Interior Boat Lighting

These are 6 and 12 LED lights from Cabella’s. They are bright white LEDs that really lights up the boat. I positioned the front lights so it lights up the storage area too.

I installed these earlier this summer, and they work great. I was going to do rope lights, but didn’t have a good place to run them. I think the LED’s don’t take as much power as regular lights too.

The boat is an 1850 Crestliner SportFish. It would be nice if my gunnel had an overhang that I could mount them under so they would shine down more, but they still light up nice.

The dim lights you see are the original lights that really don’t do much for lighting up the floor at night. Install was easy, I ran the power to an ACC switch that also shuts off power to my GPS puck.

I included a picture of my 520c, thanks to JollyAnn Marine for great service and saving me a bunch of cash!

(Credit goes to a guy in my fishing league for the light idea).

Thanks for sharing. I ran two rope lights on one side up front, then the other in the back, so it will essentially light up the entire boat. Seems to work real well. LEDs are nice though…I’m sold on em.

Will the rope lights work off of a deep cycle battery, or I guess, how did you wire them ?

Has anyone considered using red lights so as not to affect your night vision as much? With your white lights do you notice it hard to see outside the boat after looking towards the white interior lights? Just curious.

I’m with you there, Mike. Little light as possible in the boat. I use one small light that points directly at the floor. (It’s a map light that plugs into the cig lighter. Available at any auto parts store) That and a small light on my cap and that is all I need. I like my night vision to set up.

I have not used red lights. Those red and sometimes green lights that are showing up are terrible in my opinion. Too easily confused with the boats navigation lights to other boaters. Should be illegal!
-J.

-J.

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Will the rope lights work off of a deep cycle battery, or I guess, how did you wire them ?

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They are designed to run off a 12 volt system, so whichever battery you hook them up to is strictly up to you. I had some interior lights, but they weren’t enough for me. So I wired these into the same source so now they all come on when I flip the switch on the dash.

I would like them on a switch, I would like to put them in duck boat so when you need light you can just flip them on or off.

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Has anyone considered using red lights so as not to affect your night vision as much?

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Why are some in the boats orange? Do you get the same effect as red?

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With your white lights do you notice it hard to see outside the boat after looking towards the white interior lights? Just curious.

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Yea, the white lights don’t help night vision. I don’t leave them on all the time but are nice for pulling up the anchor, looking for stuff, and packing everything up at the end of the night.

I still need my headlamp for baiting hooks and netting fish.

GARVI, I’m sure you could add a switch in a convenient location in your duck boat. Just one wire between the battery and the switch.

I put two red LED running lights for trailers in my boat. LED’s draw a fraction of what incandescents do as they don’t produce any heat. Another great thing about them is they’re very tough. I think they were some thing like $11 a piece when I was in Checkers the other day.
WarrenMN

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Has anyone considered using red lights so as not to affect your night vision as much? With your white lights do you notice it hard to see outside the boat after looking towards the white interior lights? Just curious.

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I personally hate red lights. They don’t do a thing for me. But I know guys who love em and use them profusely. My eyes just never get used to em.

And yes, if the rope lights are exposed, you will have a real hard time seeing anything outside the boat when it’s dark and they’re on. That’s why I use them sparingly and only when I need to unhook a fish, hook a bait, etc. I have them under rails now in the Crestliner, so that really helps out with not being blinded as much.