Ever installed under hull docking lights?
 

Can anyone share some experience with the under hull docking lights and how good they work... I know some boats like Malibu have these installed stock.

How far can you spot objects, shore, dock, etc. on a pitch black night?

Are they really worth it, I don't see too many companies making this kind of product?..

Would it affect the hull if holes are being drilled into it? This worries me the most...

West Marine offers 3 brands.
Innovative Marketing
Aqua-Signal
Attwood

I've got a Sanger V215 that I was considering putting these in.

I did this on my boat:

http://www.centurioncrew.com/post-a4493-
http://www.centurioncrew.com/post-a4618-

They are the trailtech HID Spot Lights

innovative lighting docking lights they work great just dont expect to go racing across the lake at night

Dax, you're pictures didn't load but I did check out their website and they have alot of options. I really would like to see what you've done.

Harold, nice install! So they don't light up like car headlights when running across the lake?!

Wonder if having lights that bright are even legal for running at night?

No, that is why they are called docking lights and not running lights.

cheaper/easier option are tower lights.

Light up everything with daylighters! I have 2 facing forward.

+2 on the Daylighters or go HID if you can afford that option. Beats the crap out of the little driving lights.

I face the Daylighters backwards and they work great. I tried forward too but it reflected off the white vinyl too much.

Here is another try for mine:

I just finished installing my HID Tower Lights.

I went with two Flood Light Beams on the tower beside the speakers facing rear and two Spot Light Beams on the front tower arms mounted low facing forward.

The rear facing are just wired with an on/off switch. The front facing are wired with a momentary on/off/on switch so I can push the switch similarly to a hand held spot.

These are very bright HID lights.

Lights:
http://www.trailtech.net/4251-SX.html

Legs:
http://www.trailtech.net/040-HID-06.html

Mounts:
http://www.earmarkcaraudio.com/Xcart......=298&page=1

Center screw to mate leg to mount (1/2 inch length):
http://www.boltdepot.com/product.asp......m=6&cd=1281

A few Pictures:

I'm liking the idea of the tower mounted spot/flood lights more and more...

My tower has the 12pin wiring harness so I think it might work out well.

I have the in-hull docking lights. They are only useful when approaching a dock at night once you get within 20-30'. Out on the lake I can't tell the difference with them on or off. I have better luck with a cig lighter handheld spotlight or high power rechargeable flashlight.

Mikeski is right. It's also illegal to run a boat with them on.

tower lights need to project otherwise they just light up the bow and windshield. gotta be done right.

This is the main reason I mounted mine in front of the windshield. My HID spot lights really light up the water well in front of the boat. I can see sticks, birds, etc. on the water in front of the boat. Bouys/channel markers, etc. also light up very well from my spots. The switch allows them to work like a handheld, only difference is they are fixed mounted instead of using a handheld.

My HID lights are converted halogen ( H23 bulbs) titan lights. Bought the bulb/ballast kits and installed myself with a few minor modifications. They work great like ^^^^^ mentioned. I live on the lake, and the lake patrol is off the water by 4-5 in the summer. My lights are invaluable to me. I even mounted a pair on my pontoon boat, lol.

I have the Innovative docking lights on my Sanger and beyond docking they pretty much just look cool. I don't think much of tower lights either but I'm not running HID's. I'm with Mikeski a legit spot light is the best thing when running at night. The most important thing to do at night is go slow.

Dax,

In your second pic, it looks like the lights really light up the front cockpit. I found that tower lights give so much reflection up front off the vinyl, that you can't even see the lake. I think it would be very difficult to capture this in a picture, but you are telling me that you can see when traveling at night with your setup? The picture looks like the same problem I usually see with tower lights...but I would trust your experience more than the pic.

http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/attac...1&d=1271284170

Yes, there is very little reflection to bother your eyes from the forward location. The lights are mounted in front of the driver and the windshield, so they are positioned similarly to a handheld. We could easily see the water and stuff on the water with the lights in these places. The main problem with forward facing lights on the rear tower is the lights light up the inside of the windshield and reflect backwards. Here, the spots are a very narrow beam so the light on the interior is no more than what a flashlight or handheld spot puts out. The picture was taken with an iphone, so the quality is not very good.

I'd really like to get one of those police spotlights that mounts on the outside of the car which can be aimed from the inside?...

Really like this idea.

Might want to check this out here