has anyone used the thru hull underwater lights ? and apart from looking preety have they made a difference to your night time fishing results?
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
underwater lights
- Thread starter jekyl
- Start date
gradyfish22
GreatGrady Captain
Don't have them on my boat, but most guys in my are who fish tuna have put them on, or use a hydroglow light in the water. It will not help you catch fish...fishermen catch fish!!!(joke) Underwater lights do attract more bait to the boat if your fishing an area full of life which then attracts the fish. I think it is well worth adding, but here is the question...on your boat how are you powering them? Not sure if I would run it off your main battery bank and risk killing the batteries far offshore. Some underwater lights draw less then others, so if you do add them, be aware of how much current they use and make sure your system can handle it. Know that on your boat you cannot run your spreader lights all night wither, that will also kill your batteries. Not sure if I had mentioned to you, but I am adding a new lighting system for offshore fishing on my 265 this spring. I'm adding 2 Pyramid Technology HID lights, 3x the light and 1/3 the current. Off a good sized battery they will last all night. I am putting a new battery in the Stbd Bench seat and using it only to power the lights so I cannot kill my start batteries. I will keep the battery off the boat and charged at home until I run offshore, hook up the terminals and I'm in business. I may also add underwater lights from the same company, they draw a slight bit less then others and are not true through hulls, they stick out 1/2" from the hull and only require a 1/4" hole drilled through the transom. They are LED lights. Each light is $200 a piece(total of $400 for the underwater lights and $400 for the HID lights.
Your other option to having lighting all night is to buy a small Honda generator and to strap it on the bow when running offshore. My friend has it on his 265, it cost him slightly over $800 installed. His dealer did a very good job, if interested in this, try Hobby Lobby Marine in Toms River, NJ. They did a very neat install and I'm sure they could send you all the parts and instructions as to how they did it, they are very good people down there. Reason I do not like this is that you will have a shore power chord running from the bow to the transom. Not a fan of a wire in my way when fishing and the possibility of someone putting a gaff or hook into it. Also, I'm not sure if I like having more stuff on my bow, I already strap a 6 man canister life raft to the bow, and if that generator takes a wave over the bow, I'm curios to see how it will last over time. I'd also rather make less trips to the bow if possible when overnighting. Those are your 2 options, and why I choose my method, not saying it is right for you, but I did a bit of research and these are the 2 solutions I came up with. Let us know what you decide to do.
Your other option to having lighting all night is to buy a small Honda generator and to strap it on the bow when running offshore. My friend has it on his 265, it cost him slightly over $800 installed. His dealer did a very good job, if interested in this, try Hobby Lobby Marine in Toms River, NJ. They did a very neat install and I'm sure they could send you all the parts and instructions as to how they did it, they are very good people down there. Reason I do not like this is that you will have a shore power chord running from the bow to the transom. Not a fan of a wire in my way when fishing and the possibility of someone putting a gaff or hook into it. Also, I'm not sure if I like having more stuff on my bow, I already strap a 6 man canister life raft to the bow, and if that generator takes a wave over the bow, I'm curios to see how it will last over time. I'd also rather make less trips to the bow if possible when overnighting. Those are your 2 options, and why I choose my method, not saying it is right for you, but I did a bit of research and these are the 2 solutions I came up with. Let us know what you decide to do.
jimmy's marine service
Well-Known Member
gradyfish22 said:Don't have them on my boat, but most guys in my are who fish tuna have put them on, or use a hydroglow light in the water. It will not help you catch fish...fishermen catch fish!!!(joke) Underwater lights do attract more bait to the boat if your fishing an area full of life which then attracts the fish. I think it is well worth adding, but here is the question...on your boat how are you powering them? Not sure if I would run it off your main battery bank and risk killing the batteries far offshore. Some underwater lights draw less then others, so if you do add them, be aware of how much current they use and make sure your system can handle it. Know that on your boat you cannot run your spreader lights all night wither, that will also kill your batteries. Not sure if I had mentioned to you, but I am adding a new lighting system for offshore fishing on my 165 this spring. I'm adding 2 Pyramid Technology HID lights, 3x the light and 1/3 the current. Off a good sized battery they will last all night. I am putting a new battery in the Stbd Bench seat and using it only to power the lights so I cannot kill my start batteries. I will keep the battery off the boat and charged at home until I run offshore, hook up the terminals and I'm in business. I may also add underwater lights from the same company, they draw a slight bit less then others and are not true through hulls, they stick out 1/2" from the hull and only require a 1/4" hole drilled through the transom. They are LED lights. Each light is $200 a piece(total of $400 for the underwater lights and $400 for the HID lights.
