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Go Back   WakeWorld > >> Boats, Accessories & Tow Vehicles Archive > Archive through June 17, 2007

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Old     (face_plant)      Join Date: Jun 2007       06-12-2007, 9:28 AM Reply   
my questions is; How many people use there tower lights anb how efficient are they?

Im thinking about buying a light rack but dont want to waste money if its not worth it.

need your help.
Old     (wakeslife)      Join Date: Jul 2005       06-12-2007, 9:34 AM Reply   
We only use ours when coming into the dock late or for the occasional surf set that lasts a bit past sunset.
Old     (ironj32)      Join Date: Jan 2007       06-12-2007, 10:25 AM Reply   
been riding for two months this season and i have yet to use mine.
Old     (face_plant)      Join Date: Jun 2007       06-12-2007, 10:56 AM Reply   
ok so im starting to think they're just a waste of money. guess i can buy a new handle with the extra cash.
Old     (kslakebum)      Join Date: Jun 2006       06-12-2007, 1:47 PM Reply   
our boat came with them, and we've used them maybe 3 times at the most and we have had the boat for 4 years. most states out law them, because you cant ski/board at night.
Old     (fuller313)      Join Date: Oct 2006       06-12-2007, 1:54 PM Reply   
Tower lights aren't really that functional. If you want to do some night boarding invest in some spotlights and some glow stick. They work a lot better. I know cuz I have 6 lights on my tower and they don't do a whole lot but look bling bling.
Old     (izzy)      Join Date: Apr 2007       06-12-2007, 2:00 PM Reply   
It not the state laws! You can't use them according to Coast Guard regulations.
Old     (mobv)      Join Date: Jun 2002       06-12-2007, 2:52 PM Reply   
TOwer lights are a total waste of money, even if legal to use and ride after dark thay do not aid the driver becasuse on the lake there are no objects (road, signs, trees, etc.)for the light to reflect off of. The light just bounces off the water and creates glare making it harder to see anything that might be in the lake.

Lights to the rear can light up the wake and help the rider some.
Old     (greatdane)      Join Date: Feb 2001       06-12-2007, 3:00 PM Reply   
Tower lights look cool. Thats it. I will skip them on my next boat. Get other useful things instead.
Old     (face_plant)      Join Date: Jun 2007       06-12-2007, 4:31 PM Reply   
yeah i think just pick up a LG handle instead. Cant go wrong there...saving money. Thanks for the advise.
Old     (bcrider)      Join Date: Apr 2006       06-12-2007, 4:56 PM Reply   
I use the lights for docking otherwise it is better to run in the dark so your eyes can adjust so you can see better. Like Mobv said the glare stops you from being able to see.
Old     (yooper)      Join Date: Jun 2002       06-13-2007, 5:47 AM Reply   
Actually, I've found that my tower lights are actually usable if I have my bimini top up. The bimini provides enough of a shield to prevent the lights from creating a glare off the white seats, gel coat and the silver of the windshield frame.

Still, I would only go slow, and they still aren't that great, but MUCH better than using them without the bimimi. I don't see how you could ever ride at night no matter what kind of lights you have, even if it was legal.
Old     (acurtis_ttu)      Join Date: May 2004       06-13-2007, 6:13 AM Reply   
I live on a alke and use mine all the time. My lake is nto patrolled after dark so I haev no "legal" issues. I use them alot for docking. also while crusing at nite. Most taditional lights dont; work that well. the only oens I've foudn to be effective are the projector type lights. Pilot makes a few of them. I use the amber beam ones, becasue of bugs. they dont; attract the bugs as bad as white. the projector type lights have a spot light beam pattern. I constructed my own for around $300 using various parts from name brand manufacturers (monster tower, boss acc, and pilot lights)
Old     (point1234)      Join Date: Apr 2006       06-13-2007, 8:40 AM Reply   
I just use mine when coming up to the dock at night loading the boat. Nice to have for putting a little more light down. Plus its funny to see the look on the fishermen faces when you turn the lights on.
Old     (downfortheride)      Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: SLC, UT 5600'       06-13-2007, 9:09 AM Reply   
I have grown to like to looks of the tower lights. They work great while coming up to the dock at night and just sitting on the lake doing nothing. The law here don't allow you to use them to ride but there so much better then the little stock light in the back or a spot light trying to find your camp sight. The only thing that I am not a fan of is when I back down the ramp and there is three wakeboats with their light facing the ramp, it makes it a little hard to see out your mirrors while backing down and in the water. I'm a huge fan of tower lights just keep them away for the launch ramp. Nothing better then sitting on the lake when it is pitch black after your sets and just hanging out in full light.
Old     (phatboypimp)      Join Date: Apr 2005       06-13-2007, 3:31 PM Reply   
I didn't expect my tower lights to contribute much, but once I got them wired up, I wouldn't want to be without them. Since we do quite a bit of "commuting" on the lake at night, it really made a differece, especially when we are headed to the dock in tight conditions. I was surprised, the lights we installed really made a huge difference.
Old     (yosquire)      Join Date: Jun 2005       06-13-2007, 3:40 PM Reply   
i use mine all the time, great for wakesurfing, good for wakeboarding. I've got a skylon bar, 2 forward 4 back.
Old     (saroberts70)      Join Date: Aug 2006       06-13-2007, 3:44 PM Reply   
Tower lights are perfect for the water patrol to see your ID as you get a ticket for boarding after dark.
Old     (357)      Join Date: Mar 2007       06-13-2007, 5:32 PM Reply   
Try the HID's by LPA we were riding in complete darkness at 75 feet and the wake was lit up like a son of a b. Very functional set-up.
Old     (266crownlinebr)      Join Date: Apr 2007       06-13-2007, 9:16 PM Reply   
I am surprised that people don't mount KC offroad lights on their towers. I have never seen any if they do. I would think that would really light things up. Not sure what those cost, but some of those really bright ones like they use on rally cars would probably be good to.
Old     (05mobiuslsv)      Join Date: Apr 2006       06-13-2007, 9:35 PM Reply   
Maybe because they would look ghetto, kinda like mickey mouse ears.
Old     (mobv)      Join Date: Jun 2002       06-14-2007, 2:32 AM Reply   
Rally lights would still have to obey the laws of light which require something to reflect the light back. On the water there is nothing to reflect the light so all you get is glare off the front of the boat and water. They only help when close to a hard object, shore, dock, channel marker, etc. They are still useless.
Old     (big_poppa_pump)      Join Date: Apr 2002       06-14-2007, 5:08 AM Reply   
I used the KC lights facing to the rear and they worked really well. Really lit up the wake and you could see it easy. Also, excellent for night surfing.

Depth perception is a little off with the wake at night, the light seems to penetrate the water quite a bit and it looks odd...I'm not sure how to describe it.

I tried the KC's to the front and it didn't work too well. I think really your only option is to go with a set of the docking lights that mount inside the front part of your hull. That and a handheld spot by someone in the bow would do you a lot better than 95% of the forward facing tower lights I see.

Ditto on what yooper said though, having the bimini up does help with the glare, especially if you have white vinyl. It also keeps the bugs and bats away from the passengers.
Old     (yosquire)      Join Date: Jun 2005       06-14-2007, 3:16 PM Reply   
I've had the depth perception problem too, for some reason it's difficult to judge when you'll hit the wake and when you'll land.

> "Rally lights would still have to obey the laws of light"..."They only help when close to a hard object"

Isn't a "hard object" what you're trying to avoid while boating at night? I'll agree, the forward lights don't work very well while cruising at night. Though I still flip them on and off every 20-30 seconds to see if there is a "hard object" in my way.

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