underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

[Vankaye]

I'm interested in upgrading my interior courtesy lights in my '97 Regal Destiny 240 Deck Boat to LED. I thought I might do some underwater transom lights to go with it. The first website I went to had a package of 4 underwater LEDs for $2800+ !!!! I was absolutely floored! I've since found some less expensive alternatives but I'm still looking at 5-600 dollars! Come 'on!

This seems like it should be a simple easy and inexpensive undertaking. Anybody got any ideas how to get some bling lighting for a couple hundred bucks and a few hours of work? I don't mind spending a little extra for good quality. I understand that a good quality kit will mean that the install is a one-time undertaking and that doing it right the first time will give me the pleasure of only doing the job once. But these novelty lights are off the charts expensive! Why??

 

[Fireman431]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

Underwater LED lights are a perfect example of "you get what you pay for". You don't need the $700 LED's with the color changing transformer but you can find 6 group colored LED's for $30 each and straight 12v hookup. These will come with the plastic lens and will probably scratch over time whereas the expensive ones are glass lens and brass casing.

http://www.boatstore.com/led-underwater-light-white-size-3-l-x-1-2-w-7-62cm-x-1-27.html

These are also available in red, blue, green, and white. Let Google be your friend.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Parts-Accessories/dm/*******.606190650--keywords.led%20lights--searched.1--session_id.345418049

 

[Thalasso]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

I'm interested in upgrading my interior courtesy lights in my '97 Regal Destiny 240 Deck Boat to LED. I thought I might do some underwater transom lights to go with it. The first website I went to had a package of 4 underwater LEDs for $2800+ !!!! I was absolutely floored! I've since found some less expensive alternatives but I'm still looking at 5-600 dollars! Come 'on!

This seems like it should be a simple easy and inexpensive undertaking. Anybody got any ideas how to get some bling lighting for a couple hundred bucks and a few hours of work? I don't mind spending a little extra for good quality. I understand that a good quality kit will mean that the install is a one-time undertaking and that doing it right the first time will give me the pleasure of only doing the job once. But these novelty lights are off the charts expensive! Why??

www.coastalnightlights.com Schrabb Criss will help you and he has great customer service

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

Lumitec SeaBlaze 3's or 2's (if price is your main sticking point).

Here are my two SeaBlaze 3's in blue:

they look absolutely awesome at night.

comparison:

Installed myself in about 2 hours; a tube of 3M 4200, a 1/2 drill bit, and some courage is all it takes. I found these for $205 each online. I did research for months before deciding on them. If you can find a better deal for an as good or better quality light, please let me know, so I can buy some of them too.

edit: you have what is probably a pretty nice, expensive boat. Please do not cheap out and put crap underwater lights on it. I agree that some are priced out of the galaxy, but the ones I'm recommending aren't, and the quality is outstanding. If the SeaBlaze 2's are too much money for you, you should probably not undertake any underwater lighting. I've had cheapy ($30/each-ish) underwater lights on a previous boat - they are cheap for a reason. Water intrusion into the housing within a few months. They kept working, but I'm sure they would have failed eventually.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

This seems like it should be a simple easy and inexpensive undertaking. Anybody got any ideas how to get some bling lighting for a couple hundred bucks and a few hours of work? I don't mind spending a little extra for good quality. I understand that a good quality kit will mean that the install is a one-time undertaking and that doing it right the first time will give me the pleasure of only doing the job once. But these novelty lights are off the charts expensive! Why??

Yes, I took a look at doing the underwater lights thing a while back and noted the big price tag for the truly underwater varieties.

My el-cheapo idea is to mount the relatively inexpensive & water proof/resistant LED strips on the underneath side of the swim platform. They will get wet during boat operation, but 'live' above water. This will give reasonably good underwater lighting at a fraction of the cost of fully under water lights.

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

My el-cheapo idea is to mount the relatively inexpensive & water proof/resistant LED strips on the underneath side of the swim platform. They will get wet during boat operation, but 'live' above water. This will give reasonably good underwater lighting at a fraction of the cost of fully under water lights.

How do you plan on fixing them to the surface? I can't imagine the adhesive tape would survive very long, so I'm assuming screws? You will also have to tackle the issue of passing the wiring through the hull; on surface mount lights like the ones on my boat, the wiring is behind the housing and goes straight through, the housing serving as the sealing surface for the wiring and thru-hull hole. Strip lights have the wiring on the end, so there will be no surface to cover the hole up with. I realize the wiring will not be underwater, but (at least on my boat) the underside of the swim platform sees significant splash.

