Suggest underwater light brand and lumens

[Spyros]

Hi guys

looking to install underwater lights to a 28 foot boat with single outboard and would like to hear your comments/suggestions as to the brand and intensity. The boat will be in saltwater for about 5-6 months during summer each year.
I have looked at OceanLed X4 (1450lm) and Lumitec Quattro (2000lm). Any other proposals are welcome. Lumitec seem to be praised a lot and on the other hand have read about many problems with OceanLed.

Thanks!

 

[jfm]

IMHO, Lumishore is best.
By the way, lights from all manufacturers seem to fail plenty - you have to put up with it or get lucky.
The question of which model depends on whether you want normal brightness or something exceptional, and what colour choices/features you want, and whether you want to control from MFD rather than rocker switch. A middle of road option would be one pair of Lumishore EOS SMX193 if you want colour choice, and SMX53 for blue or white switchable. These are 5-6000 fixture lumens, so substantially brighter than the lights you mention, which are rather dim. Don't confuse fixture lumens (a smaller number for the same light) with just "lumens" (a bigger number for the same light).

 

[dunedin]

Why? Surely this is just pointless light pollution.

 

[KINGFISHER 8]

Try to get a set which comes with a gold medallion.

 

[Spyros]

Why? Surely this is just pointless light pollution.

Well my friend depends how you use it, as with everything!

 

[Spyros]

Try to get a set which comes with a gold medallion.

What do you mean with a gold medallion?

 

[DavidJ]

They were a great novelty ten years ago and I really wanted to do it but never quite got around to it.
However I now see it as building in an extra bit of unreliability for no great wow.
ps
I‘m feeling grumpy because they have switched my gas off, upgrading the pipes, and I’m cold.

 

[ST840]

What do you mean with a gold medallion?

What he means is that he's a bit of a snob. And that if you have underwater lights you're a bit of a chav.
But if YOU like it, go for it!

 

[MapisM]

Why? Surely this is just pointless light pollution.

By the same token, you'd struggle to object to anyone arguing that pleasure boats as a whole are just a pointless source of pollution.
If I were a fish, I can think of other things I'd ask humans not to do, before bothering with u/w lights - which many fishes seem to find entertaining, in fact.

That said, I never had any u/w lights in my boats, and have no plans to fit them.
But I don't pretend I'm saving the planet because of that, and if you think you do, well, think again.

 

[dunedin]

By the same token, you'd struggle to object to anyone arguing that pleasure boats as a whole are just a pointless source of pollution.
If I were a fish, I can think of other things I'd ask humans not to do, before bothering with u/w lights - which many fishes seem to find entertaining, in fact.

That said, I never had any u/w lights in my boats, and have no plans to fit them.
But I don't pretend I'm saving the planet because of that, and if you think you do, well, think again.

I personally can’t see the point in making lots of extra holes in the hull below the waterline for what seems to be zero purpose.

 

[MapisM]

As I said, I also don't.
But if someone likes to swim at night with u/w lights on, who am I to argue?
Let alone accuse them to be polluters, whatever that means...

 

[jrudge]

They are great to swim with. They go wrong all the time and are not really fit for purpose given the price.

i have just bought 3 more as 3 of the 4 failed —- again !

the best think probably to do is buy cheap ones. Will they be as bright as Lumishore etc ? Probably not but at least the bill to replace them will be lower!

 

[Portofino]

The extra holes after market ( or even @ factory ? ) scatter gunned in a 50/50; chance of internal inaccessibility would steer any intelligent person who cares about there hull away .End of !

This is over and above the basic engineering of H2 O + water , sorry sea water + electrotwackery are a disaster waiting to happen .

How ever recently with the Eco side , social responsibility, green planet , Energy crisis- Greta etc etc ….it does look naff at the dock .
Yeh I know the dock walkers have no idea really how much exact carbon foot print was getting to said marina , but why go around waving red rags @ bulls ? .Its all about discretion …..me thinks .

 

[harvey38]

Do these lights have a separate housing that it sealed into the hull with an LED unit that is slid into the housing or is it a lift out and replace the whole unit when it fails?

 

[Spyros]

Do these lights have a separate housing that it sealed into the hull with an LED unit that is slid into the housing or is it a lift out and replace the whole unit when it fails?

All of these replace the whole unit once it fails. It is a small boat and the other units are too big for me. I just want something reliable to light the rear of the boat as we have many evening/night swims while anchored in small bays.
What i ask is which brand you find to be more reliable over the others or any you may have to suggest.

 

[Fire99]

I won't lie, I quite like them....in moderation. My thoughts were to put some form of LED's under the bathing platform. It's not immersed in water all the time and doesn't involve putting holes in the hull, which for me with my various seacocks for things, I have enough ways to sink without looking for more. Has anyone gone for the more modest under-bathing platform route and kept it looking tidy?

 

[jrudge]

The holes in the hull are really not a consideration for surface mount lights - it is a 6mm hole to take a piece of wire and is blow the water line. So if you ever wanted to remove it you just fill with sealant and then s small fibreglass plug on top. The wire clicks the hole and there is sealant in place. leaks are really not an issue.

Some also allow the wire to be routed to the side and then have the hole above the water line.

The ones with the larger holes allow the "bulb" to be removed but the odds of you having access in a non super yacht are low - the hole is also large!

They are nice and really transform a night on anchor. FIRE99 I agree you suggestion is practical, but without being in the water I don't think you will get the "private pool" effect that the UW lights give. They also attract the rise which is nice.

My sole complaint is that given the exceptional cost and the know difficult environment they should last longer.

 

[MapisM]

Has anyone gone for the more modest under-bathing platform route and kept it looking tidy?

My boat had three of those lights retrofitted by her previous owner - see below (the third obviously being on port side, symmetrical with the stbd one).
Cost saving aside, I can see his train of thought, because the reverse slanted tip of the swim platform allowed a placement somewhat hidden, and just above the w/line.
So, if you're happy with that type of lighting, it would be hard to find a better placement.
In spite of that, one of them wasn't working when I bought the boat, and another failed shortly afterwards.
So, being a big fan of the principle that the only stuff that never break on a boat is what you don't have, when my yard made some colour matching gelcoat for a tiny patch on the swim platform corner (don't ask...!), I told them to strip the things and get rid of them - end of the story.
Each to their own, as I said!

 

[Fire99]

FIRE99 I agree you suggestion is practical, but without being in the water I don't think you will get the "private pool" effect that the UW lights give. They also attract the rise which is nice.

Ahh I see the flaw in my 'cunning' plan.. Looks like underwater glowyness will have to wait on my boat.

 

[jfm]

Do these lights have a separate housing that it sealed into the hull with an LED unit that is slid into the housing or is it a lift out and replace the whole unit when it fails?

You choose - both types available. With the type you describe, the housing requires a relatively big hole in the hull and the flange of the light housing is relatively narrow. With the other type, the fittings are mushroom shape so small hull hole and massive flange. You choose. I always choose the latter.