Underwater LED Light Install

SummerDeis...

How are you? The first and second page of this thread is all about my plexiglass LED rings for my tower speakers. I actually purchased a set for my bow speakers first (about $80.00) and when they showed up, I told myself "You've got to be kidding me? I can make these!"

I don't remember the exact #'s, but I think to outfit my whole boat with the speaker rings (just the rings... no LED's) was going to be right $500.00 (I think)...

I found a place online that sales plexiglass (sheets of acrylic)... I purchased a 24"X48" (1/2") sheet of acrylic for about $65.00... I then purchased all the LED's from Super Bright LED's (.com) for about $125.00 (?)... I don't remember all the #'s, but I know I did it all myself FOR WAY LESS!

I made a couple of templates of my speakers and went to work with a jigsaw! They came out remarkably well for being handcut! I think i stated the only way they would have been any better is if I would have had them machined!

Hope that answered some of your questions... Go back to the first couple of pages.... I think I went a little more in depth when I first posted about them!
 
On the Oznium lights, how do you wire them up? It looks like they only come with 2' of wire which isn't enough to get it inside the transom to make a connection...
 
:smt021 :grin:

i didn't even think about mounting them there!!!

now i feel real stupid, i purchased 4 of these halogen lights with trim tab mounts. they look like this but each light has its own mounting bracket:

http://www.hurleymarine.com/picts/TabLightPVC.gif


again, good job! :thumbsup:


Those Hurley lights are nice, but very expensive. At least for me! :grin:
 
Can someone settle something for me. I have priced underwater lights including labor for my boat the last 2 years. Each time I get prices like $1500 a light plus $1800 labor. These are for the flush type. Both companies suggested 4 lights. That adds up toe $7800. Now am I missing something here? I see lights on this thread selling for a few hundred dollars or less. Does it just go back to you get what you pay for and if you don't need alot of light, a $300 light is just fine or is it these guys are just jerking my chain and charging me alot becuase I have a very expensive boat they just figure I can afford it?
 
An update to my LED light install after one season:

The pros:

  • Super cheap. Like $14 per light!
  • Super easy to install - less than an hour for everything.
  • Lots of light - fish everywhere at the dock!
The cons:

  • A LOT of RF noise. Drowns out the FM and VHF signals when on.
  • Durability - lasted one season. The corrosion from the electrolysis killed them I think. Aluminum housing on S/S trim tabs, powered by 12v DC = death by corrosion. I can't imagine they'd last more than a couple of months in salt water.
So, if you can handle re-doing them every year, or figure out the corrosion problem, they are certainly worth the $$.

As far as $$$ to light output ratio. they are pretty good.

I think with the Cruisers I just bought I am going to go with white lights mounted to the bottom of the swim platform, facing down. Nothing permananently submerged, no dis-simliar metals touching. My wife says that comes next winter though...apparently I have reached my upgrade threshold for this year. I won't tell her about the sound system upgrade in the garage waiting to be installed then.

SHHHHHH! http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=...mage_result&resnum=4&ct=image&ved=0CBAQ9QEwAw

cheers,

Randy.
 
A reason for the price differences as far as LED lights has to do with how they are controlled as for voltage variances, and what type of material the housings are made of; example here would be aluminum, brass, stainless steel or polycarbonate plastic.
There is a lot of cost in manufacturing them; the aluminum, brass, and stainless steel, ones do to the cost of material and the machining involved.
Polycarbonate plastic ones are less expensive to manufacture and take away the possible chance of corrosion on the light housing and surrounding area.

As far as marina pricing for installation it varies, as one would expect from marina-to-marina.
 
does any knows if led light installed under swim platform above water line performs as good as under water?
 
does any knows if led light installed under swim platform above water line performs as good as under water?

The ones I have tested give two completely different looks. Above water gives reflections back up and against the bottom of the boat. If you can see the reflection, you think you are looking directly into the light. They seem to provide a spot-light like beam of light in the water. Below the water installation gives a lot more illumination without the reflections or the spot like beam. The light diffuses and lights the underwater environment better.

The lenses will require constant attention. The lights are more susceptible to corossion, leakage, and fouling.

That being said, both of my Barnegat lights are mounted above the water line and have taken on water. One filled completely and has been replaced. The other has 1" of water in it.
 
John,

What made you decide to get the 48 LED lights vs. the Oznium lights some other members have tried?

Have any shots of them on and looking at the boat from a distance, not in its slip?
 
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John your private message center is full.

I know. I went out of town for a week and my membership expired. I paid it right away when I got back on line, on Sat I think. It's still not reflected in my profile/PMs.
 
John,

What made you decide to get the 48 LED lights vs. the Oznium lights some other members have tried?

Have any shots of them on and looking at the boat from a distance, not in its slip?

Very simple - plastic.

For me, an ideal underwater light would have a plastic housing, glass lenses and be LED. 2 out of 3 isn't too bad. The Barnegat's were great for 2 years, and now are old technology. These will be great for a while. I like the low profile, light weight aspect of them too. 2 SS screws will secure them nicely. I'm looking for a sheath in which to protect the wiring.

Wx cooperating, I'll get distant pics with lights mounted above and below the water line this Fri night. I'll post them Sunday.
 
Not as competitive as 48LED - $50.00 each. Can't be beat for what they are!
 
The old saying "buy cheap get cheap" comes to mind when I read this post. I am very familar with LEDs and I would be willing to bet that out of the box they work just fine but they will NOT last the test of time especially in salt water.
 
The old saying "buy cheap get cheap" comes to mind when I read this post. I am very familar with LEDs and I would be willing to bet that out of the box they work just fine but they will NOT last the test of time especially in salt water.

Maybe, but do I go to the $1300/light type, or do I give these a shot? When you examine these, you see that the two halves were pressed together with tons of silicone. There is about 1" at the minimum of distance between and edge and a screw hole, or edge and light fixture. The lens is formed out all the way to the edges. In other words, water is not getting in. The only place it could is where the wire goes in, and if you drill through and use sealant to seal it on, that won't happen. If you run the wire behind the back plate in the small groove and use sealant properly (as recommended), water will not get in through the (already sealed) wire access.

The ONLY issue I can see with these is the lens. Doug has a valid point that it is the same stuff that salt water aquariums is made out of. I have a glass salt water tank, and though the material is different, I treat it as if it were fragile. A simple dusting every two weeks and nothing grows on it even though I blast the tank with 500 watts of Metal Halide light and 240 watts of power compacts for eight hours a day and add tons of nutrients to keep the corals happy. The rocks are loaded in growth. The glass is crystal clear. If you let the glass go for three weeks without dusting it off, hard shelled animals take hold - you can't let that happen in warm salt water.

In many cases you get what you pay for. In this case, I think I'm avoiding paying extra for something I don't need.
 
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So Randy how did the lights work mounted on your trim tabs? Were they as bright as you thought they might be after you got your boat in the water. Was 4 of them enough? Im thinking of putting them on the back of my 440 Dancer.
Thanks for any feed back

Sea Captain Larry
 
i used the blue ones and mounted them at the same way. If u click on the link for my photo album i have some pics of them while in the water
 

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