Led lighting

[Fab1]

Can anyone recommend what type of lighting to install in my boat for night fishing?Wattage etc?Where to install?Im thinking perhaps led strip lights but unsure as I don't have full gunnels as such on my tinny but may be able to tuck them in somewhere as per photos.

I'll use them for rigging and landing fish only and will turn them off while underway.

All opinions appreciated and should I run a dimmer switch.

Cheers.

[MV Sunray]

I would suggest red LED of some description. Strip lighting is good but not sure how you would set that up on your boat. I have blue strip lighting under my gunnels and it takes a while to regain your night vision once you switch them off.

[Nolongeramember]

I'll use them for rigging and landing fish only and will turn them off while underway.

Hi Fab.

Although I have lights fitted inside my boat I very rarely use them and would not go to the trouble of fitting them if they were not already there.

For rigging and landing fish (plus more) I use my head torch and I don't think you can beat it. The switch is always at your finger tips and its always shinning exactly where you want it including on the water when landing a fish.

[Fab1]

I would suggest red LED of some description. Strip lighting is good but not sure how you would set that up on your boat. I have blue strip lighting under my gunnels and it takes a while to regain your night vision once you switch them off.

That's what I don't want to lose,my night vision.If I went strip lights I was thinking of mounting them inside pvc tube to act as a light screen to prevent them from shining up into my face or buying led light units mounted individually throughout the boat.

Hi Fab.

Although I have lights fitted inside my boat I very rarely use them and would not go to the trouble of fitting them if they were not already there.

For rigging and landing fish (plus more) I use my head torch and I don't think you can beat it. The switch is always at your finger tips and its always shinning exactly where you want it including on the water when landing a fish.

You can't really beat those headlamps for versatility can you as I have one myself.I just thought being able to light up a larger area at once would make life easier especially on a small boat like mine as there is limited floor space to begin with.

Now if we could find a way to make other boaters obey the laws and use/install navigation lights that would certainly be safer for everyone.

Thanks guys,I'll have a good hard think if I will go ahead with it.

Cheers.

Fabian.

[batfishing]

Consider Red lights, if you don't want to lose your night vision

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[zmk1962]

Hi Fabian,

Here are a couple of things to consider from my experience.

Night time navigation rules require you to keep an all round white light on between dusk and dawn when anchored and the red/green/white navigation lights on when underway (vessels under 7m not capable of going more than 7knots do not require the red/green but do require a single white light when under way and when stationary). So when I had my 16footer I found my biggest problem was where to put the white navigation light - as it gives off a LOT of white light - penty of light to fish by but infact too much and was blinding if kept located at the stern like yours is. I also had a canopy on my 16footer - my canopy was fixed in the open position and I moved my white nav light above the canopy so the canopy cast a shadow across the boat and did not blind us too much. Hence because of the nav light I found I had a lot of light already when fishing at night and never needed to fit anything else on that boat.

I now run a 6.3m hull - which also has the mandatory white all round nav light and I fitted that above the canopy given my past experience. I made sure that it was located in a position where the canopy cast a shadow across my boat bow - as otherwise the reflection from the bow was interfering with my night vision. Below is a description of the deck lighting that I have installed.

I have a single dual dome light (12 red LED, 18 white LED) mounted under my canopy and it provides enough light for the whole deck area at the back of the boat and also the helm area. Most of the time its on RED (preserves night vision) rarely on white - but white will give you that crispness when you have to look at detailed stuff eg remove a hook stuck in a finger !&%#& The red mode provides enough light to easily move around and unhook fish once in the boat etc. But we do not keep the dome light on all the time - we found there is enough natural reflected light (plus the white nav light) to fish by and only use the dome light if we are doing something - handling fish in the boat, getting a drink or sambo etc. Gaffing or netting fish may still require a headlamp or torch, but again the white nav light above the canopy is usually enough.

Re Wattage - you don't need much light at night mine has 12 red LED bulbs I think from memory the packaging said around 5W.

BTW, my baitboard is at the stern and I found that if the dome light was on your body cast a shadow across the baitboard so I also fitted a single red lamp onto my baitboard. Infact I modified a port navigation light which I drilled and fitted with a rubber boot toggle switch, this light is switched on and off as we need to cut bait and bait up and provides direct red light on the work surface.

