Underwater lights

[frogeye]

Hi all,
please indulge me, its the season of wishes and dreams (while having a small glass of Baileys). Saw a boat with underwater lights, really looked great.
Don't think I would want to penetrate the hull for it but perhaps under the swim platform on our 3587 with power supply above the waterline?
Wondering if you creative engineering folks have some thoughts on this?
Thank you,
Dean

[MidnightSun]

I have experimented with a few different varieties over the years and they all have worked well. One thing I have learned is it is nice to have lots of lumens however those do get cost prohibitive if you are looking at some of the brand names. I just built some new ones for installation next spring. They have threaded holes in the base which will be secured with 2 SS bolts to the top of the trim tabs. 2 will point directly behind and 2, 45º to each side. Used 50w cob leds which I set into a custom machined housing and encased them in resin. made 4 of them which equates to a total of 200watts of led light or about 16,000 lumen if you prefer. Used these which are 12v so no special transformers or driver required. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/50W-...RoCb-cQAvD_BwE

Waterproof T connectors so I end up with a single wire going through the transom to supply power to all 4. They are a little better than an inch thick and 5" in diameter. Should illuminate the depths quite well to say the least. Total cost is under $100 however for all 4 however I do have access to a machine shop so the machining is free.

[frogeye]

Wow, very nice! I bet that will look great.

[aspen1880]

attached to the trim tabs... I'd luv to see a picture of the installed light (I know, next spring...).

so, while at anchor, you would be able to change the orientation of these underwater lights by using your trim tab controls?



from where did you buy the cobs? most of them that i've seen have a rectangular mounting plate attached to the back of the cob.

[Gsherwood]

Maybe a dumb question, but won't that mess up your trim tab functionality and add drag?

[MidnightSun]

Not at all, They will sit on top of the tabs just like the rams do not cause interference.. See this link to see what I mean. https://hurleymarine.com/shop/boat-l...ights/rgb-led/

[jongleur]

Not at all, They will sit on top of the tabs just like the rams do not cause interference.. See this link to see what I mean. https://hurleymarine.com/shop/boat-l...ights/rgb-led/

Cool product, but I don't need $1500 worth of underwater lights. (At this time...)

[MidnightSun]

Cool product, but I don't need $1500 worth of underwater lights. (At this time...)

This is why I make my own which by the way will produce more light.

[frogeye]

Really like that concept. For us that dont have machine shop access, got me wondering if there might be a stock fixture that could be modified to work?

[fjfool]

Hans, those are great ! I have a feeling you could get real busy building kits of those if you were so inclined. Let me know if you do !

[frogeye]

Yes, me also.

[Alaskanmutt]

I bought these but never had a chance to install them
DMCB posted some like these he put on his boat (I think it was him...)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J77LIRK...d_w=IfGKQ&th=1

[Alaskanmutt]

Stick them under the swim deck and run some marine silicone around them for extra adhesive

[peachypete82]

I purchased these, and are really happy with them. they are not the brightest in the bay, the bigger flybridge boats with gensets have brighter ones but for a battery boat i can run these for a few nights without having to fire up the portable and they light up a good 20-30 feet of water on a clear day. easy mounting too.

http://www.imds.com.au/18w-underwate...rim-tab-light/

[Pcpete]

I saw this one over the weekend.