for nav lights and they don't hinder the night vision of a look out, they are ok to run while on.
Maybe because those in the pics above are blue that may be so; but if they weren't blue, and were white, red, or green it seems that it would be a different story. To say other lights can't be "mistaken" for running lights seems to leave it wide open to interpretation IMO."
Even if it was green or red, it would be hard to say that glowing light at the stern ofa runningboat is a "nav" light...Unless it belong to a submarine, going full speed backwards...
Also plenty of guys here with red LED lights in their cockpit. I guess they shouldn't be using that either, running or at anchor as it might look like a nav light.
Back to subject...
Not all LEDs are the same, make sure you get some specs before you buy any of these.
Also, there's another thread here in THT about some that rusted after a few uses, sorry but I can'tr remember the brand, but look it up and don't buy those, ask for numbers in lumens and compare.
__________________ "Give me your hungry, your tired your poor I'll pee on em
Thats what the statue of bigotry says
Your poor huddled masses, lets club em to death
And get it over with and just dump em on the boulevard"
-L.Reed
"If you don't like it, go to Russia" -Homer Simpson.
Also, there's another thread here in THT about some that rusted after a few uses, sorry but I can'tr remember the brand, but look it up and don't buy those, ask for numbers in lumens and compare.
That is my reply whenever I get the "Wow those are expensive" response to the price of the Ocean LED's. You get what you pay for. They are very expensive but when you are talking about drilling a hole in your boat, I don't think cheap is the way to go.
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800-338-8223
This is an LED light made by E-tec Marine that screws into the existing drain plug hole and then is wired to a 12 volt source. The obvious advantage is the ease of installation in that no new holes need to be drilled. I saw one at the show and it was very bright. Their rep told me they will soon release another LED which is even brighter and plan to add a strobe function to it. They were fuzzy on the price but he said retail was around $400. I think it will probably be less than that.
__________________ Intrepid 356 Cuddy
Twin Yamaha 250 Saltwater II
Also plenty of guys here with red LED lights in their cockpit. I guess they shouldn't be using that either, running or at anchor as it might look like a nav light.
BINGO!!! Give that man a Porgy!
You are actually quite correct. DO NOT RUN with your RED COCKPIT LIGHTS ON!!!! Don't even drift with them on.
I was hailed by a ferry captain on the thames river who asked me to extinguish them. They were confusing him - his pilot house was 60 feet off the water and he could easily see the red light as he approached me from the stern.
I don't run with them on any longer (I only had them on then because one of the crew wanted to lay out some gear).
__________________
Terry Jason 35, Yanmar 370 hp, Lots of fun at a leisurely pace
If you went to the FTL show, you probably noticed about a dozen or more brands and types of Underwater lights.
Currently, I think the HID Xenon (50W) are the most common and probably the brightest. Two of these on your 33 should be perfect. Expect to pay around $1000/each for these, and don't go with the cheapest brand you find as those will probably have issues with the ballasts failing.
There are tons of LED UW lights out there and all are NOT built the same. There is plenty of garbage out there. The ones that have impressed me the most (and I don't even carry those) are the Ocean LEDs. They are extremely bright for LED and appear to be made really well. They are pricey however. Another company that makes high quality LED UW lights is Cantalupi from Italy, but those are usually marketed to larger yachts.
This is an LED light made by E-tec Marine that screws into the existing drain plug hole and then is wired to a 12 volt source. The obvious advantage is the ease of installation in that no new holes need to be drilled. I saw one at the show and it was very bright. Their rep told me they will soon release another LED which is even brighter and plan to add a strobe function to it. They were fuzzy on the price but he said retail was around $400. I think it will probably be less than that.
I contacted e tec on these and they gave me the number of the person who is manaufacturing these. Robert gave me the following Info
They screw into a 1/2 NPT
380 lumin
Draw less than 1 amp
have aprotection systems on them for those who traller their boat so if you leave them on they will shut off before they get to hot
They only come in white for now but will be available in other colors soon
I have a 27 sea ray and do not want to drill holes in my wallet and transome so I requested to get some more info from him.
Sorry to derail a little, but I've noticed that on twin engine setups, two lights are usually placed close together between the engines. Is there an advantage to this over spacing them further apart (on either side of the engine)? You could get them lower into the water, and maybe they're brighter when combined or easier to install through bilge access. Would you want to cover more surface area by spreading them out?
Sorry to derail a little, but I've noticed that on twin engine setups, two lights are usually placed close together between the engines. Is there an advantage to this over spacing them further apart (on either side of the engine)? You could get them lower into the water, and maybe they're brighter when combined or easier to install through bilge access. Would you want to cover more surface area by spreading them out?
Mine are Aqualights, and I called them to discuss that issue. They recommended a minimum of 6"- 8" below the waterline, and even though my boat has a 14' beam- and you would think a lot of space to mount them- I had a choice to space them 3' apart (inside the stringers) or spread them out 8' apart. My rudders and prop pockets ate up the rest of the space. Their response- wider is better. My guess is typically outboard craft don't draw enough as you get further to the sides of the boat to get the lights low enough in the water, so they have to be spaced more closely.
Remember, too that you need to be able to access them below deck. Be sure to check your boat out thoroughly beforehand to be sure you can do what you'd like before buying the lights.
We at Ocean LED love pictures such as this being posted! We were wondering if you would allow us including it on the gallery section of our website?
Ocean LED
Quote:
ESSRTEE8 - 10/18/2007 4:41 PM
I have Ocean LED lights on my boat. I bought the middle model, couldn't see spending any more than I did. 4 amps @ 12 volt each. No warmup time, I can leave the lights on while running at night.
underwater lights 