Your other option to having lighting all night is to buy a small Honda generator and to strap it on the bow when running offshore. My friend has it on his 265, it cost him slightly over $800 installed. His dealer did a very good job, if interested in this, try Hobby Lobby Marine in Toms River, NJ. They did a very neat install and I'm sure they could send you all the parts and instructions as to how they did it, they are very good people down there. Reason I do not like this is that you will have a shore power chord running from the bow to the transom. Not a fan of a wire in my way when fishing and the possibility of someone putting a gaff or hook into it. Also, I'm not sure if I like having more stuff on my bow, I already strap a 6 man canister life raft to the bow, and if that generator takes a wave over the bow, I'm curios to see how it will last over time. I'd also rather make less trips to the bow if possible when overnighting. Those are your 2 options, and why I choose my method, not saying it is right for you, but I did a bit of research and these are the 2 solutions I came up with. Let us know what you decide to do.
you bring up an interesting point here...
the led underwater lites are the way to go,they draw minimal power...the problem you hit on is the batteries...if your boat doesn't have a seperated and dedicated battery system you're asking fro trouble heading offshore...you're gonna lose power trying to run 12v spreader lites and underwater lites,etc...i've seen too many guys think they can do,i tell them no way,but they give it a shot any way....smartest play you can make,is to get a honda genny and use it....if you guys want more info on this ask,and i'll 'splain it all....
The LED lights draw very little power and wouldn't be draining your battery like incondescent bulbs. You're going to spend a decent amount of money if you want really bright underwater LED's. I've been thinkig of looking into LED type lights for the spreaders. One drawback is the light from most LED's doesn't travel very far and may be bright up close but go 8 feet away and there is a huge difference.
BobP
GreatGrady Captain
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2005
- Messages
- 4,746
- Reaction score
- 6
- Points
- 38
- Location
- Long Island, NY
- Model
- Sailfish
Have to wait until LED headlamps for cars show up, before there will be a decent LED spreader light to replace ours.
BobP
GreatGrady Captain
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2005
- Messages
- 4,746
- Reaction score
- 6
- Points
- 38
- Location
- Long Island, NY
- Model
- Sailfish
gradyfish22
GreatGrady Captain
The only LED spreader light on the market that I have found are from Pyramid Technologies(www.pyramidtech.com). It cost the same as the HID bulb. The LED 's draw 1.25 amps the HID is 1.9amps(21w bulb) or (.9 amp draw(10w bulb). Halogen lights draw roughly 4.5 amps. These specs are per light. The 10w HID is the same as a 55w halogen, the 21w HID is 4x as bright as a 55w halogen. Only draw back to LED's are the narrow beam. This company claims they have a wide beam light as well. Pyramid started out making HID and LED lights for the car industry, they now have entered the boating market as well. I've talked with this company on several occasions, but am not sold yet on their LED spreader lights. The HID lights are a good compromise for my use. I am putting the 21w lights in, so my lighted area will increase, and my draw of amps will decrease by more then 50% for my lights.
I will be running my electronics(2 vhf radios, FF, and depending on conditions, either my gps or my radar) off my house batteries. I will run my spreader lights off a separate battery that is not ties into any others.(this battery will be big enough to run the lights and hopefully have enough spare juice to be a backup battery as well) And I will have another start battery on the off position so that it is not used and full of juice in case anything else drains.
I agree with BobP, I really do not feel there is a good LED light out there to replace your spreaders just yet. Grog, a good bright LED light draw a bit more amps then you think. You can buy LED underwater lights that are a more base model, but they are not as bright as you think. You really need a gen to safely power good LED lights. Also, most boats with LED's have atleast 2, and often have up to even 3 or 4, it adds up. In most applications, the LED lights alone will not drain your batteries, but add in your other electronics that you might have running, that little bit from the LED's could put you over what your battery system can handle. It really all depends on what your battery banks can handle. If you plan to fish offshore, I personally would not take the risk of killing all your batteries. Regardless of how you light your boat at night, it should preferably not be using either of your battery banks that are used to start your engines, unless you have a gen. on board. I've heard too many guys on the radio over the years asking for jumps because they drained their batteries while overnighting. Luckily they had enough juice to radio for help. Not sure what they would do when you have no battery to call for help and you are 60-80+ miles offshore......
I will be running my electronics(2 vhf radios, FF, and depending on conditions, either my gps or my radar) off my house batteries. I will run my spreader lights off a separate battery that is not ties into any others.(this battery will be big enough to run the lights and hopefully have enough spare juice to be a backup battery as well) And I will have another start battery on the off position so that it is not used and full of juice in case anything else drains.
