Searchlight replacement

[ddalme]

PO removed searchlight from face of flybridge. I want to replace with a remote light that is hard wired to the upper station and maybe wireless to lower station(just for ease of installation), but could also hard wire(Pain to get wires down there). Any recommendations? $500 budget.

 

[GFC]

I'd just about give you either of the two spotlights on my boat. I don't use either of them because I've found a hand held, rechargeable spot light is much easier to use.

First of all, when you're needing a spotlight you want to keep your eyes on whatever it is you want to light up (man overboard, etc.). With the mounted, remote control lights you have to take your eyes off the object you're watching to find and use the controls, and then you have to keep adjusting the light because the darn boat keeps moving.

With a hand held they're cheap (around $20-25), they're portable (you can light up things alongside the boat or off the stern), they're faster to use and easier to keep aimed at the object no matter what the boat is doing, and you don't have to take your eyes off the object to keep the light on it.

Oh, and did I mention they're cheap?

 

[N4712]

Best 30 bucks I've ever spent. It's light weight and bright! Use it on my little dusky all the time at night.

Not the best in class but will do the job.

Iv'e been told the best of the best Hand-held Led spot lights are made by Underwater Kinetics.

 

[windmill29130]

Marinco Spl-12w Wireless Spot Light - 100w - 12/24v - White


You'll have to buy an additional remote. The remotes are hard wired for 12 volt dc control only ( no batteries needed). No wires that actually go to light from remotes. You can also get a bracket made to mount it for around 150. PM me and I'll give that info. Mine is being made as we speak.

 

[Doug]

Our boat came with a GoLight remotely operated spotlight GOLIGHT Permanent Remote-Control Spotlights | West Marine on the face of the flybridge. We only used it once and found it to be almost useless mounted in that position. The glare reflected off the inside of the gunwales and the fore deck ruined our night vision.
I am in the process of relocating the light to the rail of the bow pulpit to avoid this problem. Other than the glare problem the remote light worked well and was easy to use. I would question whether you need hardwired controls at all, the handheld remote can be used from either helm.

 

[O C Diver]

Iv'e been told the best of the best Hand-held Led spot lights are made by Underwater Kinetics.

You were lied to.

As somewhat of an aficionado on underwater lights, one needs to be very cautious on what you're buying. In an effort to make them smaller for convenience of carrying, the batteries get significantly reduced in size. As almost all are LED, you get a very bright initial light, that reduces significantly over time. Most scuba dives aren't an hour in duration. While they burn for up to 24 hours the really bright light may only last an hour or two. If you choose to use one, do a burn test on it to determine usable light duration. Simply turn it on in a dark room and check it every 15 minutes until you see a noticeable change. Read the directions. The really bright dive lights need to be used in the water as the LED has a heat sink that is cooled by the water. My cave diving lights can only be burned for about 15 minutes out of the water without damaging the LED. Last tidbit, lights rated in watts measure their power consumption, not their light output. A 12 watt focused LED dive light produces as bright a spot as a 100 watt halogen dive light.

Ted

 

[cafesport]

No he wasn't lied to, he misunderstood what was told to him.

For a handheld it's tough to beat the uk's. Their reflectors offer excellent beam patterns for quickly picking up markers buoys and such at night. Ive been using their sl4 reflector in extreme exposure scout backup lights for years, both in and out of the water. I don't drive them more than 5 volts and they last for a solid 6 hours. I've come out of a few caves using them when primary lights have failed.



Via iPhone.

 

[psneeld]

Remote searchlights are just tools like handhelds are.

One is good for some uses...the other for different uses.

Depending on what waters you run, how you run them, and how you use the light might determine which is better.

Usually people that I know who operate a lot at night find themselves using both to a degree....depending on what kind of waters being run.

 

[ddalme]

thanks everyone. After further thought I think I'll get both. You never know when you'll need a backup

 

[FlyWright]

Another vote for the handheld LED flashlight. There are some powerful, compact, high performance lights out there today for a reasonable price.

Look for one with minimal light scatter in the near field and a tight light pattern in the far field to minimize the effect on your night vision.