Need a $100 boating light - Newbie

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SailorFitz

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
2
Location
Tampa Bay, aka The Sun
Hey kids....

Virgin post
rolleye11.gif


I boat all over Tampa Bay, Sarasota Intercoastal Waterway and the BVI's....I'm looking to spend $100 or less on a decent light. I want distance to light up the channel markers (which are reflective). I hear red beam is best at increasing night vision or should I say decreasing "washout".....but will it "light-up objects" at a distance???

Curently we use a basic $30 rechargable "spotlight" that causes alot of light to bounce back at us off the chrome rails or topside.....looking for more of a rifle then a shotgun.

I'm hoping your knowledge on the subject can point me in the right direction.
I'm also thinking I want LED??? The cheap spotlight does NOT hold a charge very long.

I have been eyeing the Inova X03, but am I missing any others?

Lastly...
mpr.gif


I own a Maglight 4D....are there any performance mods for these and if so, can you point me to the right threads...I tried the search function and failed.

Thanks!

PS....I had never realized there was an entire sub-culture on "flashlights".....to think there is more out there then just what you find at "Target" and that Maglight is not the "cream-of-thecrop". I am hooked.
 
Check out Brightguy.com,he has a lot of waterproof lights. Princetontec and UK,brands too name a couple.
 
HID might be perfect for what you want, but it's going to be tought to get for under $100.

Skip the LED... they won't throw the way you want, and probably won't do well in situations you are likely to encounter on a boat (foggy, etc.)

You probably want something with 2x protected 18650 li-ion cells, and a turbohead or a D36 lamp. Maybe something like a Wolf Eyes 9D Raider... although something that takes 18650 sized cells might be better (longer runtime), and it's going to run a little over your budget if you include the cost of cells and charger.
 
I've done some boating and not an expert in any way.
But what you are asking is 2 different things. EDC is an edc, have not business being used on a boat!
Boat light is different animal.

EDC, no matter how good it is will fail miserably as soon as there are any fog or weather on the water!

Think of what you will be mainly used for and go from there.

Regards.
 
I think mod for maglites 4Ds, Icarus is the man, look him up. If you are shining reflectors from a distance, you need a thrower. LD mini from lumapower should be on your list. And fenix as well.
 
I own a one year old Darkbuster. It's a 21 watt HID with beam like a lazer. About 85 minutes of run time on asingle charge. It's is water proof down to at least 200 feet so if it goes over board and you are not in two deep of water, you can recover it with no problem. ABS construction that is impervious to salt mater. Just rince with fresh water and your fine. Comes with a wall charger and a cigerette lighter, carrying case and a about 3 light filters. Weighs right around 3lbs. I paid $399 for it a year ago but the price has come on them about a hundred dollars so I'm asking $225 for it delivered. I know it's more than you wanted to pay but it's what you need and its going to last you. If you need to see pictures please give me your personal e-mail and I will try to get to you the first part of next week or just Google Dark Buster and you will be directed to a site where you can read about the light and see the pictures of it.


Let me know if your inteerested. Bestregards,

Mike Vasquez
 
Ahoy there, SailorFitz! Welcome to the wondrous, wild, wacky, waves of flashlight's future.?!

Pelican and as DaveG mentioned: Underwater Kinetics (UK) and Princeton Tec are three reliable brands that make dive lights with narrow, piercing, far reaching beams. Some are rechargeable or can use NiMH D & C cells commonly available. You'll probably need close to a 15 - 20 watt lamp, or more, for incandescent.

I have a UK Vectra which is a dive light with a strong handle and has a sturdy adjustable wire stand so you can use it as a work light. Normally two 5.8 watt xenon lamps are in place and you just rotate the lockable switch to select the other lamp, should one burn out - no waiting! I put an 18 watt lamp from one of UK's large lights into one of the lamp positions so I can choose between bright and very bright. Four NiCd or NiMH D cells are needed because normal alkaline batteries won't light the 18 watt lamp to full brightness.

If something like these or a modified flashlight isn't sufficient then you'll have to step up to an HID. I'd start with something around a $100 or less. The light will always be useful and add an HID later if necessary. Good luck.
 
