bertram31.com

OK, got three underwater lights. Xenon 50's. Now is the time for install. Big holes, so I want to do it right first time out.

What is the strategy here? Do I want depth of penetration or spread away from the boat? Or both.

Basic plan (thus far)- 1 in the middle of the transom run flat - 90 degrees to the stern to give me a nice big lit area behind the boat. Then, one on each side, maybe 4 or five feet from the transom, mounted real low in the bilge. The dead rise of the hull means these two lights are pointing down at a relatively sharp angle. Figure this gives me both spread and penetration.

Alternatives - angle the stern light down, mount the lights on each side at a flatter angle.

Other alternative, boat drifts beam to sea. Typcially fish on the SB side/up seas side on the boat. As such, mount both my side lights on the SB side and let the port side be dark. Maybe one at a flat angle, and one at the natural angle of the hull.

I am literally in the dark about the best way to run these lights. Input needed. Many thanks in advance.

right under the shaft, so they can find you after it rolls over...........

While I apprecaite your input, unlike the typical Bubble Boat you might be experienced with, real fishing boats have what is called a "deep v." You know, the real boats, like those that actually, get this, leave the dock, in contrast with the oil stained floating trailer homes that might be popular drink and puke hide outs for posers in your area.

I am confident a quick internet search will reveal the details of this remarkable concept made the basis of the Bertram revolution to you. Google is your friend.

As a result, positioning the lights under the shaft would necessarily point the lights, not skyward as you suggest, but at an angle pointed almost to the horizon. While this might be beneficial in illuminating an oil slick from a pair of garbage truck engines, its of rather limited value in an unfortunate event in Bertram weather.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Ernest,

Rather than one on the transom & two on stbd, I'd go two at the transom & one stbd.

The transom lights as low as possible & apart as far as possible. The stbd light would be about 1/2 way between the transom & the step up of the engine compartment, on the hull deadrise & close inboard of the outboard stringer.

I'd also control the transom lights with one switch and the stbd light with another...

Br,

Patrick

Ernest,
One out the back is fine, you can angle it down and keep it as low as you dare. The lower the better because there is less turbulence (read as bubbles) to refract the light.
The two on the bottom side of the hull should be out of the way of the prop wash (I don't like the wheel wash beating against a fitting in the bottom), so outboard of the wheels or forward of the wheels is good.
DO NOT TURN THE LIGHTS ON WHILE OUT OF THE WATER.
They should be 10" below the water line. If you need further directions or have installation questions there is a good source at www.aqualights.com.

Damn, I was going to suggest again that you could use them for work lights in the slip while the boat was hanging in the sling, until JP says don't turn them on out of the water! Since I figure you want them for fishing at night, tied up or on drift, I think Pat's idea of two out the stern is a good one. From the ads I see for them, most use seems to be at the docks in ritzy marinas. The water in my canal is too shallow and muddy, or I'd look at getting a pair.

If you had gotten 4 - two for the back, one for each side - we wouldn't all be having this discussion. But then we would have missed your excellent Thuddd put down!

I'm just retired - I'm not dead (yet).

When we fish for tuna at night we use the lights to bring the squid to the boat. We net them close to the lights and if the lights are under the boat that might make it hard to reach them. I do not know your fishing habbits or what you fish for. I would think all 3 in the transom. Also we turn ours off once we have enough squid because I feel it makes big tuna very line shy and the florocarbon lights up a great deal. I have been commercial tuna fishing for 12 years and can tell you the lights make a differance in the Northeast canyons. Many will tell you its better with them on but most dont do it for their living and to feed thier families.

Ernest,

I would agree with Capt. Patrick on the installation of the lights in my opinion. But as JP said, " Keep the Lights at 10" below the water line at the transom". I'm doing both of my lights on the transom. There probaly going to be positioned about, just to the outside or inside of the stringers on the transom, down about 10" below the water line.

R,
Doug

I should have elabortated. We are using one out the back due to the fact the boat has trim tabs that hang off the transom, and placing a light above or near a trim tab will cause a shadow.
The other two are going on the bottom.
I agree with Brewster there are nights when the lights work against you and your better off fishing dark. The trick is knowing when..........

I'd put all 3 straight out the transom, as low as possible.

UV

I'm not a commerial Tuna fisherman, so I cannot say how they fish for a living on the East Coast. But fishing in the Gulf Of Mexico is probaly a little different compared to the East Coast guys.

But Swordfishing at night in the Gulf is nothing but awesome with lights on the transom. Squid & Flying Fish will swim right up to the lights on the boat, plus all other types of bait will ball up just underneath the boat, and the Tuna will hang just outside the light line or down deep under the lights. The point is Oil Rig Platforms will have tuna hanging on them at night, because of lights & bait are there. Alot of boat here go to the rigs at night chunking for tuna at nightime and those rigs are really lit up.

Just another comment to add to the pyle. Good Luck! and Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

R,
Doug

Oh Crap!!!! Now I gotta get an oil rig to catch fish. Man this is getting expensive...

Merry Christmas!!!!!

JP,

Check with Andre, he can get you one on the cheap & UV'll handle the paperwork. The tug tow around FL & up the coast might be a bit pricey though... Go for a Tarzan rig to really impress the neighbors.

Br,

Patrick

uv that is the way it is ------3 out the back of the transom.brewster we fish in the same canyon and thats the way the pros taught me.lights on bring on the squid take out that 15'"crab net" ,fill the live well and shut the lights off unless you are in a grass flow looking for mahi-mahi after you met the tuna quota.i feel live squid is essential for swordfish even moreso than the glow lights here in the hudson canyon.just my 2cents.my main attraction eludes me and i know i have to be in 150fathom or more for big eye but thats 100miles off shore, my "new" 31 is built for that sole reason and that is why i am experimenting with the 5blade props,3 compartments, 6 bilge pumps.you and i know that uhf could be useless out there when nobody is listening.

Go ahead and buy the fourth and put one on each side as Capt Pat suggested and two on the transom. If you want to stick with three, then put one in the center of the transom as low as you can get it.

THere are two on the transom of the 45 and we wish we would have had another on each side.

Oh... and I forgots to tell-ya to go buy-ya some red dye to makes dem squids look good to eats down-yunda with those glow lights in the dark too........ they bees looking good, like just before you get inked by dems squids.

I ain't kid'en either! and Ricky Bobby will back me up on that! now go make it do what it got to do. Now thats funny huh!

DQ

Red dye # 7

Thanks guys.

The good news about mounting more on the transom is that the transom is much easier to drill thru.

Best wishes for all the Bert. 31. com family for the Holidays.

Mounted mine today will have some pictures next week, I mounted mine just inside the main two stingers which are at 3' apart and the lights are about 6" up from the bottom because of the angle on the transom have them angled down some, so I raised them up just a little. Easy.......

Doug