Spot Light Suggestions

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anothertoy

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Hello:

My 282 did not come with a spot light and I am now researching adding one to the hardtop. I have some quetions and would appreciate any feedback-

- Best brand to go with? My local supplier carries ACR, Golight and ITT but I could find other brands.

- Candlepower. I see that rating range from 100,000 to 1,000,000 on the different units. If my use is the occasional running at night what power should I be thinking about?

- Remote type. There are wired remote, handheld wireless remotes and dashboard mounted wireless remotes. Going wireless sounds good - avoids drilling holes but how have people found using the wireless units?

- Installation. What is the preferred location? Was thinking about helm. Any wiring suggestions?

Thanks for any help.
 
anothertoy said:
If my use is the occasional running at night what power should I be thinking about?
Click to expand...

A searchlight can be used for the close in identification of navaids, etc. I find that a good hand held spotlight meets the very infrequent need for such illumination.

The use of a spotlight as a "headlight", for "running at night", is prohibited. You are not allowed to show any lights other than navigation lights, and such use of a spotlight will certainly hazard the night vision on any boat in front of you.

Brian
 
I agree with Brian. I have a Guest spotlight mounted on the hardtop with the remote joystick at the helm, but rarely use it. I have used it to check on anchor scope at night.

During the summer in MN, I usually fish at night in an open boat and use a handheld to re-locate markers I've tossed out over structure. The handheld is more versatile, quicker and easier to use than a mounted spot. It can be switched between high and lower power and between flood and spot.

If your helm area is fully-enclosed, however, it may be hard to use a hand-held effectively. Also, I frequently fish solo and the mounted, remote control Guest could be useful in an emergency since it is always ready to go right at my fingertips.

We do have one gentleman at my lake in MN who drives his pontoon boat around with the docking lights on at night, blinding everyone on the water and ashore as he returns from his sunset cocktail cruises. He apparently thinks they are running or head lights.

Back to saltwater, not only will a spotlight blind other boaters, you will lose your own vision, at least momentarily, to night blindness caused by the glare of the light. If you do get one, mount it in a location to minimize shining on any part of the forward deck/pulpit/rails as the glare will amplify night blindness beyond mere water glare.

If you have or may get radar, then the spot has to be mounted off to one side, which limits the ability for close work on the far side of the boat. My Guest is located at the forward, starboard edge of the hardtop, away from the radar. With radar, the only choice on location is port or starboard. I think you can see both the spot and the control mounted on the helm in the pictures of my boat in the for sale forum (2004 270 Islander).
 
I've been on several boats with spotlights on the hardtop and they all splash so much light on the forward deck that the reflected light destroys your night vision. The top is a bad place to mount a light, it really becomes useless.

You will do much better with a forward mounted light - I mount mine on the pulpit bow rail.; its mounted on a shaped piece of Starboard that clamps on the rail. I only use it when I'm out at night - when not in use I store it in the cabin.

Mine is a rem controlled (wired) Jabsco 146SL- 175,000 CP. It does the job OK but could stand to be brighter. It's OK for picking up buoys and lobster pots.
I made a wiring harness that plugs into a receptacle under the gunnel; I just wind the cable along the bow rail back to the cabin. Works great and is out of the weather when not in use; which is about 95% of the time.

It was a bit of a project to make everything but I like the result. The wireless option would simplify this substantially, but I went the wired route.

If you need any pictures let me know and I'll post some.
 
In the area that I boat in, the lower Georgia Strait in SW BC (mouth of Fraser River) there is so much debris (logs, chunks...) that if running at night you would not feel safe doing so without a spot light.
 
i use the wired portable remote Golight. there is a shoe mounted on the hardtop that the golight slips into. i plug into the acc outlet and there is an attached remote button. i think its about 400k cp. good enough where i am. since you keep the light off the mount when not in use, looks like it is brand new. the hardtop is high enough to keep the light off the foredeck; i started with a handheld, but it lit up the deck way too much. i would use the same setup if i were to do it again. ron
 
I hate spotlights!!! Had one on my last boat, will not install one on the 265, not worth the money. We carry a handheld guest for when we need to find known markings or obstructions. A spotlight will blind you, and will only shine maybe 100ft infront of the boat...if that which does not allow you enough time to avoid much unless you are crawling around. Best bet is dim your electronics and use red led's for lighting, your eyes will adjust and you will see better. Only time I have used the handheld on thew new boat is running the canyon on day trolls where we leave at 3am and need to find lobster pots for a 4mile stretch when we pick them up on the radar. There is an ACR light with very high power that would light better, but is pricey and would draw a bit off your batteries,
I'd worry about leaving it on for more then a few minutes, even with the engines running.

Yes, a light is better then no light, but I would not go for the top of the line high end light, it really is a waste of money. If you never boat alone, a handheld you can either charge or plug into the onboard plus is all you need. If you boat alone at night, one that is mounted and has a joystick might be a little better to free up your hands a little. We had a jabsco on our other boat and it was good for what we used, paid about $150 at the time.

If your worried about hitting floating objects, you will never find them with a spot light, by the time you see it it will be way too late, the beam is narrow and does not shine far enough forward for that use. Best bet is just get on plane and go as slow as you can where your just planed, but have a little more bow rise then normal...you will push objets out to the side and away from the boat without damaging the boat, running slow will take forever and do the same thing, and running hard you will ride over it and slam into it, not pushing it away due to your running angle and speed. A 15-20mph cruise at night is plenty and can be safe if you know what your doing and where your going.
 
I hate spotlights!!! Had one on my last boat, will not install one on the 265, not worth the money. We carry a handheld guest for when we need to find known markings or obstructions. A spotlight will blind you, and will only shine maybe 100ft infront of the boat...if that which does not allow you enough time to avoid much unless you are crawling around. Best bet is dim your electronics and use red led's for lighting, your eyes will adjust and you will see better. Only time I have used the handheld on thew new boat is running the canyon on day trolls where we leave at 3am and need to find lobster pots for a 4mile stretch when we pick them up on the radar. There is an ACR light with very high power that would light better, but is pricey and would draw a bit off your batteries,
I'd worry about leaving it on for more then a few minutes, even with the engines running.

Yes, a light is better then no light, but I would not go for the top of the line high end light, it really is a waste of money. If you never boat alone, a handheld you can either charge or plug into the onboard plus is all you need. If you boat alone at night, one that is mounted and has a joystick might be a little better to free up your hands a little. We had a jabsco on our other boat and it was good for what we used, paid about $150 at the time.

If your worried about hitting floating objects, you will never find them with a spot light, by the time you see it it will be way too late, the beam is narrow and does not shine far enough forward for that use. Best bet is just get on plane and go as slow as you can where your just planed, but have a little more bow rise then normal...you will push objets out to the side and away from the boat without damaging the boat, running slow will take forever and do the same thing, and running hard you will ride over it and slam into it, not pushing it away due to your running angle and speed. A 15-20mph cruise at night is plenty and can be safe if you know what your doing and where your going.
 
Anothertoy:
I use a handheld which I like much better than a mounted spot light. I also like the convenience of storing it out of the way in a moisture resistance zip lock bag which keeps it dry and clean.
I mostly use my hand held at 4 am when leaving Watch Hill harbor and take a short cut through the "cut" which is lightly marked fishing channel over the flats behind Napatree Point. I have the fishing buoys marked on my GPS but I always need the handheld to pick them out just to be sure. I cannot stand back from the bow with the handheld because the backwash from the light is blinding. I really like storing the handheld on shore during the off season and do the pre-season make ready on it at the house before the season starts.
 
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