ddombrowski

im looking into mounting a 50" light bar on my hard top in front of the radar for better night time sight and navigating the inlet in the morning. Any advice on what has worked well for THT members? Thanks in advance

sharkbite42

I purchased one off of amazon. They are designed for off road use, so they are pretty rugged. I painted it white. Going on 3 years with it, no issues, super bright. paid around $120, so it didnt break the bank.

ddombrowski

What brand did you purchase?

Lorne Greene

You are not supposed to be navigating with headlights blinding everyone and destroying their night vision.

jeremyj

I purchased an Auxbeam 5 years ago. I had to upgrade the relay to a marine grade relay with a sealed connection, but it has been working great. The paint is starting to fade a bit, so I'll have to repaint it in the next couple of years.

As mentioned, please be courteous to other boaters when using it. We go out really early through a narrow channel that isn't very busy and it works great to light up the channel markers and crab traps.

ddombrowski

Yea im not a dumbass and have radar but always nice to have the option to light it up if needed. Also my boat is mainly in the chesapeake in spring and fall so it will be good to have when there is no one else around.

CaptnJuff

I bought a black oak light bar. Not cheap, but lifetime warranty. Also in chesapeake. I didnt want to obstruct my radar so mine is going up in my tuna tower. Id be careful mounting one in front of the radar. You may want to raise the radar a bit.

Why does every light bar thread have to have someone post a warning about blinding people? Does everyone drive around in their car with their high beams on? No. You put them on when its safe and when you need it. It is common sense. We dont need Captain obvious showing up in every light bar thread.

mfeen1

MarineSport LED has super bright lights .. great warranty, price is great.. have straight and curved..
Part number below

MS-MRSR50
MS288WW-WA
MS-MRDR50

FishLife

Because we've been blinded by idiots driving at night with their light bar.......

ddombrowski

Man it would be great to have a thread where people provide good recommendations for whats being asked and not worry so much about the person asking the question. I swordfish in the fall and it gets dark at 5. Ive never been behind someone in november coming into the inlet or had anyone going out at that time so just move along. Very courteous boater just adding a safety feature if needed. Thanks to everyone who provided their advice

Captinlon

Man it be great to be able to leave the harbor under the darkness of the night without my wheel house being lit up by someone!

Liquid_nails

I’m a freshwater guy and courteous when using my bar. 99% of the time when I’m running back down the lake I’m the only boat there. If I see anyone I’m approaching I’ll kill the bar and run my gps. I can make the roosters crow with it. 52” off Amazon. I can see a floating log just about submerged before I get close to it. Wouldn’t have a boat without it.

liveaboard74

Not sure where you guys live that don't like light bars but you rely on that radar,around here you'll make it maybe 1/4 mile be in the water cutting ropes off your prop or props . WE have 1000s of crab pots in Carolina. Crabing is huge in our area. You can't run at night without a light and a bright one at that. Coast Guard has two spot lights on top their boat use both of them for night running. You guys must live in Ark or Kanas.

On the light bar get a curved 10D As in dog. and quad rows. At least 4 rows. it gives you flood on the outside and curves the light to the sides. Perfect for docking.

10D with at least 4800 watts, E bay they are around 60 to 80. Hung mine under the top

MiamiJay

CaptnJuff

Then tell them to turn it off on the vhf or "drive" on up to them and let them know and leave us smart people in peace.

sharkbite42

mine is an autosaver 42" curved bar 540W. paid $69.
For everbody complaing about light bars. Do you have a search light or spot light on your boat? Light bars serve a purpose. I use mine for fishing and navigating mooring fields as needed. No different than a search light!

scooperfl

You don't understand the difference between how a lightbar works and how a spotlight works, maybe I can help. A SPOTlight has a very narrow beam, and when used properly, does not blind people in front of you or ruin your night vision. A light bar has a very wide beam, blinding everyone in the light beam. Because of the wide beam, they also destroy your night vision (which takes 20 minutes to fully return), so you can't effectively use a lightbar intermittantly.

Gali

From the pictures, the bracket to hold them in place looks plastic. How is the overall look and feel. I put a Lumitec Razor Light Bar as a test fit, and while it looks nice, $650 for a light bar not impressive at all when I figure $100 ones do the same job.

davepjr71

Fish the Bay and haven't needed one with radar and letting my eyes adjust. A spotlight would do you more good than the lightbar for the Bay.

sharkbite42

Bar and brackets are all aluminum. I through bolted through my hard top.