Light suggestions

Mark W

Mark W

Well-known member
I need to do something better for lights on my duckboat this year. I have been using those clamp on lights powered by the old D cell batteries. They never worked right and were a PITA to be frank.

I have a 14' Lund Vee hull boat. So here are my quesitons:

1. How do I get a wire from the back of the boat to the front of the boat so that it never catches on anything ever? I think I can drill a hole on the gunnel and fish it but at this time I can't recall if there is a hollow gunnel on the boat.
2. Anyone know of any small LED lights I can wire?
3. Any creative ways to make the bacl light removable other than buying one of those removable sockets?
4. What are my alternatives for powering the lights? A removabel rechargeable battery is a big advantage to me over having a large heavy 12V lead acid car battery in the boat.

I think that is it. Maybe I need to rethink all of this and install a car battery with a switch plate and 12V outlets to power spotlights and other stuff? I've got time.

Mark W
 
Basically, I use light pole storage clips to hold my bow & stern lights. I cut off the bottoms of the light poles and spliced them into a wire running from switch on my battery box. I pushed the splice up into the poles & sealed it with silicone. They are hard wired but can still be take down. This is especially important for the stern light which does not like to be trailered while up. I use a small deep cycle (about 4"x8"x8", from Academy) to start my 18 hp & run the lights, depth finder & spotlight. This system has served me well for 10 years.
On running wires to the bow, mine run inside a small diameter peice of PVC pipe from the floor in front of the back bench, under the middle bench to the front. From the batter box to the PVC & from the PVC to the light pole, they are inside split flexible corrugated wire tubing.
I have a wiring diagram I will try to post as well.
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View attachment BowLight1.jpg
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Luckily, the MLB site still has my wiring diagram posted!

View attachment JonBoatLighting2.jpg

When I bought my jon boat, like most jon boats, it came without lights or wiring for a spotlight. After using battery operated lights for the last couple of years and putting up with corroded and dead batteries, dim lights and a whole lot of frustration, I decided there had to be a better way. Well, this drawing shows what I came up with.

Basically I utilized a small deep cycle battery (got it and all other supplies from Walmart) & a standard battery box to make a "power center" for my boat. I used Attwood pole storage clips so I can put up & take down the lights. The stern light is hard wired with a switch (lays down on the back bench when removed from clips) but the bow light uses an accessory plug & outlet. It can be taken down, outlet cover closed (get the outlets with covers) & can be stored. The stern light's toggle switch is on the battery box. An extra outlet for my spotlight is also mounted on the battery box. I wrapped the poles with camo duct tape.
I just installed this system a couple of weeks ago & so far it has worked great for me. It's quite a change to have nice bright navigation lights and a working spotlight every time I go out! Also, I could use the spotlight outlet to run a live well aerator to keep them live finger mullet & shrimp alive when pursuing specs, reds & flounder! It should work even better when I get the money saved up & get my new electric start outboard (probably next year!). For know I just re-charge the battery when I come in. (I bought the 18 hp Nissan electric start right after I posted this on the MLB site and it has worked great since 1999. I also no longer use 12 volt outlets & plugs on the lights, they are hard wired. The plugs & outlets were more trouble than they were worth.)
Here's my instructions: Instructions Battery box
  1. Figure out where your battery box will sit. If used on a jon boat, behind the rear bench works great. If used on a Devlin style boat, it could go just about anywhere under the deck. If used in a jon boat, place a block of wood under the box to elevate it above floor level.
  2. Drill hole in bottom of box to allow for moisture to drain out.
  3. Install toggle switch for stern light (or bow lights if hard wired).
  4. Mount Marine Accessory Outlet to the outside of the box. Drill hole in box & run wires inside.
  5. Install & run wires to the bow & stern light to make sure you have proper length. Cover wires with spiral or split plastic wire covers.
  6. Install in-line fuses on positive side of wires from switch & outlets. Put rings on the ends of the positive & negative leads. AFTER the lights are wired in, attach leads to the bolts on the proper battery posts. Tighten nuts well to keep from coming loose while running. I used locking nuts.
  7. Place battery in box. Use foam blocks to keep it from moving around. Don't cover the drain hole with the foam!
  8. Mount box.
Bow light
  1. Take bow light (type on pole with 2 or 3 pin base) and cut off the very end of pole & remove plastic base piece holding connectors. Cut wires to remove connectors & splice in a 12 volt accessory plug. Tuck splice up into pole & seal end of pole with marine silicone.
  2. Mount pole storage clips on bow seat so that the pole can be attached vertically. Remember that the light must be above the gunwales.
  3. Mount Marine Accessory Outlet so that the bow light can be easily plugged in/un-plugged.
  4. Splice wires from battery box into accessory outlet.
  5. When bow light is not in use, unplug & store. Close cover on outlet to keep moisture & debris out.
Stern light
  1. Take stern light (type on long pole with 2 or 3 pin base) and cut off the very end of pole to remove plastic base piece holding connectors. Cut wires to remove connectors & splice in wires from battery box. Tuck splice up into pole & seal end of pole with marine silicone.
  2. Mount pole storage clips on the inside of the stern so that the pole can be attached vertically. Remember that the light pole must be out of the way of the tiller when steering The starboard side worked best for me.
  3. When stern light is not in use, remove from clips & lay across back bench.

View attachment JonBoatLighting2.jpg
 
Carl is a pretty cool guy - that is a lot of info.

I am assuming that you are asking about Navigation Lights and not running "head" lights.

What Carl has shown will work great for the Nav lights and short term for spot lights depending on their wattage draw.

If you have a charging solenoid on the motor I would hook that up so that you can keep a smaller battery in the boat rather than a larger marine deep cycle. Unless you are also running a trolling motor you don't need one of these beasts.

I put a charging solenoid kit on my 25HP Nissan and use a small sealed lead acid battery that goes into golf carts or large garden tractors. It didn't work well the first season, but that was due to my old sears battery charger failing and not charging it. The new fast-charge battery charger fixed the dead battery issues and the system has worked great these last two seasons.

With this system I can run a spot light and two 55W ATV driving lights for the 40 minute trip out to the swamp as well as the Nav lights.
 
Mark, I have thought about putting lights on my Poleboat in the lightest, simplest(?) way posible and have an idea. I plan to use a small battery intended for the breakaway trailer brakes, maybe it will be enough. Then the real trick as far as I am concerned is to use the rear removable light as the switch!! Plug it in and you have a complete circuit and tada, lights. Pull it out and darkness rules. Front nav light would be permanent hard wired in. One of those ideas that is rolling around in this head of mine. Good luck.
 
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