Remote or joystick controlled search/flood light

there are a bunch of different types available on the market.
the Guest model i have seen on many boats but i also like the Jabsco one with the option to set it to automatic send SOS in case of emergency.
what do you have or wish you have?

per wrote:

there are a bunch of different types available on the market.
The guest model i have seen on many boats but i also like the jabsco one with the option to set it to automatic send sos in case of emergency.
What do you have or wish you have?

Click to expand...

acr

*

Carlisle and Finch with integrated FLIR

http://www.carlislefinch.com/marine/specs/increm.htm

Per wrote:

there are a bunch of different types available on the market.
the Guest model i have seen on many boats but i also like the Jabsco one with the option to set it to automatic send SOS in case of emergency.
what do you have or wish you have?

Click to expand...

How much money do you want to spend?*

skipperdude take one look at my boat and you will know.

ok joking aside, probably not more than $400-500 max

An older BIG Perko would do just fine , but remember a good lamp bulb may run $40, to $120.

Depends on how far you want to see.

In my limited experience, a handheld light is far easier and more intuitive to use than any remote controlled light.

Just sayin'.

-- Edited by rwidman on Thursday 17th of February 2011 07:59:52 AM

rwidman wrote:

In my limited experience, a handheld light is far easier and more intuitive to use than any remote controlled light.

Just sayin'.

-- Edited by rwidman on Thursday 17th of February 2011 07:59:52 AM

Click to expand...

True it is qucker to point and shoot so to speak but at night with some of*the Eisen glass up it scares the hell out of you when it reflects back.

*

Per wrote:

there are a bunch of different types available on the market.
the Guest model i have seen on many boats but i also like the Jabsco one with the option to set it to automatic send SOS in case of emergency.
what do you have or wish you have?

Click to expand...

We have a 12" Perko with the manual or joy stick control.* It's great if you want to get someones attention at a*1000 yards but as far as*running at night trying to spot debris,*crab or lobster pots, forget it.* You can adjust the beam diameter but as you widen*it, you loose brightness over distance.* It takes a 100W 12V halogen projector bulb.* You can still get them for about $15.00 on E-bay but since they don't make very many projectors who knows for how long.

We were on a 60 LRT over the holidays.* The owner had picked up a FLIR night vision scope*from a high end wrecked BMW for $1400.* He attached it to his remote control spotlight and used an automotive drop down LCD screen for the display in the pilot house.* You could see the seagulls sitting on the water at 100 yards.

-- Edited by Larry M on Thursday 17th of February 2011 08:13:09 AM

We have a Gust wired*remote control that the*Rotation does not work.* After talking with people and how little we have used it, decide the hand held was better and cheaper.* So now I use the Gust just*to light up for the front deck.* If* I was going to replace it, it would be with a wireless remote control*but right now the hand helds work.

I like things about both of them.
Manual ones are easier to point and scan where you want them. The down side is they often leak down the shaft from above. They loosen up over time and the armature has a habit of fatiguing.

The auto/joy stick ones are easier to have in the pilothouse . No bumping of head, controls mount anywhere you want. Cons are : the controller is not as precise as manual.
I can't imagine why anyone would want flir.

I agree with Ron. My remote spot is very difficult to point whereas I can stick my wife on the bow with a handheld. She can search for buoys quicker than I can figure out where the remote is aiming. My fixed spot is a Guest with a wireless remote. Hate it, but once I had a lot of fun with it inside a covered shed after I discovered that it would also operate the spotlights on several other boats. You catch a marina employee walking down the dock passing boats that he knows are unoccupied and shine that boats spotlight on him. When he goes to check you turn it off just as he is about to board the boat.

How did I get away with this you asked? Since my light should come on also. Simple, you install a on/off switch at the light so that it must be on for the remote to activate the light. I put this switch in the system after I discovered that something else on the boat was on the same frequency. The light would come on in the daytime and burn the bulb out before I knew that it was on. I bought a new bulb from Guest once...$50-60, I think. Then I discovered that auto parts stores sell the same bulbs for $6.00 in the off road lighting section.

