Boat light suggestions

[Silver Hilton]

I'm going to put a headlight of some sort on my sled to make midnight anchoring a bit easier. Anyone have any suggestions for type of light? I want to mount something on the sides of the windshield, like a fog lamp, that will let me run the river safely at night.

Does anyone have any cautions or thoughts on the best way to do this? My motor puts out 15 amps of power, and I have an unused "aux" switch on my dash, so I think the power situation should be OK.

I want to be able to see clearly enough to run at 25 mph on the Columbia, on water that I know well. So we don't need bug frying amounts of candlepower. I just want to see logs before I hit them. I've got one of the big searchlights, but holding that, while steering the boat and trying to read the GPS requires about one hand too many.

STGRule, this is so I can get to our spot before Beavis the guide blocks us.

[grumman16]

I was thinking of doing the same thing. One thing I was wondering was is there any rules on what you can do in terms of lighting on a boat? It just seems like the standard running lights (white light in the back and red/green upfront)might not be effective if you have powerful floodlights also turned on. I'm with SH in that I would love to have a little extra light for running the columbia at o'dark thirty, but I want to make sure I don't get a ticket as a result.

[NETONE]

I have docking/head lights on my boat...I love them for night and early morning achoring and running (when safe_...

Call you boat builder and see if a retro-fitting option may be avaliable....

[Birdnest]

You want to make sure that the light does not reflect off any part of your bow, thus killing your night vision. Netone's setup is the only way I would mount a running spot light.

Joe

[Phil Layer]

My boat has a hardtop. Mounted above my head (when I am driving) is a light that I can move with a joystick mounted on my dash. It is really cool and really sucks for helping me in the dark. I would use the word, "useless" if forced to describe it. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] I've thought that moving the light to the rail at the front of the bow would probably make it helpful but what a pain having something fragile like that sticking out the bow of your boat. :shocked:

My buddy runs the handheld spotlight when we run up the river but he motors slowly. I think the handheld spotlights work the best for night driving although it is a pain in the patootey to hold the dang thing.

I've thought the lights that cops use on the side of their car with the handle protruding through the front window pillar may be the way to go. But, it would be a trick mounting one on a boat.

I can't imagine going 25 in the dark. You must be much younger than me.

[Beefcake]

I would check with the CG or River Patrol on this before spending much money. I don't know for a fact, but I was told by an ex-rivercop that it is illegal to use forward white lights except in emergencies or when docking. He said it was because the CG and cops use night vision and radar for their dark operations, and that getting caught in a boat's headlines would blind them. If you learn that this is wrong, I would love to know. My moorage is several miles from where I usually fish, and I would love the added security of being able to see where the heck I'm going when heading out early or coming home after dusk!

[Lure Dragger]

I had a 20' custom weld that I had mounted two lights at the top of my windsheild. Absolutely USELESS. I could not see anything, in fact I could see more with them off. I had a hand held spot light that I had a friend hold up high and off to the side but it wasn't even that good. I would also like to find some kind of lighting that works well to put on my new boat, a 21' custom weld.

[FEAR NO FISH!]

I have two, million candle power, remote searchlights on top of my boat. Look at the Guest remote search lights. You can get a good price on those at online marine, on the internet.
For the money these are far better then any foglight. You can also get remote wireless but they cost a little more.

[crabbait]

I had a light bar mounted above the windshield on a big sled with 4 KC Hi-lighters on it. Again, nearly useless. Why? Because they lit up the bow of the boat so well that you could not see beyond it. Nearly completely blinded you.

The way Netone has his mounted would be the only way I would consider mounting lights on another boat.

Even with someone standing on the bow with a spotlight guiding you it is very difficult to see floating debris unless it is sticking up out of the water. I prefer no lights other than required by law and a good bright moon.

[Miss B Haven]

Crabbait is right. Any bright light that is in the boat and hits the decks will night blind you. The light needs to be mounted (or held) such that no light actually hits the boat in the dirction you are looking (especially bad on white fiberglass decks).
A bow Pulpit is the best place to mount a remote. Worst place is on the flybridge brow or on a radar arch/windshield top where the light hits and reflects right back at you.
A hand held with a tight beam (spotlight not a flood light) can be held out away (beside) the boat or held high and forward by someone on the bow. Just make sure the person running it knows not to hit the decks with the light.

Biggest thing in limited visibilty is slow, slow slow. Hitting something solid at 4-5 knots hurts but it only gets worse from there. Floaters that can't be seen will normally bounce around the hull at low speeds and not do any damage. At higher speeds they may get forced under the hull and in the prop.

"I want to be able to see clearly enough to run at 25 mph on the Columbia, on water that I know well."

You won't get away with this very many times. Better make sure your Insurance is paid up (boat/life and liability). [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

Night running on the Columbia is a 5 knot afair.

[ 11-26-2003, 09:57 AM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

[rustyl]

For what it's worth...

Last summer my passenger and I were wearing head-lamps on our way back to Cathedral park from the Columbia, and were stopped by the Coast Guard. The told me it was illegal to have any lights other then the front green/red and rear white lights, and that the extra white lights confused navigation for other vessels.