SailorFitz said:
Hey kids....

Virgin post
rolleye11.gif


I boat all over Tampa Bay, Sarasota Intercoastal Waterway and the BVI's....I'm looking to spend $100 or less on a decent light. I want distance to light up the channel markers (which are reflective). I hear red beam is best at increasing night vision or should I say decreasing "washout".....but will it "light-up objects" at a distance???

Curently we use a basic $30 rechargable "spotlight" that causes alot of light to bounce back at us off the chrome rails or topside.....looking for more of a rifle then a shotgun.

I'm hoping your knowledge on the subject can point me in the right direction.
I'm also thinking I want LED??? The cheap spotlight does NOT hold a charge very long.

I have been eyeing the Inova X03, but am I missing any others?

Lastly...
mpr.gif


I own a Maglight 4D....are there any performance mods for these and if so, can you point me to the right threads...I tried the search function and failed.

Thanks!

PS....I had never realized there was an entire sub-culture on "flashlights".....to think there is more out there then just what you find at "Target" and that Maglight is not the "cream-of-thecrop". I am hooked.
Click to expand...
Red won't work for finding channel markers -- red is hard enough to see anything with. Actually a nice, tight, bright, white spot won't have much negative effect on dark adapted vision when looking for channel markers if you handle it carefully -- it won't kill much visual purple unless you point it at something that splashes back much more light at you than a marker can.

I would recommend the LumaRay FL6-2006 for boating. It is an extremely rugged light and it's space-age plastic body is highly appropriate for salt air/water environments. I wish it was around during my years at sea.

The LumaRay FL6-2006 utilizes a unique array of high effeciency Nichia 5mm LEDs, each with it's own focused lens, to throw a tight spot with almost no spill whatsoever to wreck your night vision at the con. 5mm LEDs sound Luddite but actually Lumaray's implementation is very high tech and a class act.

Battery life is hundreds of hours with three C cells. It also has multiple locations for the attachment of real lanyards which boaters need as opposed to many of today's lights which only have a tiny hole to accept the dreaded dental floss 'lanyard'.

The LumaRay FL6-2006 is a great boating light for MSRP: $74.95 USD. Check out Zelandeth's LumaRay FL6 2006 review.
 
Hi SailorFitz,

If you're looking for the traditional tube-style light have you seen the Pila GL4? It's 250 Lumens at 60 minutes on rechargeable batteries and 550 lumens at 40 minutes on four CR123 Lithium batteries. The light is built like a tank, smaller than a 2D Maglite (about 4/5 the length, the head is 48 mm compared to the Mag's 57mm) and is submersible to 60 feet. If you run into any wierdos the light comes in handy for self defense as well, if 500 lumens doesn't do it then the bezel should do the job:rock:.

The 550 lumen kit is about $90 at www.jsburlysflashlights.com (will only run on primary batteries), with the rechargeable batteries & charger it will run you $157.

I know the latter runs over your budget, but trust me you will be happy. It comes with the light, rechargeable batteries and charger. For more detailed information go to www.pilatorch.com .

Hope this helps,

the Dude
 
Last edited:
The LumaRay that Sub linked to is quite interesting. Seems like a good specialty light like Heliotek but a different approach. I forgot the beam type of the Heliotek, which uses a single Luxeon.
 
jayflash said:
The LumaRay that Sub linked to is quite interesting. Seems like a good specialty light like Heliotek but a different approach. I forgot the beam type of the Heliotek, which uses a single Luxeon.
Click to expand...
The Heliotek has a really deep reflector and a very tight beam -- so tight that it has a built in flip-up diffusion filter. Supposed to be very Heavy duty. Rated only for lithium AAs -- but it floats. I almost suggested it. I've had the wants for both of them for some time now...

Zelandth's Heliotek review.
 
Last edited:
Wow Sub_Umbra,

The Heliotek and Lumaray are two very awesome lights! Now I want both!:awman:

the Dude
 
heard of a brand named :LSI , they have some spotlights ....

LED / Luxeon , still doesnt have the throw compare to halogen/xenon or HID, but its a assest when comes to major flooding in short/close ranges, needed when trying to fish something out of the water or when mooring.
 
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