How much Does It Cost to Install Underwater Lights on a Boat? (2024)

FAQs

Can you add underwater lights to a boat? ›

Surface mount underwater lights are often mounted on smaller powerboats and sailboats. They require only small holes for their power cables, and small mounting screws. They can be transom-mounted or located on the hull's side, depending on the individual light and its characteristics.

Most LED underwater transom lights require a minimal power requirement so they can stay on while the motor is off. A typical transom light can last for us 50,000 hours of use and are made from either 316L stainless steel or carbon fiber, meaning you will rarely have to worry about replacing them.

For inboard boats: generally speaking 1 light for every 2.5 to 5 feet of beam provides good results. For outboard and stern dive vessels, good results are generally acheived by installing lights outboard of engines, and between engines.

While these lights seem to magically attract fish to your dock, it is actually a simple, scientific process. Any light under the water, no matter what the color, will attract fish.

These Underwater Pond Lights are safe for your fish and they will not harm them. You will even notice that your fish actually love to swim over, around and even under these Underwater Pond Lights.

Red light is far less spooky to the trout, and used correctly, it preserves your night vision. It's amusing how much error there's been in my own trial-and-error process with night fishing gear.

The best color light for night fishing is a true green color which is approximately 520 nm wavelength. The only type of light that can achieve this true green color is an LED light. Green sodium bulbs are not a true green color, they are more of a warm white tint of green.

Some of the old timers thought the light attracted bugs (which they did), and in return the fish surrounded the boat in hopes of getting a meal. There are still those who believe the old theory of more bugs, more fish, but new technology has done much to disprove that theory.

Generally, underwater lighting is completely safe if manufactured and used correctly. Compared to High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lights, low-voltage LED lights are far safer to use both in and out of the water.

How many lumens is good for underwater lights? ›

Look for a light of at least 1500 lumens or more, preferably at least 2000 lumens. Keep in mind many brands either stretch the truth or flat out lie about the lights actual performance. Focus on good, established brands and read the test reports.

There are no hard and fast rules for where you should install your underwater boat lights, but one suggestion is to make sure that they are at least six inches below the waterline so that they stay underwater, even in choppy water.

Compared to other forms of lighting technology, LEDs are inherently rugged and efficient with a long expected lifetime – all key factors for underwater use. But to be successful underwater, lights also have to be easy to operate and perform reliably.

Submersible LED Lights are only utilized for underwater purposes, hence they are not employed in any other situation. However, this does not indicate that they will not work or glitch if used above water.

2500 to 3800 lumens are good for taking macro video in deeper water where you aren't fighting strong ambient light. Generally we recommend lower powered 2500 lumen lights for smaller, compact cameras where you don't have much control over manual settings or much dynamic range from the sensor.

The biggest potential for danger comes from the light in the pool itself since it is underwater and directly connected to the household current. Therefore, an underwater pool light must be manufactured to specifications, without defects, and connected by an electrician according to code.