Holiday Decoration Ideas

[Carolena]

Holiday Decoration/Lighting Ideas (Parade of Lights)

Need some ideas and input. We are thinking of participating with our boat in a holiday parade of lights event. Looking for decorating ideas. Criteria are something that will (i) be a crowd pleaser (prizes are involved ), (ii) not break the bank (willing to spend up to a few hundred), and (iii) doesn't involve too many props (no place to store them after the event). We do have a generator. Pic of our actual boat, a 32/34 Nordic Tug, in my avatar, and pic of a sister ship, below:

 

[robbie]

You may get some inspiration from this video, it's a yearly event in Newfoundland.

Port de Grave Boat Lighting - 2010 - YouTube

With the new LED lights I would imagine you could put on quite a show without blowing your gen!!.

 

[Carolena]

Yes, except they are really proud of those LEDs based on prices. They have come down quite a bit and we use them at the house, but too expensive for a once a year thing on the boat.

A few ideas going through my head now are to put a tree on the top deck, wrap the main cabin to look like a wrapped gift, santa on the roof by the stack, or a combinatoin of these. My freinds won several prizes last year by turning their boat into Rudolph. Of course, they have big outriggers that were the antlers.

 

[CaptTom]

...santa on the roof by the stack...

I like it. A little cardboard could make the stack into a "chimney". Then you'd only need the top half of a Santa. If you could make his arm wave, you might have a hit!

My boat is on the hard this winter, but I've already added an outside outlet, wired into one of the inverter circuits. Some day I hope to be somewhere warm enough to participate in a Christmas parade of boats. So keep those ideas coming!

 

[Phil Fill]

On Lake Union Christmas boating was a big TO DO! Hundred of boats would be decorated for the special parade and following the Christmas ship around the lake. When we moored on Lake Union we decorated the Eagle. The mast/stays was decorated as a Christmas tree with a star on top, the boom had an angle and the storage boxes were wrapped lighted as presents. Lights were strung along the pilot house roof to the roof railing, the bow railing to the Portuguese bridge to the salon roof, and along the gunnels. A lighted sleigh and reindeer on the bow, a big Santa on the pilot house roof, and lighted candles with a santa on the swim deck.

The inside pilot house and salon windows had lighted candles. A small Christmas tree, off course a Nativity scene, with wreaths, Christmas figures, snow globes and garlands. The boat was decorated from the bow to the stern and the top of the mast to the gunnels. However, now that we are in Everett, no Christmas decorations on the out side, and inside only a nativity scene and small tree. Christmas is NOT a big TO DO in Everett. Beside for Christmas we are traveling and not on the boat.

For those in the Puget Sound area, you might want to go on one of the Argosy Christmas dinner cruises and/or Christmas ship.

 

[Carolena]

Wow, Phil, that sounds amazing! I'd love to do something that involved, but we have no place to store everything after the holidays. All we have is the small condo in the city and the boat. Oh how I wish I had a garage. I've even have to keep all my tools and aircompressor from my wrench turning days at my parent's house (500 miles from here) - which works out for my dad but not so much for me.

Please keep the ideas coming. Anyone with photoshop skills is also encouraged to take a shot!