Swim platform light

Hey Guys, I'm looking for a battery operated light that I can place on the ceiling of my sundeck that will illuminate the swim platform and grill that's located on the stern rail. I can't get pwr to it so it will have to be battery powered. It will need to swival and probably attach with a bracket so I can stow it out of the wx when not in use.
Sources anybody?
Thanks

I have a couple of these puck lights in the engine room and have had no issues with them. Since they are LED they don't go through batteries like crazy and are plenty bright.

GE Battery Operated LED White Puck Light with RF Remote Control (2-Pack)-17494 at The Home Depot

timjet said:

Hey Guys, I'm looking for a battery operated light that I can place on the ceiling of my sundeck that will illuminate the swim platform and grill that's located on the stern rail. I can't get pwr to it so it will have to be battery powered. It will need to swival and probably attach with a bracket so I can stow it out of the wx when not in use.
Sources anybody?
Thanks

Click to expand...

If it's on your boat it will be battery powered anyway, it's just a matter of which battery.

Seriously though, portable battery powered lights are available all over the place. Walmart, Sears, camping stores, home centers, hardware stores, etc.

Many designs, many materials, many battery type choices. It should go without saying that you should get an LED light for best battery life.

Get out of the house or off the boat and do some shopping. Or stay home and shop the Internet. Try amazon.com, they seem to sell everything.

I bought a solar "light rope" to put under the bimini top the solar panel is connected by a wire so it can be mounted remotely on the mast in my case. It is not a bright light but enough to see what is going on. The strand of "rope" is about 15', the panel has a photo cell so it is on at dark off in the daylight.
There are also solar "spotlights" with remote panels on at dark off in daylight I use them to light up areas on deck also. you can get them in at the big box stores they are cheap and last 2-3 years left out in the weather in my experience. Get the plastic ones to avoid rust.

I guess it's not the light that's going to be difficult to find but rather the mount. I have a small led light from home Depot that works great. I just need to find a mount for it. Maybe like the kind that hold cell phones to the windshield. It would need to swivel and be robust enough to stay on the boat while underway.

If you look at my avitar, right above the flag on the underside of the sundeck outside of the enclosure.

I have a battery powered light over my lower helm, it is attached to the overhead chart box with the sticky sided Velcro.

Not bright enough for Tim's purpose, but these little puck-lights are worth a look. I have one inside each wheelhouse door and one over the breaker panel. Around $8.00 for a 3-pack from Amazon. Price seems to vary with colour! They run on AAA batteries and have a good self-adhesive backer.

Shoalwaters said:

Not bright enough for Tim's purpose, but these little puck-lights are worth a look. I have one inside each wheelhouse door and one over the breaker panel. Around $8.00 for a 3-pack from Amazon. Price seems to vary with colour! They run on AAA batteries and have a good self-adhesive backer.

Click to expand...

+ 1 on these lights. I've got 4 on my boat and they do a decent job, batteries last forever. You can find them anywhere. I screwed mine in, as the adhesive tape they come with isn't very good. The nice thing about them is that they pop off the mounts real easy, you can use them as a little flashlight as needed.

Tim, probably the simplest solution would be a head light.

BTW, when are you planning to head to the Keys? We may be going that way too.

Strap a couple of solar walkway lights around the cockpit .

Recharged every day , on all night , no problem,

Not yachtie gear so $6.00 at a box store.

FF said:

Strap a couple of solar walkway lights around the cockpit .

Recharged every day , on all night , no problem,

Not yachtie gear so $6.00 at a box store.

Click to expand...

This works for us and all the sailing crowd. Put them in your rod holders and walla you always have light.

River Cruiser said:

I have a battery powered light over my lower helm, it is attached to the overhead chart box with the sticky sided Velcro.

Click to expand...

Agree.
If you want it stationary and not effected by heat like two sided tape, use the Velcro. A good commercial brand and you should be good to go.

Otherwise, the headlight someone mentioned might be a good all around option for light while moving about the boat/stern.

Don (Moonchild) head light is a good idea. Kinda goofy looking though

I got a landscape solar light at Home Depot with the solar cell separate from the light. I just have to figure out a mount system for this. Perhaps using starboard or a cutting board made out of the same stuff from Wal Mart to mount the solar cell on top of the sundeck. Then I'm thinking a flag mount to mount the light which is on a short pole.

Don, we're planning on Key West in mid to late May. The present plan is to come across via the O waterway and then head south from Stewart. Will have more exact dates by early April. We plan on 3 or 4 days on Biscayne Bay.

Daddyo said:

This works for us and all the sailing crowd. Put them in your rod holders and walla you always have light.

Click to expand...

Yes the rod holder, a great idea.

I agree that the head lights look a bit goofy, but I often wear ball caps and have found these to be VERY bright and long lasting. They use 3 AAA batteries and have 11 strong LEDs. They're plastic and their Achilles heel is is the little clip on to which fastens to the cap visor. So I buy them 3-4 at a time. Meg loves hers and they make great small gifts for friends.



They are currently priced at $5.99 (out of stock) but commonly go on sale for $3.99 each from meritline.com.

For something more substantial, maybe OttLite would have something that would work for you. A friend uses them for her beading and I just bought one for Meg for Valentine's Day. (I know, I'm a romantic, yet pragmatic, sap!) It's rechargeable and lasts 2-3 hrs on it's internal battery. They may have LED models that run on batteries alone. They're known for their very bright and true color lighting. I'm just not sure if the light will broadcast ample light into enough area for your purposes.

timjet said:

Don (Moonchild) head light is a good idea. Kinda goofy looking though

I got a landscape solar light at Home Depot with the solar cell separate from the light. I just have to figure out a mount system for this. Perhaps using starboard or a cutting board made out of the same stuff from Wal Mart to mount the solar cell on top of the sundeck. Then I'm thinking a flag mount to mount the light which is on a short pole.

Don, we're planning on Key West in mid to late May. The present plan is to come across via the O waterway and then head south from Stewart. Will have more exact dates by early April. We plan on 3 or 4 days on Biscayne Bay.

Click to expand...

I've never worried about looking goofy. Now, being goofy is different.

We may catch you at one end or the other. We are planning to do Biscayne Bay then work our way to Key West.

If you are sold on battery/solar power...then ignore me...

But after years of professionally installing marine electronics and other boat systems....if you want to try...send me a few closeups of your hard top, pipes or structures running down, and some of the hull sides and transom. If you don't mind the work..I may be able to give some ideas. I f decent pics are available someplace..point me in the right direction if you please.

I bought a Harbour freight motion sensitive solar charged LED light. It is on my radar arch swiveled down at the rear boarding step. It could have pointed at the BBQ just as easily. Looks odd but works great $20
It also lights up if somebody walks nearby at night

Finally got around to it

This was an easy install. It illuminates the swim platform and I can swivel it left and right to illuminate the grill.

I think the really nice thing about these solar LED's in this type of installation is that you don't have to remember to turn it on so when you get back to the boat on the dinghy after dark, the swim platform is illuminated and doesn't draw down the house batteries.