I would test the strips in the position you plan on putting them, with the boat on the water, before permanently affixing them. I think you will be very disappointed at the amount of light you will actually see. Strip lights "glow" but have little to no projection ability. You may get a small halo around the underside of your platform, but little else, especially since the LEDs will be firing downwards and not back and out. I could be completely wrong about this, of course, and it could turn out great, so I am not trying to talk you out of doing it at all. I am actually interested to see the results myself, so post pictures if you do it.

 

[Vankaye]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

Lumitec SeaBlaze 3's or 2's (if price is your main sticking point).


edit: you have what is probably a pretty nice, expensive boat. Please do not cheap out and put crap underwater lights on it. I agree that some are priced out of the galaxy, but the ones I'm recommending aren't, and the quality is outstanding. If the SeaBlaze 2's are too much money for you, you should probably not undertake any underwater lighting. I've had cheapy ($30/each-ish) underwater lights on a previous boat - they are cheap for a reason. Water intrusion into the housing within a few months. They kept working, but I'm sure they would have failed eventually.

I'm totally with you on NOT cheaping out. I don't want to do the job twice. I was thinking 4 lights would suffice but at 2 bills a piece I'm looking at $800 just for the underwater lights. That just doesn't make sense to me. I can get an iPod for $200 (for example) and likewise I can do a whole lot of "JL Audio" stereo stuff with $800.

Thanks guys. I'm gonna forget about the underwater lights and concentrate on a bangin' stereo instead.
But I do LOVE the looks of the underwater lights! : )

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

I'm totally with you on NOT cheaping out. I don't want to do the job twice. I was thinking 4 lights would suffice but at 2 bills a piece I'm looking at $800 just for the underwater lights.

I can understand your logic. I love the look of the lights when I'm anchored or docked and I would spend the money again, but looking at it objectively its hard to justify $500 (about what my setup cost when considering lights, sealant, wiring, the switch, etc) to make some water glow. At the same time, it is cool

Any reason you think you'd need 4? My two easily light up the entire transom of my boat out to about 8-10 feet in freshwater; they would look even better in clear saltwater. I would not feel required to put 4 of them on a boat unless it had a very wide (ie, non-trailerable) beam.

 

[Vankaye]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

I can understand your logic. I love the look of the lights when I'm anchored or docked and I would spend the money again, but looking at it objectively its hard to justify $500 (about what my setup cost when considering lights, sealant, wiring, the switch, etc) to make some water glow. At the same time, it is cool

Any reason you think you'd need 4? My two easily light up the entire transom of my boat out to about 8-10 feet in freshwater; they would look even better in clear saltwater. I would not feel required to put 4 of them on a boat unless it had a very wide (ie, non-trailerable) beam.

I was just thinking 2 on each side of the out-drive would the right amount of light. Is that not 4 lights you have in your pic? Are the outside two above the water line? Most of the pics I saw online show 4 lights. I just assumed it was optimum since that is what is chosen for most bling bling pics

I probably will spend the money, I usually do. But for now, I'm trying to talk myself out of it. It won't work, it never does! Logic is futile!

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

I was just thinking 2 on each side of the out-drive would the right amount of light. Is that not 4 lights you have in your pic? Are the outside two above the water line?

The only two underwater lights I have are the two you see in the first pic I posted. They're under the waterline. The third picture is a comparison done that show how Seablaze 3's are brighter then other lights, some costing double what they do or more. The third picture is not my work, its from the Lumitec website, but I dont know if they made it or it was independent.

Four lights would be overkill on my boat, and truthfully, with the Stingray's transom design, I dont really even have room for them.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

Why don't you put in two first and then add 2 more later if you feel it's necessary. You may be planning on spending a lot of money you didn't have to.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: underwater lighting - crazy prices!!

How do you plan on fixing them to the surface? I can't imagine the adhesive tape would survive very long, so I'm assuming screws? You will also have to tackle the issue of passing the wiring through the hull; on surface mount lights like the ones on my boat, the wiring is behind the housing and goes straight through, the housing serving as the sealing surface for the wiring and thru-hull hole. Strip lights have the wiring on the end, so there will be no surface to cover the hole up with. I realize the wiring will not be underwater, but (at least on my boat) the underside of the swim platform sees significant splash.

Actually, it is a secret as to how I would do all these things. I probably won't do the lighting thing until I get my next boat as I have decided to move up to a bigger boat. So, I'll start a thread once the time is right.