Courtesy lighting

[gnrboyd]

I have a 16' Aluminum Sea Nymph fishing boat. I am thinking about putting some courtesy lighting in. My boat has front and back decks, a console, and storage compartments along the mid sections on each side. It has an aluminum cap/gunnel like any standard aluminum boat. Under the cap on the inside, there is about an inch where I was thinking about mounting 3 or 4 small courtesy lights pointing downward on each side. I would run the wiring down the inside of the cap. My only concern is that since I have decking over the majority of sides of the boat, the light would only shine down to the deck (3 to 5 inches) and just hit the deck. I don't know if this would be enough distance to produce some soft lighting throughout the boat. I don't want it lit up like a Christmas tree or blind you but there should be enough to see what you're doing.

Here is an example of the type of light I was thinking of. I'd like to stay with LED because of the minimal battery draw. Has anyone every used these lights? How bright are they? Do you think they'd work ok for my intended purpose?

http://www.iboats.com/4_LED_Courtes....216651--**********.127493132--view_id.164096

Here is a photo of my boat so you can see what type of layout it has. (Not a good shot but that is all I have at the moment. It was taken from the previous owners.)




Let me know what you think about the lighting or if you have any other ideas. (I would like to keep the cost as low as possible.)

Thanks

 

[sc_shane]

Re: Courtesy lighting

I'm planning on putting some led rope lighting around the helm console of my boat. I think it will be a little dim, especialy with the size of the boat, but if I want to add more, I will be adding some down the sides of the seats. It's hard to see, but there's a 2" x 2" lip from the floor to the front side of the 2 seats you can see in this pic.

I plan on getting some green ones on eBay, but I found these from the same guy I'm getting mine from. The auction comes with 6.6 feet and one power supply\hookup, but you can contact him and custom order exactly what you want. These can be cut to size at certain intervals.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-12v-WHITE-c...ryZ43424QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[gnrboyd]

Re: Courtesy lighting

I've seen the rope lights before but I don't think I'd have a very good way to mount them. I think I will stick to something that I can secure with screws.

Nice Pontoon. I wouldn't mind having one if I could have 2 boats.

 

[kcolney]

Re: Courtesy lighting

checkout ebay #170196137215


i saw a friend of a friend with these all over his boat and they were really great! he put them high for general lighting and low for specific lighting on steps and even put 3 in the engine compartment and what a difference it makes. Im not too much for the colored ones but the white ones are great for general lighting. you can use2 sided sticky tape or drill them into the hull or seats.

Origionally designed for motorcycels they are small and very easy to place almost anywhere. their current draw is pretty low and you can use a few or all.

 

[gnrboyd]

Re: Courtesy lighting

kcolney... I think the lights are probably similar to the ones in the link I supplied but with different mounts. Mine need to be fairly small and be able to be mounted under my top gunnel cap and to allow the lights to point downward. I'm not a big fan of sticky tape as it looks like that is the only way to mount these.

Update to my original post.. I think I am going to have a hard time mounting anything under the gunnel cap especially in the back of the boat. I only have 3" clearance from the deck to the cap. I don't have an angle drill or attachment but it looks like that is what I may need to drill the mounting holes. I'm not even sure I could get an agle drill and bit in a 3" space. Hmmmmmm.....

 

[jevery]

Re: Courtesy lighting

Time to get a Dremel tool. They're great for small precision work and tight quarters.

 

[kcolney]

Re: Courtesy lighting

Well after looking at you original post I have to say these are not really like the ones you posted at all. Yours look like something one would use over a sink or in a bathroom for extra light or on steps etc. Plus you have to screw them into the hull which requires sealing as well.

You want to put them under side gunnel cap and you need them to be small and thin im guessing....thats exactly what these are. The size of these things are" Module: 3 ultra bright high intensity LED lights per cluster in a heat and impact resistant, waterproof plastic casing. Dimensions: 1 5/8" long x 5/8" wide x 3/8" tall"

That 3m dbl sided tape is strong stuff, I have Plastic rain diverters on the windows of my truck held on by this stuff and at speeds up to 80mph for over 3 years ice, snow, heat, they are still on.

This guy had them on his boat and it looked really professional and did the job well. i wish i had a photo of the boat to post..... Ill see what i can do on that.

just trying to help

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Courtesy lighting

There are many products that would get you there. I have purchased many LED lights (mostly 1156 & 57s) from Superbrightleds.com. If you look in the accent lighting part of their site, you'll see all kinds of options, including the same 4 LED fixture iboats sells which is probably the least attractive option. They have waterproof strips like the one below (which, BTW is slightly over a 5/16" wide), small rectangular and square fixtures, etc.. In the "More info" section of each item, they also give you the exact dimensions of everything they sell. I have ordered from them multiple times and they are a solid company to deal with.