Per wrote:

skipperdude take one look at my boat and you will know.

ok joking aside, probably not more than $400-500 max

Click to expand...

*Per,
*Hows about posting some pics of your ride.

Love to take a look at it.

SD

My mistake. Went back to the all member boats I remember commenting on the ER


-- Edited by skipperdude on Thursday 17th of February 2011 11:50:07 AM

Sailor of Fortune wrote:

...I can't imagine why anyone would want flir.

Click to expand...

I find it useful navigating ICW in SFL at night.* Waterways are crowded at times and I can pay attention to driving the boat instead of working the searchlight. YRMV

My remote spotlight just quit working. The light will come on but it won't move at all using the remote. That wouldn't happen with a handheld.

I have two remotes, both installed by the PO. *The one on the pilothouse roof works fine, but the one on the bow rail stopped rotating. *Truth be known, when I need a spotlight, I can't think of a better way to do it than by hand. *If you're trying to spot a marker on the ICW at night, for example, one can compensate for boat movement with a hand-held, and not so well with a remote. *I'm headed to the Miami show today, and I'll be looking out for a deal.

sounds like a handheld is what i need (and i have one of those), somehow i had in my mind that i would be better off with some sort of headlight when cruising at night.

I didn't know the Coot would be coming with a joystick-controlled searchlight until working on the helmsman's station layout.* The helmsman's position is on*the starboard side of the pilothouse, so I'm having the searchlight control on the left side of the panel so it is accessible to other crew.

Regardless, I'm going to acquire a hand-held light.





-- Edited by markpierce on Friday 18th of February 2011 06:19:06 PM

I have a light like markpierce has, looks very similar from the picture. I also have a hand held light I keep onboard that came from my sailboat. I used the hand held several times on my sailboat and it worked great for picking up day markers. I haven't used the installed light at all, but I would think that the hand held would be much more use full. Trying to locate an object with the joy stick control would take much more time than a hand held. But JD brought up a good point, you can't use a hand held from a bridge with Eisen glass or from a lower helm station.

We also carry a handheld, it gets the most use when we are on the dink at night.

This is somewhat of an old thread, but looking for advise. I want to add a fixed remote spotlight to mt hardtop fly ridge roof.

Thoughts and recommendations ?

sea hag said:

This is somewhat of an old thread, but looking for advise. I want to add a fixed remote spotlight to mt hardtop fly ridge roof.

Thoughts and recommendations ?

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How big is your boat? For smaller boats, I have heard GoLight is good. For big boats, Carlisle & Finch is top of the line.

Scott Welch
Island Eagle

make sure you mount it far enough back that your roofline shadows the foredeck and railing...otherwise it will drive you crazy.

if you drive from your flybridge and mount it on the roof...I STRONGLY suggest a manual rather than motor diven...if you can mount it in a convenient location to drive and manipulate it.

something like this -
Perko Chrome Spotlight 12V 7" | eBay

I run the ICW at night at 20 knots for my towing job and there's no way a motor driven spotlight will keep up with the zigs and zags. At trawler speeds they may be OK...but if I had a hardtop...I would still get a manual.

psneeld said:

...but if I had a hardtop...I would still get a manual.

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Agree with that we have a remote operated spotlight on the hardtop and wish it was a manual. Just one more dash mounted knob to fiddle with at night. My opinion might differ if I used it more often but I doubt it. KISS as FF would say.

Those who operate in water where the commercials are could do well to copy commercial practice.

A HUGE POWERFUL spot light illuminastes the entire area , not some tiny spot.

Big lights cost big bucks and big power , and $100 bulbs don't last all that long ,

but if you are into safe night operation , that's the price.

Thanks for all good advise. Thing going manual for KISS and that do not intend to cruise at night, just for those times that Plans are overridden by fate.