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Old 11-14-2014, 03:10 PM   #21
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Has anybody tried this?

Marinebeam Long Range Illuminator
I've played with one and they are indeed a great solution. Hoping to find one under the Christmas tree..

The Hatteras had a big old Jabsco Ray Line mounted on the brow above the windhield with upper and lower station remotes. Futzing with the remote was too awkward when you just wanted to quickly spot something off to the side. 99% of the use ended up being to illuminate the foredeck when anchoring. Ended up using big bulky handheld spots which will be replaced by the MB unit or something very similar someday.
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Old 11-14-2014, 03:40 PM   #22
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thanks. I'm sure my wife's going to love her Marinebeam Christmas gift.
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Old 11-14-2014, 04:17 PM   #23
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Thanks for the input. I agree handhelds pointed out the helm door seem to work better than most fixed mount alternatives.

I am looking for a fixed mount that is easy and accurate to point around. I am looking for a fix mounted light for crummy weather when the doors are closed.

Probably the 7inch Perko is the way to go.
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Old 11-14-2014, 04:25 PM   #24
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Thanks for the input. I agree handhelds pointed out the helm door seem to work better than most fixed mount alternatives.

I am looking for a fixed mount that is easy and accurate to point around. I am looking for a fix mounted light for crummy weather when the doors are closed.

Probably the 7inch Perko is the way to go.
A handheld to use in addition to a nice manual is a great combo.

I find that in addition to using the mounted one..leaving it at a few degrees off one way or the other, then just altering course so the light picks up the mark I was heading at anyway works pretty well.
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Old 11-15-2014, 05:24 AM   #25
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The big advantage to a LED searchlight (probably an OTS truck headlight) is bulb cost and life.

On a real high power search light a bulb can cost $100+ , and has a life measured in hours , not years.
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Old 11-15-2014, 06:13 AM   #26
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We buy projector bulbs by the case. 3 large Spot lights. We are on a dredging job in a village in Jamaica where the local skiff fisherman don't have running lights. They row their skiffs through the harbor, unlit to the reefs. When we move the dredge and dump barge , they are curious and tend to pop up in places that we can't see them. Frequent use of spotlights helps somewhat.
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Old 11-15-2014, 09:32 AM   #27
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thanks. I'm sure my wife's going to love her Marinebeam Christmas gift.
Your right, mine absolutely loved hers as a birthday gift,😁

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Old 11-15-2014, 03:32 PM   #28
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I have two mounted spot/flood lights on our boat but find them a PITA to use because you have to take your attention away from whatever it is you want to illuminate to (a) find the spotlight control and (b) aim it where you want. Usually you're moving to you have to continually keep changing the point of aim.

I find it much easier to use a rechargeable 1million candlepower, handheld spotlight on the helm. It's always charged and it's easy to pick up and shine where you want it without having to mess around with a control stick. You just point it where you want it and pull the trigger to light up your target.
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Old 11-15-2014, 03:43 PM   #29
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The nice thing about the remote/electric control spotlights is that the condensation and rain doesn't run down the control arms and make a mess of the wheelhouse console. Lots of tin soup cans with wire for catchment. The tension arm/ bracket has a tendency to fracture after a few years of use also.
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Old 11-20-2014, 09:18 AM   #30
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I have two mounted spot/flood lights on our boat but find them a PITA to use because you have to take your attention away from whatever it is you want to illuminate to (a) find the spotlight control and (b) aim it where you want. Usually you're moving to you have to continually keep changing the point of aim.

I find it much easier to use a rechargeable 1million candlepower, handheld spotlight on the helm. It's always charged and it's easy to pick up and shine where you want it without having to mess around with a control stick. You just point it where you want it and pull the trigger to light up your target.
1st This was my first light, the million power handheld. Works well, but must be held at the door, so hard to use single handed.

2nd was the Duracell led flashlights from Costco. They are great, and you are able to change beam width. I have a half dozen now, keep them all over the boat. Handy and easy, but million power puts out more light.

3rd. As hopcar said, I have a Hella 7" driving light mounted under the bow pulpit, with two Chinese led fog lights on either side. Both controlled by little rocker switches that I placed to be right under my fingertips as I hold onto the helm, while steering with left hand.

My Perko pilot house roof mounted searchlight, I use ONLY to car light on the fore deck, while anchoring. It's not good for anything else.

The driving lights have been the number ONE most important add-on.

They allow me to see channels at night and still steer and keep my night vision.

Without them, I could not have done the few hours a night I did in the spring, coming up the ICW.

I was a bit worried about the anchors somehow hitting them, but no problems there.
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Old 11-20-2014, 09:29 AM   #31
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3rd. As hopcar said, I have a Hella 7" driving light mounted under the bow pulpit, with two Chinese led fog lights on either side. Both controlled by little rocker switches that I placed to be right under my fingertips as I hold onto the helm, while steering with left hand.