EDIT: And as far as 3M's dbl sided tape, only the 3M VHB holds like that. It's what they use for aluminum bodies, etc. We use it in our shop.

 

[woodee148]

Re: Courtesy lighting

check out

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MOTO...196137215QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item170196137215


i saw a friend of a friend with these all over his boat and they were really great! he put them high for general lighting and low for specific lighting on steps and even put 3 in the engine compartment and what a difference it makes. Im not too much for the colored ones but the white ones are great for general lighting. you can use2 sided sticky tape or drill them into the hull or seats.

Origionally designed for motorcycels they are small and very easy to place almost anywhere. their current draw is pretty low and you can use a few or all.

That's cool, I am not a big fan of the lights on the bikes or under cars for that matter. But that boat at the bottom right looks great. I might order a set for myself! If you haven't you should check out the link, at the bottom of the page there is a pic of a "Striper? center console??" and it looks pretty neat

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Courtesy lighting

i have found the blue lights work much better. they are cool light, don't blind you.

"http://www.sailorsams.com/mall/led-cluster-courtesy-light.asp"

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Courtesy lighting

Blue lights or red are best if you want unobtrusive night lighting that won't mess with your night vision. Back in the day of film photography, remember that?, the only lights usable in the darkroom (at times) was red lights. They provide enough light for various tasks, but won't dilate your eyes to the point that you are night blind in darkness.

 

[sc_shane]

Re: Courtesy lighting

Nice Pontoon. I wouldn't mind having one if I could have 2 boats.

Thanks! She's my girl. I love it. I replaced my small fishing rig with this. It make it easy to take the family out on, or a ton of buddies. You can fish off of it fairly well, but trolling is a pain since it's so dag gum big.

Sounds like you have some solid suggestions from this thread. Best of luck, and keep us posted with what you end up with!

 

[gnrboyd]

Re: Courtesy lighting

Thanks everyone for your responses. I wasn't overly impressed with the oval type lights in my original post with the 4 LEDs but it did offer mounting holes for screws, small size, and the lights would point downward by mounting upside down under my aluminum cap.

After reading the comments here, I'm now starting to second guess my original plan. kcolney's suggestion (eBay #170196137215) wouldn't work for my original idea because of the mounting.

I looked at bjcsc's suggestion to look at superbrightleds.com. I found some there that were similar to the ones in the eBay kit kcolney suggested. I then went back to eBay and found some very similar also. (eBay# 350029116522).

I think I do like these better than the oval ones. I also think I will go with blue instead of white as tashasdaddy and tmcalavy recommended. I thought about that originally but then figured they would not be useful enough to see. After looking at the boat in the eBay ad as woodee148 referenced, it looks like they used blue and it looks bright enough and yet not too bright as to blind you.

Now the problem. How do I mount them? Some of the ones I looked at do not have mounting holes and the ones that do would only allow the lights to point horizontally which is not what I want. Do I use tape as some of the kits recommend? I did a search on 3M VMB tape and found this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OtrDvDvF5I

Holy cow...that must be some strong stuff. Surely it would keep some itty bitty lights in place. Some of the kits I've seen on eBay come with mounting tape. Do you think this is the tape they use or is it some el cheapo stuff? Can you find this VMB tape at Home Depot/ Wallyworld or is it more of a specialty type tape. Since it is 3M, I'm sure it isn't cheap. Do I need this specific tape or are other alternatives good enough for this application? Most of the mounting tapes I've seen in the past, are not near strong enough or waterproof enough.

Assuming I can find (and can afford) the VMB tape, I now can mount the lights on the side of the boat just under the gunnel cap. The slight angle of the boat should help ad more illumination than with my original plan.

Now the next question..... I'm thinking about ordering 8 or 10 of these things that will all be wired to one switch on my console. I've never wired multiple items on one circuit before. Should I route a pos and neg wire from the fuse box and tap into those wires with each light (pos and neg?) Do I connect the lights in series by connecting the lights red/black ? I'd like to do it so if one light goes bad, the rest will still work. If anyone offer some assistance on the wiring, I'd sure appreciate it. I just want to get my plan down before I place any orders.

