LED Searchlight?

I have an older ACR searchlight mounted on the radar arch. I find it pretty much useless due to its goofy push button control. I have been thinking about replacing it with a manual control tugboat style old school light but can't find one for the right price. Has anyone tried these newer LED searchlights? Or an LED lightbar?

I am basically interested in illumination ICW marks while running along at 8kts. It would be nice to see crab trap balls, but that would be extra.

ACR makes new updated controls for their lights. Check out the web site

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I could see where a bow-mounted remote control search light would be helpful on a dark night, but find the light scatter on the foredeck from some forward facing lights mounted on the arch or FB kill my night vision.

I carry a specialized, custom built, high power LED MagLight onboard which allows me limited use out the stbd door. It casts very little light on the foredeck with its tight beam and focused lens but I have to hold it in my right hand to use it. I'd like to have a super bright light like that with its minimal scatter mounted up high or on the bow for remote control use.

I bet if you researched LEDs a bit, you might be able to fashion a replacement lamp assembly to fit into the current housing. It could be a fun project.

Our friend Richard on Dauntless mounted a good size, forward facing, flood light under his pulpit. He seems to like it. That location avoids scatter on the deck.

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Here is something similar to what I use on the assistance towboat.

I run narrow unmarked creeks and the intracoastal at night a lot and without a spotlight like this or a great handheld it would be a lot more difficult.

Because the nature of the work I do, I tend to run at higher speeds in those areas than what some consider safe. Without instantaneous visual info from the searchlight, I would be out of the channel or up on the grass in seconds. Electronics or even trying to use binocs or rely on night vision on a dark night just doesn't cut it.

I would rather lose a bit of night vision and feel confident to know where I am than have 100% of it because I'm sitting on deck stargazing waiting for the tide to refloat me.

It is also easy to point up and away from any oncoming traffic as soon as their running lights are seen. The good news about really nice, expensive spotlights is that their beam is so concentrated, the scattered light they emit isn't all the bright. So if you keep the pinpoint light away from others, it is not blinding.

I admit on more open water and using night vision and binocs to spot buoys is one thing...but squeezing through those very narrow areas of the ICW...night vision is overrated for staying in the channel.

Try one of these or similar and see what Hopkins Carter may be able to order up.

Perko 7" Searchlight - 12V - Chrome&

The other possibilities that are available are night vision devices and FLIR which are getting cheaper and could make a great spotlight less in demand.

I love the perko aboard our boat.

I have a handheld led spot on my CC and find it useful for spotting markers, and bouys on moonless nights.

"Try one of these or similar and see what Hopkins Carter may be able to order up."

Thanks for the plug! The HopCar Bucks are on the way. Actually Perko Searchlights are a bit of a specialty with me.

How about one of these? It has a 19" reflector and if you shine it on something that is too close, it will burn through it. (Just Kidding!)

HopCar said:

Actually Perko Searchlights are a bit of a specialty with me.

How about one of these? It has a 19" reflector and if you shine it on something that is too close, it will burn through it. (Just Kidding!)

Click to expand...

Are these LED searchlights?

"Are these LED searchlights?"
No, the one PS shows uses a sealed beam bulb and the big 19" light uses a giant projector lamp.

The smaller one like on my work boat uses a sealed beam projector lamp from GE. I always forget the brand the spotlight is, but pretty common.

Not led but I haven't seen an led that can come close in performance.

The downside is power draw. Pretty amazing the power, you can feel heat from it 4 to 5 feet in front of it.

I picked up a cheap handheld LED spotlight at Home Depot and keep it on the boat. Never tried it as a searchlight but suspect it wouldn't be that great for that application. It does well for getting into the many dark spaces we have on our boat.

My suspicion is LED lights have not been sized up enough to meet the demands of a searchlight application. The largest LED light I have seen is a BR40 and they are very pricey.

SaltyDog said:

I love the perko aboard our boat.

Click to expand...

Ditto




I think this is the best value in a handheld. From the marine store called Home Depot!

I have 2 battery packs and a 12 volt charger

• 35 Watt High Intensity Discharge (HID) Xenon bulb for maximum lighting
• 2,800 lumens of light output
• 60 minutes of run time per charge using P104 High Capacity Lithium-ion battery

RYOBI 18Volt ONE+™ Xenon HI-Beam™ Review

Spotlights and floodlights are two different things with different uses. There are some very impressive LED floods out there. I haven't seen anything in LED spotlights though that compare with a good halogen or sealed beam incandescent spot.

Yet.

Sisuitl said:

Spotlights and floodlights are two different things with different uses. There are some very impressive LED floods out there. I haven't seen anything in LED spotlights though that compare with a good halogen or sealed beam incandescent spot.

Yet.

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Yes I agree, seems the flat LED is not easy to center in a large reflector to provide a pinpoint of focused light.

They are much better now and I see the long (deep) reflectors doing the best.

It's only a matter of time when incandescent goes the way of kerosene lights. Heck you cant even find a kerosene cell phone these days.

Has anybody tried this?

Marinebeam Long Range Illuminator

The LED and convex lens of this unit looks much like my modified MagLight handheld. Mine also has a custom polished reflector to focus the beam. The light core shows as a square light on the illuminated surface. You can even see the electrical contact shadow on one side of the the square light beam shown on a surface at 100 yards.



The beam in this illustration appears focused similar to mine, but the lighted spot is round, not square.

angus99 said:

Has anybody tried this?

Marinebeam Long Range Illuminator

Click to expand...

I've got one. Works great. Everything they say it is. Heavy though just like mag lights.

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I bought one of these last weekend and used it coming home from a Husky game. I was very pleased with it.

Coleman - 12V Direct Plug Spotlight

angus99 said:

Has anybody tried this?

Marinebeam Long Range Illuminator

Click to expand...

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.

thanks. I'm sure my wife's going to love her Marinebeam Christmas gift.

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.

neworleansrich said:

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.

Click to expand...

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.

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.

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.

angus99 said:

thanks. I'm sure my wife's going to love her Marinebeam Christmas gift.

Click to expand...

Your right, mine absolutely loved hers as a birthday gift,?

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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.

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.

GFC said:

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.

Click to expand...

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.