If you want it done right expect to pay close to $1,000 a light plus installation, good lights that will not shine as well will still cost you about $600 a light, anything cheaper then that is not built well or sticks out of the transom and will not be installed as a proper underwster light should be. I looked into the ones that stick out and none are that great, perko and other brands have cheaper plastic ones, but who wants plastic below the water, especially if it will be getting hot, water cools it but not enough. Stick with LED's, they are brighter and will draw less amps which is necessary for a boat your size, even if you run a generator. We use Ocean LED's at work and have not had any issues after installing them on hundred's of boats. Installing them on a finished boat has no effect here, we install them after the hull is out of the mold so it is no different then doing it on a boat that is a few years old or already finished. I've heard Abyss lights are good as well but have no experience with them. Sea Vision is the other big producer of underwater LED lights with a good rep, but I have not had much experience with them either. I'd recommend 3 lights, one to the outside of each engine on the transom, and one between the engines, unless you buy a high end light, some can actually be mounted on the hull bottom and used while running, I'd then move one to the bottom between the engines to shine down, but some fear having a hole on the running surface, if installed correctly there is nothing to fear, does a thru hull transducer scare ya, it is esentially the same thing. Let us know what you decide and show us some picks. I plan to install Ocean LED's on my 265 express at some point either this winter or the winter after for sure, we will see how my budget fairs after adding an autopilot and purchasing a new Epirb, along with a few other toys.
