Flashlight recommendation needed for boating

[Megalops]

I'm a newbie to flashlights. I often times am driving my small flats skiff at night, and need a light to lightup the channel markers. I used to use a rechargeable Qbeam, but found it difficult to use due to the light spill which reflects off my white boat at night. I now use a fenix P3D which works very well lighting up channel markers at about 100+ yards. I'd like to get a more powerful light which will lightup markers at a farther distance.

My requirements include:
1. not much larger than the fenix I already got
2. waterproof
3. hopefully less than $100

I found the Jetbeam M1X for $149, but am not sure if this light is what I'm looking for. It also exceeds my price range by a bit, but I would consider it if it would be ideal. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[hyperloop]

Well, since you say waterproof and not water resistant, i would think that the Jetbeam M1X is the light for you. Better to spend a bit more and get a quality light then to save some tens of dollars and have a light fail on you. Alternatively is the Jet III Pro Ultra meant for throw. You could also check here and get one with high lux numbers for throwing purposes.

I have bitten the bullet on the M1X and put my order in with my own suppplier along with the cell extender so have options of running 2x18650 cells or 4xRCR123s (im thinking 14.4 volts is gonna be a huge increase in light!! and carry 2x18650s as spares). It will be on its way once i transfer funds (be still my credit card).

I am so glad i didnt be hasty and get a cheaper budget (you know where i'm coming from) P7 or MC-E light. I own a few Jetbeams, Jet I Mk II, Jet II Pro IBS, Jet III Pro ST and i can tell you, these lights are great, high output for when you really need it, programmable output to balance lumens vs runtime.

There will be many different opinions out there but at the end of the day, we carry / own what we do because we find it suits our needs, to each his own and no one is wrong

Waterproofing on Jetbeams is great, i always test mine when i first receive it by programming it to max and then submerging the light in a beer mug of water for active cooling while doing a runtime test (only on max, cos i figure all the rest of the output modes, the runtime will definitely be longer!).

Check out the site above to see which of the lights suit your purposes, im personally going for the M1X as i trust Jetbeam's quality and i love the UI.

 

[Megalops]

Does anyone know if the M1X has a tight beam? I can't find any beam shots yet on this light.

 

[Megalops]

I went ahead and ordered a Jetbeam M1X even though it is a bit more than I wanted to spend. If it doesn't perform like I'm hoping, I doubt I'll have too much trouble selling it unless it turns out to be a real POS.

In the event it turns out not to produce, what would be the next choice? I'm guessing I'd have to go with an incan? Please reply with any recommendations.

 

[yellow]

I am wondering:
how do You use the light?
With such a headband thing?

A pure headlamp (PT Apex) wont be near in brightness, but the beam following where one looks, makes up for a good part of that.
If Your markers were reflective, the light source near Your eyes would add also.

Apex and such are totally submersible, afaik

An incan (ROP) will be brighter, but eats brutally more power
--> means: much larger and heavier - pobably does not count when pure boating - but the runtime ... around 20 mins

 

[GPB]

If you have your boats wired for running lights, or have an electric start, you might want to go with a spotlight mounted on the bow. By mounting it up front, you'll eliminate the reflection off of your boat, and by going with a mounted, boat powered light you'll eliminate the constraints of portability and run time.

For example:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=null-cat21304&id=0023062016564a&navCount=0&podId=0023062&parentId=cat21304&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233&cmCat=netcon&cm_ven=netcon&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=boat%20spotlight&cm_ite=netcon&rid=0180101070502

( I know this is a flashlight forum, but sometime a flashlight isn't always the best solution )

 

[Megalops]

I am wondering:
how do You use the light?
With such a headband thing?

A pure headlamp (PT Apex) wont be near in brightness, but the beam following where one looks, makes up for a good part of that.
If Your markers were reflective, the light source near Your eyes would add also.

Apex and such are totally submersible, afaik

An incan (ROP) will be brighter, but eats brutally more power
--> means: much larger and heavier - pobably does not count when pure boating - but the runtime ... around 20 mins

I normally am fishing with a friend who would spot the markers for me. The markers are extremely reflective, and will lightup bigtime when spotted. At 100 yards, the fenix really makes them pop. At about 150 yards they barely glow. The problem is that many of the markers are spaced about 1/2 mile apart. A light that could spot the next marker would be ideal (maybe a DEFT?). I'm thinking the M1X should perform somewhere in between, and will probably suit my needs.

 

[Megalops]

If you have your boats wired for running lights, or have an electric start, you might want to go with a spotlight mounted on the bow. By mounting it up front, you'll eliminate the reflection off of your boat, and by going with a mounted, boat powered light you'll eliminate the constraints of portability and run time.

