What is the best way to power navigation lights that won't be used very often?

[littlebunker]

Hi all,

I have a question about nav light that will basically never get used. I don't plan on going out in periods of restricted visibility or at night, but I'd like to have nav lights just in case I get stuck or something. I have a little 14' gregor-style (unsure of make, it's basically just an aluminum boat. Title says "special construction") boat, so I don't have a battery onboard?yet.

I've seen those little clamp-on nav lights that are AA-battery powered (or whatever), but they look cheap and I don't necessarily trust AA batteries sitting around near a saltwater bay until i might need them someday. I'm worried that I don't have a good place to clamp them down (i've tried using clamp-on rod holders, but they just don't stay put. They vibrate off within a few seconds usually), and I'm worried about reliability. It sure looks like my boat used to have an electronic system, as there are small nav lights in a housing and some loose wires dangling down. I guess i COULD just get a marine battery, and honestly, I wouldn't mind being able to power a fish finder and maybe a bilge pump or something, but I certainly don't NEED those fancy things. I'm just saying that I wouldn't be devastated if I had to buy a battery, but it's not my preference. And until I can afford things like a fish finder and bilge pump, I'd worry that I spend a ton of money on a marine battery that may never get used.

I guess my ideal would be some lights that bolt on somehow, and have easy-to-change batteries, but I don't see anything like that on the market.

So, the questions:

1) Anyone have experience with the clamp lights? Do they work, or not work?

2) If I use the existing lights, so I need a deep-cycle marine battery? Or might I be fine with some little store-bought 12v battery, like a lawnmower battery or even a RC battery or something?

3) is there any other alternatives? Battery-operated bolt-on lights? What about solar? etc?

Totally at a loss about how to even start approaching this. Open to any and all feedback.

Thanks!!

 

[JASinIL2006]

I've used the clamp-on lights on a 14' aluminum boat that almost never is used at night. They are fine for that sort of infrequent use.

 

[BWR1953]

I had a small boat years ago and used the clamp on battery powered lights. They worked fine for the application. I just kept them in a watertight bag along with other necessities that I would put in the boat before going out. Easy-peasy.

 

[gm280]

You could wire up regular navigation and anchor lights that are permanent and use a sealed gel cell type battery and then connect them up if you ever need to. That way you know the lights will have quality wiring if needed. And the gel cell sealed little battery can be charged and just carry it along with you when going out. And if you used LED type lights, that little hand held size battery would power them for a very long time as well. JMHO

 

[Scott Danforth]

the little 14' fishing boat that I use with Dad has a battery on board, wired lights and an electric trolling motor. battery needs to be on a charger prior to use as the old Gale outboard doesnt have ability to charge anything.

this setup has been working fine for the past 22 years

 

[littlebunker]

Hi all,

thanks for the replies so far.

@JASinIL2006/BWR1953: OK, I'll give the clamp lights serious consideration. Thanks!

@GM280: thanks. I can just grab pretty much any 12v battery? I know nothing about batteries.... is this the kind of battery you're talking about? Do you think I can just charge it maybe once a year, and mostly just leave it in the boat just in case? I have no idea how long sealed gel batteries hold their charge. Thanks!
https://www.amazon.com/ExpertPower-...1471289649&sr=8-7&keywords=sealed+12v+battery


@ScottDanforth: Great, thanks! I'll look into batteries as well


Thanks everyone!

 

[MH Hawker]

You could wire up regular navigation and anchor lights that are permanent and use a sealed gel cell type battery and then connect them up if you ever need to. That way you know the lights will have quality wiring if needed. And the gel cell sealed little battery can be charged and just carry it along with you when going out. And if you used LED type lights, that little hand held size battery would power them for a very long time as well. JMHO

thats what i would go with or a jump pack

 

[airshot]

I have a small sealed 12v battery that I use for a power lawn sprayer, weighs less then 5 lbs, no spill, total cost off the internet was 38 bucks shipped to my door. I have even used this little battery to power my electric trolling motor in my pond when spreading my blueing agent. Will run my trolling motor for over a half hour (36lb thrust) and run my 35 gallon power sprayer for an hour. That should run a couple small nav lights all night and you will then have a battery for a fish finder. It is a 12v dc 18 ah battery

 

[littlebunker]

thanks for all the great replies, everyone.

I'm going to get a small AGM battery and just keep it on board for emergency lights. I guess I just have two last questions:

One, if I get the glass mat battery, do I need to worry about ruining it by running it low? As I said, I know basically nothing about batteries, but I kind of thought that, generally, "deep cycle" batteries were designed to run low without any damage, but that most other batteries would be ruined if they were run low. Is this true of glass mat batteries as well?

Two, would it be better for me to just get a little solar trickle charger and keep it hooked up all the time until I need it, or would it be better to just store it on board and bring it home to recharge it once in a while? I've been following that other thread about possibly using a solar charger and they weren't recommended, but I feel like the reasons they weren't recommended were because they were inefficient. But for keeping a tiny, tiny emergency battery with enough charge to power emergency LED lights, they ought to be fine, right? My only worry with the trickle charger is that I wonder if it's bad for batteries to be on a trickle charger all the time, like months or a year, without being used. And my worry with recharging it is that I'll forget! And then it either won't be charged when I need it, or maybe I'll forget and it'll discharge past the point where it's still good. I remember you could ruin lead acid batteries by letting them sit too long, but I guess I don't know if that's true for glass mat batteries....

thanks again!

 

[Silvertip]

Battery Basics:
1) Always fully charge a battery AFTER you finished using it. Not just BEFORE you need it. Leaving a battery in a deeply discharged condition is a death sentence.
2) How big (amp/hour) you need depends on a) what the average amp draw will be, and b) over how long a period that draw occurs. Amp draw is listed on the package for nearly every device. As an example, let's say your nav and anchor lights draw a total of 1 amp. That's one amp for each hour they are in operation. If you power them with a 7 AH (amp/hour) battery in your link, theoretically the lights could run for 7 hours. However, you NEVER fully deplete a battery (unless you want to deliberately kill it) so figure 50% duty cycle (3.5 hours). This is simple math but you need to do some figuring on what you are powering. Won't be long you add a radio and a fish finder. That 7 AH battery is now has nowhere near the capacity. Go for the highest AH rating you have room for and/or want to deal with.
3) You do not need to pay $38.00 for that battery in your link. Go to any farm store like Tractor Supply, Fleet Farm or similar places that sell fishing/hunting gear. Those identical batteries in 7AH size are $17.00 and $19.00 for the 9 AH on sale and only marginally more at regular pricing.
4) Solar is impractical and is a target for thieves if the boat is left unattended in a public area.
5) I will assume this boat is trailered so why not make a memory jogger tag that says 'BATTERY" and attach it to the trailer tongue or bow of the boat so you see it when getting hitched up. Should remind you to fetch the battery.