Remote Control Spotlight

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Gulfstream G

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Any recommendations for a remote control spotlight? I am thinking of adding one the the hardtop of my 2002 232 to make lobster pots, etc. a bit easier to see at night during trips home from Newport. I looked at a few different models on the West Marine Site in the $200-$300 range with CP between 200,000 and 500,000. Any idea how many CP is sufficient?
 
As long as you are getting a remote control, mount it on the rail as far forward as possible - like on the Bow Sprit rail. Any light mounted on the hardtop will reflect light off the front deck and really make it difficult to see. And - it will screw up your night vision. You want the light source as far forward as possible.
 
I can't help with the spot light as I carry a portable but I wanted to share this with you. My neighbor had a spotlight mounted on her boat so she could see crab pot bouys on the rivers and in the Chesapeake. Trouble is, she turns it on and keeps it on for extended periods, like having head lights. This has attracted the attention of the Coast Guard, Marine Police, Fish and Game and some other water-borne law enforcement agencies, some more than once. She complains loudly (to us) but we can't convince her to just turn it on for brief periods and never when there is an on-coming vessel.

One night last fall she was coming back from a day at a festival and had the light on constantly. Even tho' she had it focused in close to the boat, she attracted the attention of a Fish and Game warden traveling in the opposite direction but a couple of miles away on the opposite side of the river. He stopped her and ultimately ended up arresting her and her companion for being intoxicated.

I guess what I'm leading up to is to be careful how you use it . That's one of the advantages of the portables - you can only hold them for so long.

Gary 89 Overnighter
 
I installed the go-light 500,000cp on my hard top. Its a wireless remote thats enough to spot buoys lobster pots etc. Your not going to light up a football field with it but its perfect for my needs.
 
As noted by gwwannabe, incorrect use of a light can get you in trouble.

Doesn't matter if it is a fixed or portable installation, or whether spot or flood configuration, these can't be used as "headlights" to light your way out on the water at night.

They are intended for brief, intermittent, use to illuminate an object, or an area.

If you can't navigate in the dark, then stay at home.

Brian
 
Thanks for the responses I didn't intend to use the light as a headlight. Just wanted to be able to turn it on on occaision when encountering fields of lobster pots which don't show on radar and are not plainly visible unless there is a bright moon.
 
I have a very powerful (3,000,000 CP) handheld in all my boats. The handheld is the ONLY one you can control very very well. Try to play with the little knob in 3 foot chop doing 20 plus MPH and you know what i mean.

TIP: A non rechargable is easier to control because is MUCH lighter. And you can pick one for 30 bucks or less.
 
I agree with all of NEM thoughts. I have a handheld after a couple of years with a remote on the hardtop. As others have said they just reflect off the stainless and kill your night vision and they are difficult to use at speed and even harder if it's blowing.

With handheld you can steady it and move it around to a position where it doesn't effect your vision. Also As NEM says a rechargeable one would be even better .
 
Mine is on the hardtop, nice and high. I can get some reflection off the bow if it gets low enough but I try to keep it high and use hand held as needed for closer work. Never a problem in all these years. Friends have painted a high heat line across the base of their lens to reduce the light on the bow structure reflecting, but I have not noticed that much difference. To be honest, I find more reflection off the eisenglass and windshield than from the spotlight; for me, a center console and spotlight was the best combination for clear night vision when you needed it, but if you are behind a windshield and eisenglass, play with it and experiment with different shore light situations to see what fits your experience level best. IMHO, there is no "one fit solution", its all about your boat, experience and capabilities; example, if I get lots of reflection, I will spin the boat 90 degrees or more and look at things with a hand held spot straight on to get more input on whats out there. Just because something is straight ahead doesn't mean that's the only view you have of it before you drive into it
 
sorry, two more comments; if you have radar, this is a great time to learn to read what it is telling you vs what you can see, and also, if in doubt, STOP. Radar rarely lies, but needs to be intrepreted as to what is sees vs what is really there.

Idle, float, back up, whatever, but if you are not sure what you are driving into, the correct action is to slow down or stop until you are sure, the safety of your boat, crew, passengers and anyone you may impact on other boats, docks, etc depends on your skills and actions
 
The GOLIGHT is an excellent item. Put the light on the top of your hardtop and mount it farther back. Use the top as a visor similar to a baseball hat. Place the light where the bow is in the shadow of the light with the beam just reaching beyond the bow. I put mine way to the right so that I can turn it to point in the water to starboard, where it can point down to illuminate the fish brought in at night.
 
I agree with the comments about mounting the light as far forward as possible. With that in mind, I've been thinking of buying a pair of Hella docking lights like these....no messing with a joy stick...just good illumination of what's directly in front of me. As the name implies, they are really only intended to aid in docking or close quarter maneuvering when it's dark...not for when you're running.

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... &id=889361
 
I have a remote spot and 2 KC daylighters on hardtop that the previous owner installed. I can`t stand them and prefer to use a 1 million cp handheld spot. When my enclosure is up, I stick it out the partially unzipped smiley. I can scan 180 in ft of me in seconds.
 
Hand Held

I found it to be cheap and easy to use.......I use it for navigating thru all the Crab Pots in the Channel on the PAX river at the mouth.
 
Wanderer 200 - thanks for the advice, especially since you have both options available. I think I will opt for the hand-held.
 
Stanley HID handheld

Hello
I bought a Stanley HID (not the ordinary bulb) at Walmart for about 69.00
It is about the brightest spotlight I have ever owned. I can light up a bridge and reflectors about mile away. HID means high intensity discharge.
Mark
 
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