For example:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...oat spotlight&cm_ite=netcon&rid=0180101070502

( I know this is a flashlight forum, but sometime a flashlight isn't always the best solution )

Thank you very much for the suggestion, and I may even give it a try if the M1X doesn't perform, but I'm thinking a handheld would be better suited to my needs.

 

[Squidrow]

Megalops, I run a SeaTow boat and am on the water all the time. I use a Surefire A2 with low power red leds. I like to run with minimal lights in cockpit at night and use low power red leds to read charts and find stuff so as not to destroy my night vision. I keep light around my neck with supplied halyard and clip in breast pocket to keep it from flying around. I really like the incan to hit buoys as I come into port or an unfamiliar area. Most buoys have reflective tape and the 50 lumen blast will pick em right up. I keep 4 batteries and and spare incan in gear bag as backup. This set-up works great. I have tried lots of spot lights and expensive rechargeable spots which I still keep on board, but the little A2 is the one I use the most. Only down side is 1 hour burn time on incan. This usually isn't a big deal as most times you can light up buoy with a 2 second blast with incan. Hope this helps.
Squid

 

[GPB]

A handheld GPS would come in handy too. That way you'll know where you are even if you can't see the markers. I use a Garmin that was about $150 bucks but you can get them cheaper. I won't go out in the boat without it now, especially at night.

 

[yellow]

wondering how the MX1 will perform
(with that large, deep reflector the beam should be more on the throw side)
pls keep us updated


The next step I could think of were a ROP modded D-cell Maglite
(the beam can be focused very good + the high output bulb makes it really bright)

 

[Megalops]

Squidrow,

Thanks for the info regarding the A2. I'd have to believe my P3D is brighter than that, so I believe it would be a step down. I'm normally running across Whitewater Bay in Everglades National Park. It is very dark out there since it is outside the glow of Miami's lights. The markers are far apart, but also are highly reflective, so any light makes them glow. I've never tried the red LEDs for reading charts, so I'll probably try one to see how it does. Thanks for the info.

 

[Megalops]

A handheld GPS would come in handy too. That way you'll know where you are even if you can't see the markers. I use a Garmin that was about $150 bucks but you can get them cheaper. I won't go out in the boat without it now, especially at night.

Someday I will get one, but I'm pretty much old-school. I'd rather rely on a couple of flashlights than a GPS. I believe that if I were to get too used to a GPS, I'd be lost if it ever failed me.

 

[Citivolus]

I suspect that the M1X will do the job for you, as it has more spill than the dedicated "throwers" such as the DBS and Spear. This will help a lot with tracking down the markers. That said, you may find that you will illuminate the dust/fog/haze enough that the light is actually too bright for you. It will really eat away at your night vision when you turn it on.

To elaborate on what Yellow mentioned, keep in mind that retro-reflective surfaces will be substantially brighter in their reflection the closer the light source is to your eyes, as you will be getting more of the reflection. You may find that your P3D does the job very well when held next to your ear. "Throwy" headlamps like the Princeton Tec EOS work very well with retroreflective surfaces.

Is your water salt or fresh? You may find you have a need for a titanium or plastic body light over time I think Pelican make some that could be worth checking out too if the M1X does not work out, plus they may have something that floats if dropped.

 

[Megalops]

I got the M1X today, and it is quite impressive so far. Build quality is super nice. When shining it at a close wall (15 feet), it has a noticeably smaller hot spot (I'd guess 70% as large) than the fenix P3D Premium.

I adjusted the user-defined mode to less than 50% power (I'm guessing around 40%), and it produces a much brighter and more defined hot spot than the fenix on turbo. The light spill ring is almost identical in size between the two lights, even though the fenix has a much larger bezel. I found this to be a bit surprising, since I was expecting a much larger spill area from the M1X.

After turning the M1X to full power, it almost hurts to look at the hot spot from 15' away when shined on a white wall. This baby is bright! I really can't wait until it gets dark so I can see what this thing can really do. The first test is going to be sitting outside in the boat so I can get an idea if the light spill is going to be a problem.

 

[Alan B]

For the purpose of lighting up buoys I would probably use the Tiablo A9, or some other recognized "thrower" that has a reduced amount of spill. The spill interferes with your ability to see the light reflecting back from the far buoy, especially in any fog.

I'm not sure how waterproof some of thees lights are. The Tiablo has all the usual O rings, but that doesn't make it waterproof. It is certainly splashproof and possibly dunkable. There may have been a reduction in quality since I got mine more than a year ago. Mine seems to be very well made.

-- Alan