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Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       06-16-2014, 7:51 PM Reply   
I'm in between shadow castor 10s and Abyss Starfish LEDs to instal on my boat.

The LEDs want a flat surface to cleanly mount to and my transom seems to have a slight curve to it. Has anyone installed larger LEDs on a Nautique and how did you overcome the curve?

Do I need to choose a smaller LED?
Old     (DavidAnalog)      Join Date: Sep 2013       06-17-2014, 6:45 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by ride152 View Post
I'm in between shadow castor 10s and Abyss Starfish LEDs to instal on my boat.

The LEDs want a flat surface to cleanly mount to and my transom seems to have a slight curve to it. Has anyone installed larger LEDs on a Nautique and how did you overcome the curve?

Do I need to choose a smaller LED?
Odin at Earmark Marine sells both brands and he can give you the materials and instructions to make a polymer contour block to fit between the underwater light and the curved transom surface.

Shadow Casters states that you can mount the light sink to a moderately curved surface but with the separate polycarbonate lens and maintaining a seal, I would not do it. I would use a contour block instead.
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       06-17-2014, 8:36 AM Reply   
I have also seen people take the SC10 and mount it useing 3Ms marine glue
What they do is drill the hole where the wire go's in and then use the glue as a gasket that works like the contour blocks. Then you just wipe away the excess glue. The glue fills the small gap between the light and the curved transom. Use the stainless steel screws the adjust how big or small the gap is.

And one more thing. 3m sells 2 Marine Adhesives. One is a adhesive that drys HARD and one that stays soft. My advice is to use the One that stays soft. That way for any reason if you have to remove it you will not destroy the light when you take it off.
Old     (hatepain)      Join Date: Aug 2006       06-17-2014, 9:30 PM Reply   
Or you could just Velcro it and close the seal with either plastic dip or leak ender 2000! You should be fine
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       06-18-2014, 7:30 AM Reply   
David, I am talking with Odin on these LEDS. As usual - he is extraordinarily helpful and has suggested that I look into a contour block. I have sent him the pictures I have included here for his opinion. If this seems to cumbersome, I may just roll with the Abyss Starfish as they are meant to sit out from the transom a bit to allow water to get behind the fixture to cool the LED.

Grant/David - any thoughts on the curve here? Can I fill with 3M soft adhesive and make it work? The PVC pipe used for reference has a red line signifying 10 inches - or the length of the SCM 10 light.

I have included three options for placement. The first image represents the most outward position on the tansom.
The second is just inside the outer swim platform bracket and the third picture shows the most inward position - nearly in the middle of the boat.

I suspect best results for the lighting would be the as shown in the second picture, but I seem to have the straightest run at the most outward position.

Question is - can these LEDS 'serve this curve?'
Attached Images
   
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       06-18-2014, 7:31 AM Reply   
Hate n Pain - love the velcro idea! That or some duct tape and sealant? Get the job done quick!
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       06-18-2014, 1:44 PM Reply   
Went with the Abyss Starfish LED as it sits off the transom a bit anyway. It has three contact points and is just under 5 inches in diameter vs 10 inches long and will fit better.
Old     (DavidAnalog)      Join Date: Sep 2013       06-18-2014, 2:52 PM Reply   
Nate,
Good call going with the Starfish. It best fits the application.
The softer polycaulk works better than either silicon or a hard sealer. Silicon becomes hard, shrinks and withdrawals underwater. A hard sealer/adhesive like 5200 isn't particularly serviceable. The soft polycaulk stays plyable forever underwater, never shrinks and should be good for a 10 year + seal. However, I wouldn't trust the physical properties of a polycaulk to fill a large diameter gap against the considerable force of water displacement as it stays about as gel-like as chewing gum.
I have heard of boats that were splashed before the required cure time (about 24 hours) forcing the sealer out through the threads on a depth finder like a big coil. Of course that is a ton of displacement on a cruiser. So I would play it the safest route.
Odin with Earmark has created the most extensive set of underwater installation instructions I have seen. Far more comprehensive than anything I've seen from a manufacturer.
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       06-18-2014, 4:23 PM Reply   
David,

You are Odin are on the same page. I ordered the 3M product on his site and he has swapped it out with Life Calk.

Given the construction of the Starfish, it appears that the three screws are carrying the entire load of holding the fixture to the boat. Abyss does not recommend sealing the fixture completely, only the drilled holes in the transom. They want water to circulate behind the fixture to cool the LEDs, unlike Shadow Casters.

http://www.abysslite.com/wp-content/...h-template.pdf
Old     (DavidAnalog)      Join Date: Sep 2013       06-18-2014, 4:44 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by ride152 View Post
David,

You are Odin are on the same page. I ordered the 3M product on his site and he has swapped it out with Life Calk.

Given the construction of the Starfish, it appears that the three screws are carrying the entire load of holding the fixture to the boat. Abyss does not recommend sealing the fixture completely, only the drilled holes in the transom. They want water to circulate behind the fixture to cool the LEDs, unlike Shadow Casters.

http://www.abysslite.com/wp-content/...h-template.pdf
Nate,
You're fortunate to have a positive curvature rather than a negative. The center backside pocket may still make contact with the hull before one or more of the outside pads do so I wouldn't warp the fixture in trying to make it conform. Use spacers under those outside pads if necessary to keep that fixture from bending around the transom. A little stress is fine just so you don't change the fixture shape.
Old     (ride152)      Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Maumee River - Ohio       06-19-2014, 6:11 AM Reply   
David,

Great advice! Do you recommend using rubber spacers?
Old     (DavidAnalog)      Join Date: Sep 2013       06-19-2014, 6:29 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by ride152 View Post
David,

Great advice! Do you recommend using rubber spacers?
No rubber. Stainless washers should work only if needed.
Just as long as the center pocket makes good contact.

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