UNDERWATER LIGHTING

S

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May 2, 2003
RO Number
11503
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OK, I AM TOTALLY CONFUSED! What does everyone think about which size, color and type of underwater lighting? Which mfg? The ads, promotions, claims, promisses, spec's, and standards of measurments (lux vs lumens) have me confused. Do I want surface mount, or is thru-hull best? 6, 8 10, 12+ LED's? What about the ones that attach to the trim tabs? Green, white or blue? And how many lumen's? Or is it lux? And by which standard of measurement? HELP!
Boat is underway at night a lot, no fishing!

As always, many thanks. The BoatedEd members always cut thru the cr**. and provide sound advice.

Bob P
Family Ties
37' Back Cove
 
i dont' see the point of drilling big holes below water line for something non essential so surface mount is the way to go in my opinion and i would route the wires up above waterline, like a transom mounted xducer, before bringing them in.

light color is matter of preference, i prefer white or close to white as it is more natural but obviously some seem to like pink, lilac, or violet both underwater and above deck... go figure :)
 
Bob,
My underwater lights are by " Underwater Lights "

There 50 Watt Zenon lights. Top notch material. Tru Hull. Lamps get replaced from the bilge. Im on my 5th season with no issues and same original bulbs.

I guess its preference. I havent seen a clean surface mount install yet.

Rob

Rob
 
Mine use a small 3/8"th's hole through the hull. They are LED, out of the original 4 3 failed in the 2nd year. The are Ocean's the manufacture replaced all 4 for free, not including the labor.
Mine have 8 high intensity LEDs and even in the brackish water where I dock they look beautiful. I however can't speak for durability because the new redesigned lights were replace towards the end of last season.
Bill
 
I recently purchased the blue Seablaze 3's (surface mount) from Boatfix, and am very impressed with their light output, and color. I have yet to install them, but I hooked them to my truck battery and tried them. They cost around $200 per light, have 1 year warranty, and only require a 1/4'' hole for the wire.
Their mfg. didn't quote in lumens, but claims they are equal to 110 watt halogen.
I spoke with some installers, and they said these were the best bang for the buck.
 
"I guess its preference. I havent seen a clean surface mount install yet. "

Depends on how you define clean... A transom is never clean due to platform brackets, zinc plates, trim tabs, etc...
 
I like thru hull mounts myself. Never had a issue with leaks. Get the brightest you can afford.

If you Google Yacht Lights they have some good pictures of different lights in action.
The top of the line Ocean LEDs are very bright.

Here is a comparison set of pictures I found a while back that might be of help. I believe it is from Yacht Lights.

uw-comparison.jpg
 
I have Deep Sea Power & Light, 150 watt HID lights. Very bright. Take a lot of juice so genset must be on, but they are fun. I understand Pascal's concerns about through hulls. He probably has a good point. The lights are just a luxury. For what it is worth, I think the design of the through hull is very good. Even if the crystal lens fails, the bulb is contained in a separate water tight compartment. For water to come in, you would have to have the whole flush-mount through-hull dislodged. Possible, but not likely. If you are not in clean, clear water, they are not worth the time or money. If you are in the Bahamas, you will freaking love them.
 
Guys,

Ship Shape TV had a good show yesterday on underwater lights. It was the episode shot in Tampa Bay.
 
I bought two halogen lights for 70 bucks on ebay, attached them to the top side of my trim tabs and they look and operate fabulously! They are the size of a Pepsi can and I can move them via the trim tab switch as well..
 
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