Anyway, moving to night fishing and night time boating I think your first step will be to sort out the navigation light position. Depending on how often you plan to go out, you may consider permanent or temporary set up - eg a quick occasional set up could be a white all round light on a plastic clamp with a cigarette lighter plug that you clamp onto your canopy rail, and a red lens which you drape over your stern white all round light. Your stern light is already wired with a switch so you can turn it on an off as required, and you might already have a cigarette plug mounted somewhere for the temporary nav light on your canopy. Lots of options and considerations - PM me and I'll send you my phone contact details if you want to discuss. Or if you want to look at a boat with lights on at night - nothing like seeing how different set ups work.

Also if you are considering LEDs strips - some of the lighting shops sell aluminium metal extrusions which house the LED strip and also have a plastic diffuser that slides in over the LED strip. You could attach some short lengths of the extrusion to your hull or windscreen behind the grab rail to provide red light where you want/need it and that may be a mounting option to consider.

Cheers

Zoran

[Fab1]

Hi Fabian,

Here are a couple of things to consider from my experience.

Night time navigation rules require you to keep an all round white light on between dusk and dawn when anchored and the red/green/white navigation lights on when underway (vessels under 7m not capable of going more than 7knots do not require the red/green but do require a single white light when under way and when stationary). So when I had my 16footer I found my biggest problem was where to put the white navigation light - as it gives off a LOT of white light - penty of light to fish by but infact too much and was blinding if kept located at the stern like yours is. I also had a canopy on my 16footer - my canopy was fixed in the open position and I moved my white nav light above the canopy so the canopy cast a shadow across the boat and did not blind us too much. Hence because of the nav light I found I had a lot of light already when fishing at night and never needed to fit anything else on that boat.

I now run a 6.3m hull - which also has the mandatory white all round nav light and I fitted that above the canopy given my past experience. I made sure that it was located in a position where the canopy cast a shadow across my boat bow - as otherwise the reflection from the bow was interfering with my night vision. Below is a description of the deck lighting that I have installed.

I have a single dual dome light (12 red LED, 18 white LED) mounted under my canopy and it provides enough light for the whole deck area at the back of the boat and also the helm area. Most of the time its on RED (preserves night vision) rarely on white - but white will give you that crispness when you have to look at detailed stuff eg remove a hook stuck in a finger !&%#& The red mode provides enough light to easily move around and unhook fish once in the boat etc. But we do not keep the dome light on all the time - we found there is enough natural reflected light (plus the white nav light) to fish by and only use the dome light if we are doing something - handling fish in the boat, getting a drink or sambo etc. Gaffing or netting fish may still require a headlamp or torch, but again the white nav light above the canopy is usually enough.

Re Wattage - you don't need much light at night mine has 12 red LED bulbs I think from memory the packaging said around 5W.

BTW, my baitboard is at the stern and I found that if the dome light was on your body cast a shadow across the baitboard so I also fitted a single red lamp onto my baitboard. Infact I modified a port navigation light which I drilled and fitted with a rubber boot toggle switch, this light is switched on and off as we need to cut bait and bait up and provides direct red light on the work surface.

Anyway, moving to night fishing and night time boating I think your first step will be to sort out the navigation light position. Depending on how often you plan to go out, you may consider permanent or temporary set up - eg a quick occasional set up could be a white all round light on a plastic clamp with a cigarette lighter plug that you clamp onto your canopy rail, and a red lens which you drape over your stern white all round light. Your stern light is already wired with a switch so you can turn it on an off as required, and you might already have a cigarette plug mounted somewhere for the temporary nav light on your canopy. Lots of options and considerations - PM me and I'll send you my phone contact details if you want to discuss. Or if you want to look at a boat with lights on at night - nothing like seeing how different set ups work.

Also if you are considering LEDs strips - some of the lighting shops sell aluminium metal extrusions which house the LED strip and also have a plastic diffuser that slides in over the LED strip. You could attach some short lengths of the extrusion to your hull or windscreen behind the grab rail to provide red light where you want/need it and that may be a mounting option to consider.

Cheers

Zoran

Thanks for taking the time for responding with a well written,thought out and detailed reply Zoran.I'm sure alot of guys will take something away from this.

I have a removable all round white light at the stern at the moment as you know and my intentions have always been to extend the pole/wiring from a 60cm light to around 180cm-200cm with its base permenently mounted to my windscreen or grab rail on a custom bracket I'll make so it can be used with the canopy in the closed or open position without interfering.

I'm thinking one light for the underbow area as that's dark as under there with maybe a light either side of the rear side quarters to light up the rear a little.

