Rope Lights

[bherron]

Hey guys, I want to install rope lighting along the base of my seats in a pontoon boat (approx. 50' total length of lighting). I was going to run them off of a battery system (series wiring), do I need to find DC powered rope lights? If so, does anyone know where I can find them, I have tried but they are hard to locate. Any other suggestions are appreciated, Thank you!

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Rope Lights

Try this place, it has just about any kind of rope light you could want!

Rope Lights

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Rope Lights

google 12 volt rope llights. there were so many i was surprized.

 

[bherron]

Re: Rope Lights

I have found lots of rope lighting, but I am concerned about the power source. Is the regular 12volt lighting going to connect to my battery bank? I am trying to figure out if AC or DC powered lights are applicable here. I just thought you would need a regular plug for the rope lights unless they are marine DC powered lights.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Rope Lights

Your boat has a 12 volt DC power system. You can't get 115 VAC rope lights to work from a 12V supply unless you use an inverter. Small inverters come in various sizes from 30 - 40 watts to several hundred watts. They convert 12V dc to 115 volts ac and will run lights, radios, stereos, computers and anything else that you would normally plug in at home. You do need to make sure the total power demand of the devices you plug into the inverter don't exceed its capacity. You should also run the inverter off the largest deep cycle battery you have room for. Remember the battery is not an inexhaustable source of energy. It will need to be recharged, either by the engine (not very efficient unless you have a large engine), or by plugging a battery charger into shore power.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Rope Lights

Bherron, As long as the lights are 12V, it doesn't matter if they are AC or DC.

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Rope Lights

These LED one's would work best. they run off 12v, virtually never burn out and use much less power (90% less) than the others so it wouldn't drain your battery. No inverter to mess with (potential safety concern with 110v ac).

12 LED Rope Light