Thank you all!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Courtesy lighting

pos & neg to each light tap in for each light, if not it will be like the old xmas tree, 1 out all out.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Courtesy lighting

I did a search on 3M VMB tape and found this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OtrDvDvF5I

Holy cow...that must be some strong stuff. Surely it would keep some itty bitty lights in place. Some of the kits I've seen on eBay come with mounting tape. Do you think this is the tape they use or is it some el cheapo stuff? Can you find this VMB tape at Home Depot/ Wallyworld or is it more of a specialty type tape. Since it is 3M, I'm sure it isn't cheap.

Well, it depends on how you look at. You can't buy it anywhere 'normal'. Some 3M dealers might be able to get it for you. The problem isn't so much the cost, it's that it's only sold on 72 yard rolls. We buy it from uline for $112 + shipping (we buy 3/4" 4920). The upside is that if you decide on VHB, I'd be happy to sell you some by the foot (at our cost of $.60 per foot + postage) as you won't need much. This way it's probably cheaper than the lightweight stuff you can buy in stores.

As far as strength, I assure you you have never seen a tape grip like this. If you put two pieces of sheet metal together with it, you will destroy the metal getting it apart. When you use it, it's a one shot deal as where it ends up is where it stays. There is no re-postitioning...

 

[thurps]

Re: Courtesy lighting

In my opinion extra holes and wiring should only be added as a last resort in boats, especially in a salt water environment. I think I would use small LED task lights (batteries last forever) attached with silicone calking and Velcro. Wipe down the batteries and contacts with petroleum jelly to control corrosion as you should all lights and sockets on a boat.

 

[wvit1001]

Re: Courtesy lighting

I've got courtesy lights built into my boat. More than anything else they seem to draw bugs at night. They're good for turning on for a few seconds to find something but having them on for any length of time turns into a problem.

 

[gnrboyd]

Re: Courtesy lighting

pos & neg to each light tap in for each light

Tashasdaddy,
I'm not quite sure I follow. Could you please clarify that a bit?

thurps... My boat is aluminum and will be used in freshwater. I was only talking about drilling holes on the underneath side of the aluminum cap so it really wouldn't have been a big deal if I had gone that route.

bjcsc... Wow...I appreciate your offer on selling me a small amount of the 3M tape. I wouldn't need more than a couple of feet. I may take you up on your offer if and when I finally decide what I'm going to do. By the way.... I'm convinced this tape will do the job...but now I'm worried that if I decide to remove the lights or if I break one and need to replace it, how am I gonna get them off? Can you cut that stuff with a razor blade and scrape off the excess?

wvit1001... I know what you mean about the bugs. As a couple of others suggested, blue lights are not as hard on the eyes. I also thought they might be better for not drawing as many bugs. ?? I don't fish a bunch in the dark but I do seem to fish in the evening until I can't see any more. (When it gets close to dusk, my fishin buddy stops fishing, puts his rods and tackle away and I will usually keep fishing because I hate to quit. When I start casting 30 feet on the bank, in trees, or setting the hook when my lure hits my rod tip, I then get a clue that its time to head in.) I'd would like to try night fishing sometime using floating lights and see how they work. My primary reason for wanting the lights is to be able to turn them on, tidy up things in the boat before heading in for the day. Sometimes we clean fish at the marina and lighting would be helpful there. Also, some of the ramps we use are not lit very well and the lights would be good when getting the boat ready for the road after pulling out of the lake.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Courtesy lighting

what i do is run a continuous pair of wires pos and neg. when you get to a light splice the pos and neg of the light into the continuous pair.
+lite +lite +lite
pos line-----------^-------------^--------------^ ^ is a light

neg line-----------^-------------^--------------^
-lite -lite -lite

pos line comes off switch.

neg line off the ground strip.

 

[gnrboyd]

Re: Courtesy lighting

what i do is run a continuous pair of wires pos and neg. when you get to a light splice the pos and neg of the light into the continuous pair.

Ok.. thats easy enough. I thought I had seen somewhere where you should chain them together by connecting opposite color wires. where it makes one big loop from battery.

I was a little concerned about how the voltage works with so many lights. Will I need to worry about that if I put in as many as 10 of those LED sets on one circuit? I know they don't draw as much as a regular light. I think the leads are only 22 guage. Do you see any problems with that? What guage would you use for the lead wires? I will likely have one down each side of the boat about 12 feet on each side and then another 12 foot snaked back to the console where I get my power. Do you have any ideas on fuse size? I know thats a tough question without knowing the specs on the lights. I thought perhaps you might know an approximate range on those LEDs enough to guess.

Thanks for your help... I really appreciate it.

(Lately, since I bought this boat I've been asking a lot of questions on this forum and have only helped answer one or two. I feel bad I have not contributed on the helping side more. In light of that, if you or anyone on the forum ever needs any help with an Excel spreadsheet, let me know.