hey, newbie needing some help

[dumpyloser]

Hey guys, there are so many valuable posts on this forum that I really don't know where to start lol! I'll tell you what my end goal is and then hopefully you guys will have some advice for me:

friends and i go kayaking at night and need something to light our path. we want something that we can front mount almost like a headlight on the kayak. That's not the problem so much as finding the right light! we need something that shines a straight beam (almost like a spotlight) but with the compactness and battery life of LED's. On ebay I see Lumens and different things to judge how bright the lights are, but my guess is that it does not matter how bright they are if they don't project well. I bought a light (it's a dorcy, but i can get the product number or something if need be). I like the durability and lense and it is somewhat bright (40 lumens) it projects a straight beam, but not as intense as what we would prefer. How hard would it be to put a bigger LED in it? I don't know much if anything about soldering and stuff like that so I would even be keen to pay someone for a light that fits the mold of what we need or to mod this one to what we need.

This place is great, almost TOOOOOO much info, thanks for the help guys!

 

[Marduke]

I know you're specifically looking for a light with lots of throw, but I think you'll find this thread interesting nonetheless.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=176716


Also, :welcome:

 

[dumpyloser]

wow, that was a good post! the difference is that we don't really have the patience to wait for a full moon or starry night. if there is no lightning (or just a small amount) we are apt to be on the lake, because we only get a few chances every two weeks. with that said, going down river and back up creeks at night in the summer time requires more light. this is because of the tree cover, and looking for snakes/beavers that may not be in the middle of the lake like that guy was. I used a "caplight" that was made for fishing (purple light helps u see the line) and my friend had a regular flashlight on our last trip and we struggled to see our surroundings (which is one of the reasons in going). we kept hearing splashes along the bank as turtles would fall in and my friend had a beaver come up to his boat and he almost hit it with his paddle before he realized it was there lol. like I say, it would be nice to be able to see 100+ feet into the treeline/waterline ahead. thanks again!

 

[dumpyloser]

any suggestions?

 

[fineday]

I don't know much about "kayaking" (in fact never heard before), but do you mean outside using, and mainly for throwing not flooding? I'd say LED is not the best light for outside using 'coz its light is not natural. I think you may try to find out some Xenon lights like Surefire.

If you feel LED is well enough, there are also many choices among LED lights. Generally bigger light have better throwing due to bigger and deeper reflector which can collect the light from LED better. And smooth reflector does better throwing than textured. Another advantage is bigger light can run for longer, I think for outside using runtime is important.

For exactly model I can't offer many info, but you can take a look at my new JET3 Pro. lol.

 

[Marduke]

What sort of runtime do you need? Also, just how big are you wanting?

 

[dumpyloser]

runtime = a few hours atleast, but i don't like to buy batteries every time i go either. after a few hours i'm not picky.

size - it will likely be mounted on the front of my kayak so nothing like a huge spotlight. size is not a huge issue either but probably something smaller than an average size mag lite would be ideal (but still, the smaller the better i reckon)


After looking at the light that i got, which only cost me 10$, the batteries are 3 aaa's, but they are mounted into a plastic holder and then slid into the light. without the holder it looks like it might fit 1/2 of those lithium batteries into it. my guess is this won't improve much if anything, but if i could replace the bulb too ( just a single LED in a small round circuit board) then I may be in business. i love the lens on this, but there is no medal part anywhere to make it shine any brighter. it is 1 watt and 45 lumens if that makes any difference btw



thanks for the help guys and thanks in advance too!

 

[Wyeast]

My suggestion would be to basically take one of the higher end LED bike lights and mount it onto your kayak. The combination of mounting options, runtime, beam pattern, and shock resistance sounds like the right application for you.

They're not cheap, however. Depending on how much light you want, you're talking hundreds of dollars.

For a rough idea, here is a pretty good summary review of some current LED bike lights.

Handheld lights are great at what they do, but for portability they sacrifice runtime & power compared to a fixed unit that can accommodate a larger battery pack and a larger head.

On the low end of the scale, the Task Force 3C Cree is a pretty good thrower on the cheap, but I'd rate it's shock resistance as pretty mediocre - the batteries tend to rattle around and I've had mine flicker out when it gets bumped - not good on a kayak.

Although, there is opportunity to remove the head, convert it to a fixed mount, and give it a decent battery pack. Just takes a little homebrewing.

Good luck!

 

[carya]

If you don't want to shell out big bucks for a bike light, give some thought to rigging up a mount to hold a handheld. I suggest a Fenix L2D with NiMH rechargables like Sanyo Eneloops or Ray-o-vac Hybrid. When they run out of juice, swap out and re-charge at home. This light is very bright and not that expensive. See www.fenix-store.com.

 

[BVH]

What about a high-performance headlight? (a light worn on the head via a harness) I'm not a headlight expert but maybe someone will chime in. Do some searches on "headlights".