Some Interior & Exterior Boat Lighting Questions

[S.D. Ice Angular]

I was out fishing last night with my new boat, for the first time I had a very difficult time seeing after the sun was completely down. It was very over cast and even with a 3/4 moon it was very black out. I would like to install some good interior lights for night fishing. I don’t want to light up the whole lake though like a good lantern will.

I would prefer to power them off the main 12 Volt Starting Battery not with some 9 volt or AA style batteries.

(1) Interior:

What have you guys installed so the light is directed down and not into your eyes when tying up a new jig or rebaiting?

(2) Exterior:

Does anyone use some sort of flood / spot lights (probably portable mounting system) when trailering your boat or spotting points or shorelines. I know if there is any type of moonlight this is normally not an issue at all.

(3) Reflection:

Also for the fist time my gage lights from the dash were reflecting off the windshield so bad you could not see through it all. I had to stand up and look over the top of the windshield to see anything.

Just looking for some feed back on any of these minor but frustrating issues.

Thanks

[iffy]

As far as interior lighting goes... I use a small, lightweight, aa powered strap on headlight (about 15$ at a hardware store) for tying on lures or landing fish. Its on only as needed. If you try to light up the interior of your boat too good you will have a real problem with bugs in the summertime. I used to use a blacklight and stren mono. Bugs weren't attracted to it and the stren looked like rope when tying knots.

As far as exterior lighting goes.... I use a plug in spotlight. Its not good though to be shining it all over the shorelines. People in cabins don't appreciate being illuminated in the middle of the night. But used in a common sense way its fine.

just my 2 cents.

[wishing for walleyes]

Heres what i used when i had a 16 foot lund.Buy a clamp on 120 volt lamp from the hardware store and put a 12 volt light bulb in it.Just wire the ends up to your 12 volt system and you can even even make the cord longer and use it when your landing a fish.You can clamp it on anywhere and get lots of light only where you want it.I now have a pontoon and have a 12 volt - 18 inch bulbs florescent light mounted up on the inside of my topper.It lights up my 20 foot playpen very nice.I just watched auctions on hsolist and got the light shipped for $25 total cost.On the outside of my pontoon i put some little double bulb trailer marker lights right where my rod holders are mounted.It gives just enough light to see the poles while trolling at night.I took the amber and red covers off and run them without the covers on.The lights are less then $3 each at wally world.

[BoxMN]

We just put a string (48cm) of the besthonLED LED lights in our duck boat interior. Wow, works great. Originally go it for ice shack but wanted to try in boat. It works. I might get a yellow one for trying out on boat, to not attract bugs, not sure if that works or not. Bright, easy to put anywhere with tie wraps. We tie-wrapped it to dowel, then attached dowel to boat console, and can aim it sort of down. LED draws little to no juice, so even if you left it on it wouldn't wear batter y out. Really lights up the interior. Waterproof too.

[BigSwen]

I have used the 12 volt LED light ropes with great success. I bought them at the really big catalog store that has locations in EGF, Rogers and Owatonna. I have wired the entire underside of the gunnels of my Alumacraft Dominator (took 4 kits at $15 each) and it provides excellent lighting while not being in your eyes at all. There was an extra accessory switch on my panel, and I changed the circuit breaker to a 10 amp instead of the 5 amp. It runs right off the starting battery and with a flick of the switch, you have all the interior light you would ever want.