......

The driving lights have been the number ONE most important add-on.

They allow me to see channels at night and still steer and keep my night vision.

Without them, I could not have done the few hours a night I did in the spring, coming up the ICW.

I was a bit worried about the anchors somehow hitting them, but no problems there.
This almost sounds like headlights for boats. If they could be waterproofed like pool lights and recessed into the hull, that would be a very useful to night crawlers (no pun intended).
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Old 11-20-2014, 09:44 AM   #32
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This almost sounds like headlights for boats. If they could be waterproofed like pool lights and recessed into the hull, that would be a very useful to night crawlers (no pun intended).
like these...and there's all kinds and styles as they have been around for decades...

LED Docking Lights : Attwood Marine
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Old 11-20-2014, 10:26 AM   #33
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like these...and there's all kinds and styles as they have been around for decades...

LED Docking Lights : Attwood Marine

Sorta, kinda. Is it believable that a 5W LED is equivalent to about a 55W halogen? That claim seems dubious. I've used 4.5W LEDs for dirt applications and they claim equivalence to a 25W incandescent. They have the right idea. Anyone have experience using this docking light for a headlight?
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Old 11-20-2014, 10:36 AM   #34
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I'm not sure I see any advantage to using led if underway.

I use led for situations in which I must use the battery.

A 100 watt halogen is a far better cruising light if underway.
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Old 11-20-2014, 03:01 PM   #35
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Never really ever had a proper search light. I prefer handhelds most of the time to reduce back scatter. I've been using my cave diving primary (HID) and back up (LED) lights for the last several years. Only drawback to the primaries is the weight of the battery pack (14amp sla yield a 300 min burn time). Click image for larger version

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Old 11-20-2014, 03:49 PM   #36
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Sorta, kinda. Is it believable that a 5W LED is equivalent to about a 55W halogen? That claim seems dubious. I've used 4.5W LEDs for dirt applications and they claim equivalence to a 25W incandescent. They have the right idea. Anyone have experience using this docking light for a headlight?
like I posted, many makes and models. They were installed into the bows of USCG utility boats decades ago so there are many models to pick from.
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Old 11-20-2014, 05:24 PM   #37
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I brought my 3 Maglight flashlights home to compare them in a dark room on a textured, off-white wall. Apologies for the poor quality but all I had was my cellphone camera to record the differences. Here's how they compare:

1. Standard 3 D-cell MagLight with standard, incandescent bulb:



2. Standard 3 D-cell MagLight with a Maglight brand replacement LED lamp:



3. Custom made 2-cell MagLight modifies with rechargeable batteries, new reflector, new extra bright LED, new convex glass lens and new Lo/Hi/Strobe switch.





#1 has a poorly focused and dim light with a yellow cast and moderate scatter.

#2 has a much whiter and brighter light with significantly more light scatter.

#3 has significantly more brightness, focus and whiteness than #2...so much so that the picture is over exposed in the center where the square LED image appears rounded in this image. The second image shows this detail in a close-up.

I removed the lens from both LED flashlights and placed them side by side for a comparison, but #3 (on the left) just overwhelmed #2 and the photo shown below is the best I could get.



Until I set this up, I had never noticed the corona-like outer ring surrounding the focal point in #3. This ring is really there, but its effect on light scatter in the near field is minimal.

The point of all this is to illustrate how modern handheld flashlights can cast a significant light forward without washing out the foredeck in scattered light. In terms of brightness, I just stepped outside in broad daylight and shined the beam on bushes in my yard 75-80 ft away. The square spot of light was clearly visible in daylight.

I'd love to get my hands on the Marine Beam light linked above for a comparison. (OK, I'll admit to being somewhat of a torch/flashlight geek!)
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Old 11-20-2014, 09:25 PM   #38
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3. Custom made 2-cell MagLight modifies with rechargeable batteries, new reflector, new extra bright LED, new convex glass lens and new Lo/Hi/Strobe switch.

Custom made?


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Old 11-20-2014, 09:40 PM   #39
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The downside is power draw. Pretty amazing the power, you can feel heat from it 4 to 5 feet in front of it.
Heat = lost light.

Hadn't thought of an LED spotlight but my brother lives in the country with not a light within miles. The other night he showed me an LED flashlight he bought at Costco that showed a racoon in a tree 400yds away on a moonless night. I have asked him to pick one up for me.

Maybe I'll duct tape it on to my rc spotlight
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Old 11-21-2014, 05:55 AM   #40
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Never said or thought they were efficient, just the only game in town for years.

I'mean sure a few led lights now are just about there...I just personally haven'the been hands on with one to endorse it...nor have I seen one in a manual marine mount, only handheld ones.

While I like a good handheld, I also routinely use and like a mounted, manual control.
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