I agree with BobP, I really do not feel there is a good LED light out there to replace your spreaders just yet. Grog, a good bright LED light draw a bit more amps then you think. You can buy LED underwater lights that are a more base model, but they are not as bright as you think. You really need a gen to safely power good LED lights. Also, most boats with LED's have atleast 2, and often have up to even 3 or 4, it adds up. In most applications, the LED lights alone will not drain your batteries, but add in your other electronics that you might have running, that little bit from the LED's could put you over what your battery system can handle. It really all depends on what your battery banks can handle. If you plan to fish offshore, I personally would not take the risk of killing all your batteries. Regardless of how you light your boat at night, it should preferably not be using either of your battery banks that are used to start your engines, unless you have a gen. on board. I've heard too many guys on the radio over the years asking for jumps because they drained their batteries while overnighting. Luckily they had enough juice to radio for help. Not sure what they would do when you have no battery to call for help and you are 60-80+ miles offshore......
BobP
GreatGrady Captain
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2005
- Messages
- 4,746
- Reaction score
- 6
- Points
- 38
- Location
- Long Island, NY
- Model
- Sailfish
Lumens or candlepower define light energy, not watts.
What are the lumen or candlepower comparisons ?
What are the lumen or candlepower comparisons ?
What really kills the efficiency of most lights is they have to make something really hot to make the light, LED's don't. 20 Watts of LED light should be enough light and at around 1.5A isn't going to be a load issue. Sure if you want a supernova under the water it's going to take power but all you want to do is attract fish not make them think it's daytime. Beyond a point it's more for the owner's ego than the fish.
Gradyfish you're putting in (2) 21W HID's? 400W (equal) at 12 feet is pretty bright.
Gradyfish you're putting in (2) 21W HID's? 400W (equal) at 12 feet is pretty bright.
gradyfish22
GreatGrady Captain
Grog, It will be bright, but my whole offshore crew agreed, the stock spreaders were nowhere near enough light for offshore fishing. I am used to fishing large convertibles with 4+ huge spreader lights, I know I can not provide that much light, especially without a genset, but I plan to be as bright as I can be. The more bait you can attract, the better. Just like with trolling where small boats want to make your spread appear bigger, I want to have more lighting to provide a better advantage when overnighting.
there is a brand of LED light in Australia called Aqualuma.com. they look like good quality but expensive compared to your stuff. Priced around $750 aus. for their basic model. You might like to check them out on the web and let me know what you think?
jimmy's marine service
Well-Known Member
if ya' really want to lite up the water...
grab 3 250w shore power lites,put one on each corner and one in the middle of the hard top... face the ones on the corners downward into the water...get an underwater lite on the transom-led of course,and use a 2000w honda generator...plug the genny into the boat,using the adapter and you've got lite....i ran this way for years on my old 31 bertram,the current owner of the boat does the same thing...i too have heard way too many guys calling for someone with a jump pack to help them out-dead batteries...trust me,running the way i described is the smartest play...seperating and dedicating your batteries is the only way to go if you're heading offshore...and remember this,a fully dead battery,that jump pack is gonna be useless,i promiose you,it won't work on a fully dead battery...i've seen way too many guys try the 12v lite deal for overniting in the canyons,and quite a few of these guys had their boats rerigged by my shop,due to the fact they ended up dead in the water...
grab 3 250w shore power lites,put one on each corner and one in the middle of the hard top... face the ones on the corners downward into the water...get an underwater lite on the transom-led of course,and use a 2000w honda generator...plug the genny into the boat,using the adapter and you've got lite....i ran this way for years on my old 31 bertram,the current owner of the boat does the same thing...i too have heard way too many guys calling for someone with a jump pack to help them out-dead batteries...trust me,running the way i described is the smartest play...seperating and dedicating your batteries is the only way to go if you're heading offshore...and remember this,a fully dead battery,that jump pack is gonna be useless,i promiose you,it won't work on a fully dead battery...i've seen way too many guys try the 12v lite deal for overniting in the canyons,and quite a few of these guys had their boats rerigged by my shop,due to the fact they ended up dead in the water...
gradyfish22
GreatGrady Captain
I agree, those jump packs are practically useless. I was on a buddies boat and he killed his batteries, luckily we were close to the marina fishing, we had someone bring us a jump pack, it did NOTHING, we attached jumper cables to the other guys boat, and the motors started in seconds. I would never rely on a jumper pack.