[Doubletake]

Hey Andrew! Hope all is well. I have had all the same issues with lights as stated in the above posts. Even the 500,000 cp handheld that I have, when the light hits the water seems to not show a lot. Reflecting off the windshield and the bow makes it almost useless. The setup netone has looks great. Wooldridge has a similar setup for their Alaskan. If you get a setup that works well, let us know. I believe the biggest issue is reflection off the windshield and the bow, mounted on the very front seems to be the way to go. Take care SH

Doubletake

[Fish Hawg]

I agree with crabbait 100% [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Miss B Haven]

rustyl - I find that interesting since most of the Commercia lboats that are entering or leaving the CR run their big mast mounted work lights in any limited visibilty situation (either night or fog). It really helps me spot them in either fog or dark.
I also run my cockpit lights and cabin lights so my boat shows up to all the traffic better. Never seen the CG stop one of the ******* with their lights on and they've never stopped me for it.
In both cases the normal nav lights can still be seen. Maybe it's a matter of size. In a small boat an additional light at the same height may block the nav lights or be confusing.
I have thought about this before but figured since all the big Commercials ran their work lights it was OK. Guess I'll have to do some more checking.

[fishbait]

I too have considered this for my sled to use in the rivers, not CR though. Currently use a hand held. What I was thinking about was using a driving or fog light. These lights typically have a narrow and wide beam, just right for lighting up the river banks. Interesting thread..

[Rubber Robin]

I have a sled with a front windshield and top. I mounted a light on either side and I too have reflection problems and a hard time seeing.

My main use is for returning to the boat trailer after dark. It helps to see when running the boat back up the trailer.

It is illegal to run with lights on during the evening. I was stopped by the river cops and given a warning after they checked my boat for all the necessary items.

[FEAR NO FISH!]

Gentlemen,
I fish more then most after dark. I have never run into the problems that some of you have had. My light layout is different. It is high enough that I don't get any reflections. Here is a picture of my boat from the Tri-City Hydroplane races. Also this is Mrs.FNF showing a little leg!

[ 11-26-2003, 11:47 AM: Message edited by: FEAR NO FISH! ]

[STGRule]

As a veteran of many years of night working on the Columbia I vote for no light. I usually just pick a line of light from shore and run that. It will only show things sticking out of the water. We have used many light configurations on the different boats we use and we always end up running with them off. You lose your night vision and can't see anything passed the light at all. Now I USED to run full-tilt-boogey up and down the river at night but got tired of changing out props in the dark. And then spending time at the repair shop while they replaced my bent prop shaft.
And for Beavis? I was thinking about a remote controlled boat or sub with an electric knife mounted on top to take care of the anchor line.

[Silver Hilton]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. This will save me about 50 bucks, a hole in the boat, and at least three hours of time. Doing the hull based modification would cost more than it's worth to me.

I've got one of the big spotlights. I guess we'll just use that for now.

This is all due to one guy, beating me to one spot, on one day last year. Vengeance shall be mine yet!

I also want to comment on the advice that everyone has passed on to go slow. You are all absolutely correct, and I appreciate it. You just have to remember, I drive a North River, so 25 mph IS slow. :grin:

[ 11-26-2003, 06:07 PM: Message edited by: Silver Hilton ]

[Uglygreen]

I have a night vision starlight scope - works exceedingly well. Mine were made for this by a company called Night Mariner.

UG

[Silver Hilton]

Ah, Greenmeister, I see they are available for a mere $1895. I'll have to wait for the after christmas sales. :smile:

That does look like the ticket, though. How are they affected by fog or rain?

[Green Willie]

I have asked one of my Marine Deputies to look into the white light facing ahead while underway issue discussed earlier in this thread. He was unfamiliar with any state law that may prohibit it (WA). He works the CR from St Helens to just above Rooster Rock. He did say that perhaps the CG was enforcing a federal law. I will not have a response until after the holiday weekend, but I will post his findings here. He did hypothesize that perhaps the CG rule had something to do with the horizontal plane of the lights. Hopefully he will help clear up some of the legality confusion. But then again, we all may be just a confused after I get the response. :whazzup:

Mike Evans
Clark County Sheriff's Office
(360) 397-2476

[diehard2]

I have a 20' hard top I mounted a remove 400,000 golight on a 16' pedistall, so I don't get any refection off the bow. I will in the near future mount the second one. One light doesn't give you a wide enough path. I would caution you about running 25 mph with any lights at night.

[kamloops]

Mel, how are you going to find your way to the Tuna grounds at 3:00am in the morning if I can't have my spreader lights on for ya? :grin:

[fishbait]

Way to chime in Mike... :smile: Looking forward to hearing what the rules are.

[boater]

silver hilton, you might want to check out "second wave" out in ballard, its a used boat parts store and they have some remote spotlights that are dirt cheap, plus every other boat part you could ever want.

[Silver Hilton]

Thanks, I'll do that, if only for future reference. This thread has at least temporarily cured me of my desire to mount lights.