My homemade bait board I mounted to my side rail which I can swing into and out the side of the boat and is used while sitting on the rear bench as I can also slid it anywhere along the side rail so it shouldn't be shaded by me in front.

I will way up all the options mate and have a good think.

Those unlit clowns the other night were doing way more than 7 knots.

Cheers.

[zmk1962]

Glad you found it useful.

Yup... there are a lot of clowns on the surface and probably more down bottom with Davey Jones. Few years back my friend returning from offshore in the dark T boned a tinny between Parsley Bay and Dangar Is .... the fools in the tinny had no nav lights and no torch on board. You can appreciate whom the Maritime police blamed and held accountable.

Anyway best of luck with your fit out... as I said PM me if you want to see anything at night... it will give you a sense of just how much light you get. For me it was a lot of "think time" and experimentation but then I enjoy mucking around in my boat in the driveway almost as much as being on the water - he he he.

Cheers

Zoran

[squidboy]

You can also have a dimmer switch on LED lights. This should ensure you don't go blind but still can see everything perfectly. Here is my boat

[Ric001]

Hi fab, I have strip lights in mine that are dimable and colour selectable. I can select between red and white. Strips are all concealed and pointed towards deck. My setup cost roughly $100.

I was lucky that mine are all glued on and have survived a season on water.

Cheers

Ric

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[Fab1]

Hi fab, I have strip lights in mine that are dimable and colour selectable. I can select between red and white. Strips are all concealed and pointed towards deck. My setup cost roughly $100.

I was lucky that mine are all glued on and have survived a season on water.

Cheers

Ric

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Hi Ric,you've done a great job mate.Thats what im after something like yours.Could you please pm me with details of your setup?How many strips your running?Where I can purchase individually or in kit form?

Much appreciated.

Thanks.

[Ric001]

PM sent. [emoji1360]

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Edited March 7, 2016 by Ric001

[slayer666]

Hi fab, I have strip lights in mine that are dimable and colour selectable. I can select between red and white. Strips are all concealed and pointed towards deck. My setup cost roughly $100.

I was lucky that mine are all glued on and have survived a season on water.

Cheers

Ric

Hi Ric that's one awesome set up. Can you send us what you used and how you set it all up etc. Thanks for your time

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[Ric001]

Hi guys. Here is my original post. Led lights http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?/topic/78959-Led-lights

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[Danielwarson]

Hi sorry (off topic) just wondering when boating at night do I have to leave the boat motor on with my green red and white light?

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[jeffb5.8]

Motor doesn't need to be on just the red, green and white light.

If you don't have twin batteries it may pay to have a jump starter with you just in case.

[Fab1]

Motor doesn't need to be on just the red, green and white light.

If you don't have twin batteries it may pay to have a jump starter with you just in case.

To add to what Jeff said,you want red,green and all round white light on while underway and drifting at night and only the all round white light on while stationary at anchor.

And if you do venture out at night keep your eyes peeled for idiots out there fishing/boating with no lights on at all,as you will come across them.

[Ric001]

Hey zack, after reading some of your post it seems your really new to boating. I'd suggest you hold off thoughts of night boating till you are confident in you own boating skills. Boating at night is a completely different ball game and you don't want to become a news article. Stay safe and get to know your new boat and be sure of your own capabilities. I'm fairly sure there are a lot of others who would agree that night boating is not for newbies. Ric.

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[Fab1]

Thanks everyone for the replies.After serious considerations testing out different mounting locations,colour, I've decided on just the plain white led's with a remote control dimmer as I fish night at anchor and will be using them to re-rig,bait and eat.

While underway I will have them off and use my spotlight to navigate.

I have mounted 2 of the 50cm solid strips which are housed in an aluminium frame with double sided tape to either side of the rear deck.

The pair lights up my entire inside of my boat very well if need be or I can dim the lights to various settings with the remote.

All wiring used was marine grade,soldered joints and heat shrink tubing used.

I can tick one more thing of the to do list,100 to go.lol.

Cheers.

Cheers.

[Ric001]

Good set up fab. Looks like your ready for hairtail in July.

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[Brooker435]

looks good fabian!!! good job very neat and tidy also.

Regards,

Nathan

[Fab1]

Thanks Nathan,for $30 with a few mods by me they work a treat and light up my deck great.

I thought they'd annoy us with how bright they are but it's simply not the case as we found out last night.

These photos are in my pitch black garage.

Like I said in my post they can be dimed.

Cheers.