Flood / Docking Lights Mounted on Radar Arch

Corwin- Thanks!

One of the best benefits of the lights surprisingly is in launching and retrieving the boat from the trailer. The rear ones light up everything on and around the ramp when backing down and launching the boat in the early morning before dawn, and if you come in after dark, you can light up the dock and ramp with the front ones so there's no problem at all with the after dark retrieval. Joe.
 
Wow Joe! :shock: :shock:

What a set of lights! Now I see why you have the two extra batteries!! :thup

If the power in Redding ever fails, you can always reverse feed the town!

:lol:


Great Setup! Makes my flashlight look pretty puny! :oops:
 
Charlie-

Thanks for the comments!

I also have added a Honda EU1000i generator in the past month that will allow me to charge the batteries and run small 120 volt appliances such as heater or whatever when necessary. I choose the 1000 watt over the 2000 as I decided I didn't want to add AC on the roof, and selected a good sized three stage battery charger that will put out up to 40 amps and charge all four batteries simultaneously. I'm planning on getting some photos of the whole electrical set up soon and doing a write up on it including the shore power set up. Joe.
 
Sea Wolf":kms9iswo said:
I also have added a Honda EU2000i generator .... I choose the 1000 watt over the 2000 ...
Click to expand...

Somehow I missed something, Joe. Did you get the EU1000 or the EU2000?

Eventually we plan to do overnights in "steamy summer" places too. That's why we've been checking out those small 6-7k btu roll around portable A/C units. They're not much bigger than a small cooler and our EU2000i should run it handily. I wonder if anyone else has looked at or used them? A little hose exhausts hot air out and it could be rigged to slip the air out through the bilge pump area I think. Just speculating though.

Oh, a hint, Joe. Don't forget to open the vent lever on the gas tank before starting. I'm always forgetting that. :amgry
 
Don-

I bought the EU1000iA2. My mistake in posting, just careless in the rush!

While the days are quite hot here in Northern California, the humidity is low, and the temperature drops off nicely after dark. Just couldn't see trying to stay inside the cabin and run the generator all day to have the AC, although if I were back east or in the South I'd go for it for sure.

We also have a pontoon boat for the summer at the lake, and bring the C-Dory home to the RV barn to be used for high country fishing at places like Eagle Lake at elevations where it doesn't get much more than 85 degrees during the day.

Thanks for the comment about the air vent. I was also warned about the problem where I bought the unit. One trick with these units is to hide them inside the boat, as they are routinely stolen from boats and RV's. Some people have even had them stolen from RV parks while they were running them!.....the TV suddenly goes dead and by the time they go outside to look to see if it's still running, they are just able to see it disappear down the drive with the new "owner". Many have gone to chaining them down to the RV unit as a result! Joe.
 
You're right Joe, as as far as chains necessary! There's a Yahoo group "Honda_EU2000_Generators" that even shows how to "stealth" paint your generator so it doesn't look as tempting.

We don't need A/C here either, though I wouldn't say that 20 miles inland. I've lived or RV'd in the midwest, southwest, and along the eastern shore, and I can't imagine summer nights without at least something to dull the pain. :roll: Places like Galveston TX give me the creeps. If the heat doesn't get you, mosquito mauraders will. Even had them go through heavy sox to stab the ankles. Awesome critters.


Don
 
Bill (Da Nag)

Dave (Sea Shift) turned me on to a cool solution when our boats were getting rigged - we both had stainless plates mounted to our bow rails, and installed remote control GoLights. Here's a pic of mine during installation, and here's a link to several models at the manufacturer's web site.
Click to expand...

I assume that you ran the wiring inside the bow pulpit rail but I'm not clear on how and where it enters the boat. Could you please clarify that for me?

Thanks,
Jim
 
Old Jim-

Bill can tell you how Les did his, mine was done by the previous owner who drilled a hole from inside the cabin into the backing plate to the rail base and up into the hollow cavity of the rail tube.

Enlarge the hole sufficiently, then insert an electrician's fish tape into the hole, up the tube, and to another hole in the rail tube just under the welded on base plate for the remote controlled searchlight. Then you attach the wires to the fish tape's little hook end, and pull them back down into the cabin!

Bill- Was this the way yours was done?

