Under gunnel LED lights / Coastal Night Lights

[Dave LeGear]

Was having a problem with the LED lights that had been installed under the gunnels of the Skiff. They were of a type that was installed in sections, thus had a connection point every foot or so...

This for Salt Water to get into and cause shorts (partial strip issues) or for strips from that point forward (like Christmas tree lights) to simply not light up



So I reached out to Chris at Coastal Night Lights http://www.coastalnightlights.com/ who was a great help! And at 1st, he just sent me a couple of green LED strips to swap out and try...

Well the more of them I swapped out, the more further down the same chain that then failed. So back to the drawing board...

So Chris then sent me more strips, but also sent me over at the same time, some in 15 foot green LED rolls which we had chatted about and we both agreed a single roll for each side should last much longer since one does not have a bunch of joints to corrode since "Rust never sleeps"

All you have to do to install the roll style on a clean surface, is slowly peel off the backing (take it slow!) and cut then it at the correct spot (see below) on the roll, to get the length that you need. This also allowed me to wrap it into one corner on the port side, that needed a little extra light that it did not have before

So hours spent in getting the old ones out, and clean up of all the old glue from the gel coat. This was a royal pain on the Starboard side to clean up, since the wiring harness was in my way (see this old photo) which made it hard to reach while laying on the deck facing up And I should researched and used something stronger than rubbing alcohol and I am sure that would have saved me some time, but was concerned about gel coat damage.



But she turned out really nice! And though slightly a different shade of green than before (as expected) it turned out well and gives off plenty of light to see your way around the deck! Excellent safety feature for loading or unloading the Boat, or just putting on another lure, but not totally kill your night vision at the same time



Thanks again to Chris at Coastal Night Lights for all his help and guidance, in getting this item checked off the repair list!

Now if you are interested in adding some marine grade LED lighting to your boat, you should check out their various lighting options found on these links:

http://www.coastalnightlights.com/styles.html

Tight Lines!
Dave

 

[rageous]

Very nice, great idea.

 

[NCangler]

Wow. Sweet!

 

[Dave LeGear]

The lights have worked out nice, but I had an issue with one strip not sticking and falling down


Which I discovered is not uncommon in areas of high heat and humidity which we have in Spades her in SWFL

Easy fix though, and I just cleaned up the gel coat surface again, and use clear marine silicone as glue to reinstall and secure the strip back into place

Next issue was with the main connection / feed points and one strip a few days later, was not as bright as before. Again heat and humidity were the suspect cause and instead of using the one single power connection point that had all the small pin connectors. My Brother in Arms across the canal Ron and I just cut those off, checked the polarity of the wiring going to the each Strip (yes it does make a difference) and then installed new inline butt connectors and heat shrunk each one and both are back in place now and nice and bright

Here is a updated picture which is showing the rear green underwater LED for the Stern also turned on.


And lastly, another shot showing the LED spreader light mounted on the forward part of the Polling Platform also turned on, that shines down on the deck from above. Now that one will kill your night vision, but does come in handy when working on things at night, or that may be stowed under the Stern hatch area



Like any boat, she had a long punch list of items to fix and or upgrade (more on that later) which is now real short so I can get her back on the water / lift and pick a fight with a few fish

 

[NCangler]

Fishing machine! I love it.

 

[Dave LeGear]

Was working with the Yeti straps, and like how the lights also now shine around it

 

[Dave LeGear]

Chris sent me over another link / source of idea examples and thought this would one would really come in handy for those with Bay and Nearshore boats like a Triumph 210, 235, and the like...



Lots of good deck lighting on this one to walk around with that should not kill your night vision. More examples can be found on this link which may help give you even more ideas for yours!

https://www.facebook.com/CoastalNightLights/

And let them know the guys from Performance Outdoors set you if you do reach out!

Dave

 

[Dave LeGear]

The lights work well and really do not impact your night vision all that much



And our water might be a mess, but God still give us some simply stunning sunsets to enjoy

 

[joguzman711]

Years ago I went with those same LED light strips and encountered the same thing with the adhesive issue. Not only was the adhesive an issue but they have no UV protection; they look horrible after a while. I removed and installed LEDGLOW tubes and fastened them with plastic pipe straps and a tiny little stainless steel wood screw. The tubes come in set lengths but I modified sections to get the lengths I needed. (Google LEDGLOW)

 

[Dave LeGear]

Looks great and love the look! And how is the Blue when it comes to impacting your night vision?

 

[joguzman711]

As a rule I never navigate with deck lights, led lights or spreadlights at night. The only light I want on is my anchor light and navigation lights. I dim all my electronics to a point that they don’t impede my vision and usually have a look out along with my radar. I love the Pacific Ocean at night and this works for me especially when I lobster hoop. Blue lights are all for show at the dock. Let’s be honest.

 

[Dave LeGear]

And the next Skiff is getting them, and inside the hatches and just trying to figure which color I now want to use? The Military in me says "Red" but I do like the looks of blue.... Other ideas?

Thanks!
Dave