Keep in mind that the LED nav light install is probably not USCG approved. I'm not saying don't do it but if you got stopped at night, some hardass water patrol officer could give you crap about it.
Wish I saw this before I did my boat. Definitely make sure your lights are placed properly before you install! I just placed mine where I thought they'd work but ended up being blinded by those under my console Good video tho.
Yea....honestly you shouldn't be able to see the light strip from any angle. You're supposed to hide the lights so that they "wash" over what you want illuminated. In this video they're way too visible and blinding as well. You gotta be crafty...if your eyes can see them when they're off then you'll be invaded by them when lit up at night.
Heat shrink reminded me of something. If you have something large to protect and you want to wrap it in shrink plastic, use a soda bottle. Choose a large or small diameter bottle, cut the ends off then you have a large tough heat shrink tube. You'll need either a heatgun or blow torch to shrink it.
Where 2 wires are joined side by side like that I would recommend potting the heat shrink tubing with a sealant of some sort. Also can you add the brand and source of your lights and switches to the video description so we don't have to search all the comments to find that information?
When you make the connections of your lights to the "fuse box" do you have to use any type of DC ADAPTER OR CONVERTER? or just handle the wire red/black as you'd normally would?
Hi, What brand of LEDs did you use for your rub rail lights? I am having a hard time finding some that are small enough to fit inside of the 1/4 vinyl tubing.
Just connected to the cranking battery. The LED lights draw such little current it's almost a non-issue. Not long after I installed them, just to see what would happen, I turned all the deck lights, the rod lockers, and the storage compartment lights on and kept them on for 2 full days. The battery voltage only dropped down from 12.62 to around 11.88 and with just the deck lights, they can go for 2 full days and not drop below 12V.
I bought mine on eBay, all are supernight brand, water-proof 60 LED / meter. I usually end up replacing one or two a year, usually due to them getting step on with the edge of my shoe. (for some reason I damage the forward-most light on the left side every year.) My switch came from Bluewater LED as did the dimmer switch.
So your heat shrink tubing idea is cool but uses allot, just get the heat shrink that has that good inside that when you shrink it it goops out and seals up all holes
There are lights that are IP66 "weatherproof" compliant. What are your thoughts on these for deck/compartment lights? I'd imagine it would be ok as long as the lights are not submerged.
Ken Eng you're probably right Ken, they probably would work. But I am a product of my past experiences, so my mind tells me to do it right so I don't have to do it over. However, I also have a reputation for being a bit overkill when I conquer projects like this.
I am having a hard time finding a clear 1 3/4 in clear rub rail insert... my rub rail seems to be a thicker rub rail as it's not a bass boat , meaning it is not a flexible rubber round mold like urs, any suggestions on what I could use to replace a portion of it? The cost hanger wouldn't work for me as the rub rail isn't round where I could fit anything into either side...
Aaron, most big-box Marine stores have larger, clear, thick-walled tubing on rolls, by-the-foot. I found this out while trying to source braided/reinforced tubing when I upgraded the automatic bilge pump on my R91 Intracoastal. Some better hardware stores may have that tubing as well.
Ken Busbee I used the Super Night lights and I wired them up with a dimmer from BlueWaterLED. (I used their switch too) I made a video a couple years ago that details the whole system which includes why I designed it the way I did.
+Evan Kilpatrick Hey Evan... I should also mention that I did get my on/off switch and my dimmer switch from BlueWaterLED online. These 2 items are worth the extra money.