If this is too complicated for some, there are not wireless remote controlled searchlights!

Joe.
 
Hi guys,

I'm looking into adding a remote spotlight to my bow pulpit. It's not clear from these posts if the plate you guys added was welded on or store bought and bolted on. I'm hoping the latter, that sounds less expensive.

Thanks,
Bill
 
Bill-

You're welcome.

But that's not to say it couldn't be done by making a plate that fits over the bow pulpit to the top of the tube line, and then fastening it with stainless sheet metal screws if one had to because of the cost .or the unavailability of someone to fabricate one out of stainless and weld it in place.

We also usually get asked how to lead the power cord/control wires back to the helm. Here's how to hide the wires:

On mine, the wires pass into a hole drilled into the bow pulpit tube under the bow plate, then are led back down the tube and down the first (or could be the second if you want) tube support and through the tube base plate and into the cabin area.

You have to drill a hole in the base plate and through the fiberglass of the cabin beneath it as well. The hole is drilled starting from the inside between the two machine screws.

An electrician's fish tape or stainless cable with a loop or eyelet on the end is inserted from one end and pulls the wires through.

They also have WIRELESS remote control spotlights, now, but I assume you'd still have to get a power providing wire to it.

If this isn't clear or you have other questions, just ask!

Joe.
 
We took a lesson from the list (and I appologize to whom ever I stole this from), but purchased a tractor utility light from Wal Mart for about $9 and I had a good strong magnet which I could bolt to the bracket of this light.
I put the magnet on the anchor when I need the light. I have had spot lights on a couple of boats--and used hand held ones on many more. It is nice to have a low level light--but with a bright spot/flood light, it hurts your night vision--so we just use the tractor utility light when in crowded narrow places or comming into our bayou if there is not enough ambient light.

I agree that for a built in search light, that the top of the bow pulpit is an excellent place. I suspect that one could JB weld a SS plate on the pulpit also and have it hold almost as well as a weld.
 
Ok, I know my ignorance is showing again but I racked my brain trying to think of what a "JB weld" might be. Bob, enlighten me, please.

Jim
 
Jim-

If you read the other thread, you'll note Bob is busy having a two day "End of the Hurricane Season Party" tonight and tomorrow. So I'll partially answer your question to get you started and let him finish later.

His idea of attaching the spotlight plate to the bow rail is an excellent one! Be sure to roughen up both surfaces and clean all oils and waxes away.

One could also drill both parts and use stainless or Monel pop rivets.

JB Weld is a super tough high temperature tolerant epoxy mixture that can be used to bond almost any two substances together. It's been used to repair cracked engine blocks, among other things.

Here's a LINK to their website!

Joe.
 
Heck, I get to play on the computer between entertaining....Thanks Joe.

I know of times that JB weld (an epoxy designed for metals) has been used to repair cracks in engine blocks. I have used it for a crack in an outboard lower unit gear case. I also bent a Stanchion post base oncrete dock in Mexico--and it was going to be almost impossiable to repair with out taking the entire life line system apart, so I bent the base, the 1/4" SS rod which was a brace, and put JB Weld on this. 11 years later this JB weld is still there, holding the stanchion base together. I probably would put a couple of sheet metal screws into the pulpit as well as the JB weld--but it will hold. The suggestions of roughing up the SS, cleaning it well are essential.
 
Thanks, Bob!

I've got a stanschion on the rails around my Sea Ray that needs much the same treatment. Not damaged, just loose!

As I understand it, they mount the entire bow pulpit (which extends halfway back along the raised cabin trunk) to the deck BEFORE the deck is joined to the hull.

This, of course, is easier than doing it after they're bonded. Saves time and $.

The only problem is that later, after they install all the plumbing, electrical, galley, headliner, cabin bulkheads, drawers, upolstery, screwed down racks, holders, etc., etc.,........ is that it's absolutely impossible to get to the nuts under the stanchion base! Maybe a weasel could go there, but not me!

Enter JB Weld.

I'm going to have to forcefully insert some specially made split washers under the stansion base, filing the area above, below, and between them, the stansion base, and the deck with JB Weld, and drop a couple of sheet metal screws through the sandwich for good measure. 5200 would also work, but it wouldn't be as strong.

Thank you JB Weld!

Joe.
 
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