Looking for suggestions on two lights...Kayak safety on the water....

Looking for suggestions for a pair of lights to be used in a Kayak for fishing..daytime and nighttime.

I may take the Kayak out in the salt water occasionally....and may be out late.

So:

I need a headlight (head mounted) type light for fishing and seeing what I'm doing. This will likely see some regular use, so good battery life is a must (maybe a low setting so it will last several hours while fishing at night). Hopefully a strong enough beam to act as a headlight (as in car headlight)...so a high setting for that one.

Secondly:
A safety light...in case something happens, I want a waterproof light that I can clip to or put in a pocket of my life vest that has a strobe feature (in addition to normal use).

I'd prefer relatively inexpensive models...as the safety light will likely just sit (and hopefully never be used)...and something I can get a Lithium battery for. Cheap enough, and I'll put a second one in the kayak's emergency kit.

Thanks!!

AFARR

Look at pelican lights?

For headlamps their are several options if you want to use cr123 and want to go small and comfortable look at the Zebralight H31. The H31 will run for ~1hr on max 220 lumen- 2hrs on 120lm- 12hrs on 43 lumens and their is more low modes for even greater runtime. I actually went fishing with it over the weekend and used the 43lm mode most of the time and it was plenty of light. It's very small and feels great I like to take a minimalist approach when I'm going to be wearing a headlamp for extended time. There is a AA version H51 coming soon if you can wait until the middle of August.

http://illuminationgear.com/14301/243566.html

AFARR said:

Secondly:
A safety light...in case something happens, I want a waterproof light that I can clip to or put in a pocket of my life vest that has a strobe feature (in addition to normal use).
AFARR

Click to expand...

Pardon my confusion. Are you looking for a Strobe to disorient a potential rogue ne're-do-well out in the open water (a pirate perhaps)? Or are you looking for a Beacon or SOS signal if the kayak springs a leak? I hate to assume, but if the latter, what kind of runtime in this mode do you seek? - Jas.

Headlight - Zebralight H51

Safety Light - eternaLight Elite Marine (or the slightly less expensive Ergo Marine)



The H51 is not available yet but the specs are quite impressive. Output, efficiency, and runtime are the best I've seen for any light running on a single AA. Definitely looks like it's worth waiting for. The eternaLight ships with lithium AA batteries pre-installed. It's super tough, floats, and has the emergency and regular modes you are looking for.

AFARR said:

I need a headlight (head mounted) type light for fishing and seeing what I'm doing. This will likely see some regular use, so good battery life is a must (maybe a low setting so it will last several hours while fishing at night). Hopefully a strong enough beam to act as a headlight (as in car headlight)...so a high setting for that one.

Click to expand...

the H501 may not have the runtime you want, maybe the H60 running on 18650 might be better for you, it also comes in a warm version.

the runtime specs on the site are

3 modes, each can be set to one of the two levels for that mode

• High: 190 lm (2 hours) or 110 lm (4 hours)
• Med: 45 lm (10 hours) or 15 lm (50 hours)
• Low: 0.5 lm (26 days) or 3 lm (9 days)

AFARR said:

A safety light...in case something happens, I want a waterproof light that I can clip to or put in a pocket of my life vest that has a strobe feature (in addition to normal use).

Click to expand...

The Jetbeam Jet I Pro v3.0 comes with a clip and has 3 modes that can be programmed to suit your needs, you could set the 1st mode to a very slow strobe, or SOS, if so needed. It can also serve dual purpose as an EDC light for daily use.

I'd say spend a bit more as it's your life at stake here and quality would matter.

I fish at night a lot and I use a Panthereyes led cap to see what I 'm doing . The light is not so bright that I lose my night vision which is important to me . As far as a safety light , could it be that you need a light not only to see where you are but also to warn other boaters of your presence ? For this application I use an iTP SA2 ; low< med< high< strobe. I keep it in it's holster for easy deployment.


Tight Lines !

For the boat light....there's a fishing holder mounted light that looks VERY interesting for the boat ( http://www.yakattack.us/Products/Products.html ) which will do for the boat.

I want the non-headlight (clipped or in the PFD) to be an SOS Strobe kind of thing...as in....I hooked a shark, it pulled me off the kayak...come get me before he realizes I'm an available meal!. I can use several other flashlights as general use. And to warn off other boats (as in "I'm drunk and running around in my Redneck River Trans-Am") if needed.

The ones mentioned above with the lower lumen output (for fishing for several hours)...with the option of high power look pretty nice.

Thanks for the ideas!

Yeah , the old ' hooked a huge fish in the kayak and now I realize I don't have any leverage ' deal . While I like a free ride now and then , sometimes Mr. Fish and I want to go in different directions . Thats when you need a sharp knife!

Seriously , though , I have had large fish pull my yak partially under when I'm trying to land 'em and it's not really comfortable to me . Especially at night .

The Zebralight H31 might be a great headlight for you but I would wait for a AA model.
For the 2nd light, look at the 4/7 Quark AA or AA2. It is bright, has a good runtime, is waterproof, has a good clip and is reasonably priced and has all the modes you could ask for. I stay away from light that have batteries batteries that I can't find at any baitshop or Quickshop I go into.
I use a Quark Turbo for my inshore fishing trips in my Gheenoe. I have the AA2 model. It has a little more throw than the regular Quark but is a little larger. I ofter carry both the Quark AA and a Quark Turbo AA2 Both are great but won't float. I keep my Turbo attached to my lifevest at night with a lanyard and a SS clip and the regular Quark on a neck lanyard. I use the regular Quark for routine tasks and save the Turbo for emergency and long range bouy spotting.
Tight Lines
Jim

If your covering some water at night yea need a headlamp with some throw so don't think the floody ZL are the way to go unless it's used for fishing then changed out for another during the trip back. I fish for bass into dusk then paddle back in the dark. My headlamp is often a PT Apex or Rebel EOS. I am thinking about using my HL20 but have not as of yet. Here I am with my headlamp few years ago heading back from some fishing.