Docking Lights

[ranjr13]

I'm interested in installing docking lights before launching this Spring. I've had boats with and without them, added them to our Bertram 28 many years ago, and found them extremely useful spotting debris etc. at night. Searches on this site have resulted in finding some older posts, some with pics no longer available. If anyone has any experience with recently added lights, I'd appreciate feedback.

My primary goal is to find a solution that is placed in as close to the original location on either side of the bow as possible, making them look like OEM installs. That said, and while original Morse/Aquapower/Sierra incandescent lights that are mounted in large cut-outs are still available, there are several interesting looking surface mount lights available. Surface mounting removes some of the concern with cutting large holes, and creating a potential hazard should they destruct in a hard pounding sea. My second goal is to make every light on the boat LED, so two surface mount lights are towards the top of my list - Sea-Dog and Attwood. http://www.sea-dog.com/groups/2564-led- ... ing-lights or http://www.attwoodmarine.com/store/prod ... ing-Lights

Thus any feedback on any of these products, as well as if someone with an OEM set has specific measurements to locate the dead center point of the lights when mounted on the sides of the bow, I'd appreciate that as well. I'll also be putting the name of the boat on both sides of the bow, so need to plan how that will interact and perhaps compliment each other.

Thanks as always....Bob N

[Navatech]

Why not a searchlight like device?!... Better (stronger) light and more versatile...

Something like this:



http://www.larsonelectronics.com/showpr ... HwodBtQBNA

[ranjr13]

The boat has one almost exactly like that on it, not sure if it is staying. Docking lights spread out the light below the bow, so there is zero night vision lost through reflection off anything. It's not whether or not docking lights are good, it's a question of LED vs. incandescent/halogen and/or surface mount vs. embedded like originals. Thanks for reply.

[Navatech]

The boat has one almost exactly like that on it, not sure if it is staying. Docking lights spread out the light below the bow, so there is zero night vision lost through reflection off anything. It's not whether or not docking lights are good, it's a question of LED vs. incandescent/halogen and/or surface mount vs. embedded like originals. Thanks for reply.

My thinking was that docking is rarely if ever done in complete darkness (i.e. night vision is already spoiled)... Now I understand you want to use them sort of like headlights on a vehicle... That's a different thing... However, I disagree that your night vision won't be spoiled by such "head lights"... Having said that, why not put a light like I showed (they're also available in LED) all the way in the bow (or pulpit if you have one)?!...

[mike ohlstein]

I think that a searchlight on the bow of a 31 would be just about as ugly as a pulpit.....

I had docking lights on my '73 and removed them many years ago for exactly the reason that you stated. Besides, the eyeballs (movable bulb housings) kept popping out in heavy weather, so they did me no good.

I sorta like the look of the Atwood LED option, and the wiring opening is much less dangerous than the gaping hole that used to be there. That said, I never even found them to be at all useful when they were working. If you're going fast enough to do real damage in the dark, 1. you're going too fast, and 2. those lights aren't going to show you enough to make any difference. As for maneuvering in a channel that's in a dark shallow bay, the spotlight is a better option for spotting the next buoy.

May be useful for tying up to a lobster pot on a dark night....

[Yannis]

The floodlight is merciless. If, while using it, the beam reflects on any part of the white deck, you're color blind for a few minutes. Hence ranjr's need for lights below the rubrail.

[Rawleigh]

I have the old style docking lights and like them. The original Morse aluminum housings eventually succumbed to corrosion and I replaced them with Barnegats. Now I just need to find a LED bulb to replace the sealed beam! I find that at night I can run at @1500 RPMs with the bow high and they will light up any debris ahead without blinding me.

[Bertramp]

I've never been a fan of the "eyeball lights" in hulls .... as few hull holes as possible.

[Dug]

Bob,

I understand why you like the docking lights 100%. I used to have a set in Alchemy and when they worked, they were great. No reflections off the deck and no night blinding. Here were the limitations at the time, many have been touched on already.

1) the old aluminum ones rot out and die. they are pot metal aluminum castings and overall, to be blunt, suck.
2) For me, despite multiple replacements with plastic options etc, and rewirings galore, they rarely worked reliably.
3) They do get ripped out in heavy weather. I know, I know, what kind of weather am I out in!!!!??? Multiple times I returned from offshore, in a heavy following sea for at least part of it to find a housing with wires hanging out, no more lightbulb and housing. Gone. Buh bye. New light. Another round of replace, re-wire, crap, doesn't work.
4) They are big holes, and the one time I had the housing crack and such due to bad waves, it leaked like an SOB.
5) The units I had that were factory install and the plastic ones that followed were not designed for constant duty. I could not use them like headlights on the car, as they ran too hot. :(

There may be smaller lights that are LED now, and as such much better sealing. I would look at those options. I loved the functionality of my docking lights, when they worked. But that was rare for me. I hope you do better. There are a lot of lobster pots in FI sound and LI sound, so I was always paranoid about hitting a bouy, or other obstruction.

The spotlight might work better, but it had better be pretty powerful and yes, you risk blinding yourself. Maybe you could install some sort of positive stop or just plain buy a fixed mount that would enable you to see forward but not move the beam down and hit the boat with the light beam?

Or, bite the bullet and go FLIR... Alchemy will have one in the near future. I am not interested in hitting anything. Its that important to me. You hit something good at night even at a reasonable speed and you may be swimming...as I am sure you know.

My $0.02

Good luck!

Dug

[bob lico]

good post dug and considering the fact when you come thru a inlet the coasties have nothing better to do then board you because you cannot make way with any spotlight facing forward.normally no ticket but they will break your balls especially when your a captain and suppose to know better.FLIR is really the only way to go especially coming back from canyon at 28 knots with huge Big Eye on deck doing everything you can to keep from spoilage. as far as docking i never dock forward always backing in with bridge mounted cockpit lights aim at transom and dock.

[ranjr13]

The FLIR is on the list and will be going on, and as I listed above, there are two LED surface mount docking light options, and I'll be going with one of those - primarily to pickup debris when large stuff is floating in the river. If the tree or log sticks up more than a few inches, the FLIR will actually pick it up (very familiar with the FLIR on our FD Rescue Boat and agree, it is fantastic). Even though I'm putting on LED surface mount docking lights, I'd be interested in knowing the exact spots the original large ones were placed in so it's somewhat OEM from a distance. Thanks again.

Bob

[Pete Fallon]

Bob,
After being on the water for over 55 years I never liked docking lights, especially in heavy seas, I see them be pushed into the V berth of manyboats. If your going to put FLIR forget the docking lights. Just my 2 cents worth. The hull where your docking lights go is about 5/8" thick on your 31 Bertram, I would go with high intensity surface mounted lights, mounted on the underside of the rub rail, not on the hull, just be prepared to repair the constantly due to being ripped off by the action of waves.
Pete Fallon

[CaptPatrick]

I'd be interested in knowing the exact spots the original large ones were placed in so it's somewhat OEM from a distance.

[ranjr13]

Thank you, Capt. Pat.