# Glowing kayak!!!



## BigFatYak (Jan 5, 2015)

So after reading about the poor girls hit by a boat in shalimar while paddle boarding, it's really got me wanting to become more visible at night. Right now I run a battery powered lantern mounted above me on a piece of pvc, and a reflective flag. What I want to do now is put some leds inside the yak and try to make the whole boat glow. Is anyone on here doing this? And do any of you have some lighting recomendations. They will be ran on the same battery as my fish finder. Thanks


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## BigFatYak (Jan 5, 2015)

Diddnt mean to use exclamation marks in the title, I'm not yelling GLOWING KAYAK!!!, lol, I meant Glowing Kayak???


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## jonscott8 (Jan 18, 2015)

Thought this would be about seeing a glowing yak.

You could try some activatur ....and let your sooouuulll glow!!!


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

A glowing yak would be much safer than one not glowing.


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

*Being seen is safer*

Glowing paddle board


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

*Glowing*

Yak


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## servo765 (May 25, 2013)

I would go with a strobe. They would be small, portable, and obnoxiously, obnoxiously bright.


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## FISH ON ! (May 18, 2014)

servo765 said:


> I would go with a strobe. They would be small, portable, and obnoxiously, obnoxiously bright.


A strobe is what I'm thinking. We're new to the kayak in the GOM thing, been on rivers all my life, no worries about being run over!

I'm thinking hi-viz shirt, hat, round ball on a stick (flags line up with the wind and can have a very small profile depending on the direction of the boat about to run you over), and…

A strobe, like an all-around white, but flashing during daylight hours even, when crossing open areas where being run over becomes a concern.

...Now that I think about it (out loud sorta) I think a strobe would drive me crazy!

Maybe a "flash" would be just as effective, and not make me have a seizure or jump overboard watching my on strobe! At any rate, a steady white light could easily blend in with the background and provide late warning for an approaching boat. Flashing or strobe would be much more attention getting.

What about a yellow flasher…that'd be different and not blend in with the background lights…?

I started typing this, a one-liner and wound up brainstorming some of the ideas in my head…out loud!

Hmmm...


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## boomyak (Mar 21, 2014)

I thought strobes were usually for emergency signaling type situations? 

Besides aircraft uses obviously.


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## daniel9829 (Jan 31, 2009)

I paddle a bright yellow Xfactor and have a light that will change from steady to strobe with a flick of the switch. When it go to strobe all 250,000 lumens come to power for up to 6 hours. I found it at Bass Pro several years ago but haven't seen one since. Uses 4 triple A batteries. I cut it on any time I hear a boat.


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## servo765 (May 25, 2013)

yea I mean, throw it on if someone is about to hit you, like in the situation where the girls were trying to signal the boat


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## servo765 (May 25, 2013)

it would be terrible to fish beneath a strobe as well


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## boomyak (Mar 21, 2014)

servo765 said:


> yea I mean, throw it on if someone is about to hit you, like in the situation where the girls were trying to signal the boat


Gotcha. I've had some of the smaller "tactical" strobes that run off a couple aa or aaa batteries and they definitely will get someone's attention better than the weak LEDS on most of the aa battery powered navigation lights they sell for kayaks.


This reminds me of techniques we'd use to deter drivers from coming too close to a convoy or through a security cordon. If you REALLY want someone's attention at night grab one of those $4 cat toy laser pointers. They're cheap and bright enough to wake someone up without causing permanent eye damage like the more powerful laser pointers out there. 

I would only use that as a last resort and wouldn't be surprised if they run you over in anger instead of accidentally.


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## BigFatYak (Jan 5, 2015)

Yeah a strobe would drive me nuts, or make me grab some glow sticks and start dancing on the yak. I was thinking something to put in side the hull that would make the inside of the whole inside of the yak light up. But I do like the laser pointer idea to keep in my PFD pocket just in case.


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## FISH ON ! (May 18, 2014)

daniel9829 said:


> I paddle a bright yellow Xfactor and have a light that will change from steady to strobe with a flick of the switch. When it go to strobe all 250,000 lumens come to power for up to 6 hours. I found it at Bass Pro several years ago but haven't seen one since. Uses 4 triple A batteries. I cut it on any time I hear a boat.


Daniel, what's the brand name, any info on the unit we might could use to google it?


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## FISH ON ! (May 18, 2014)

BigFatYak said:


> Yeah a strobe would drive me nuts, or make me grab some glow sticks and start dancing on the yak. I was thinking something to put in side the hull that would make the inside of the whole inside of the yak light up. But I do like the laser pointer idea to keep in my PFD pocket just in case.


Guys please don't point a laser pointer at me and expect a good outcome! I will assume you are aiming a weapon at me and act accordingly. I don't recommend this solution.

Now, on the same idea, what about a spotlight? There are some serious handheld spotlights available that would make me have to steer my boat away, so I could SEE!

You know, the more I think about this one, the worse it sounds. I'm thinking this requires we "hear" the boat coming and identify it to let our light shine…

I don't know about you all, but I might hear it but have trouble identifying exactly which way it's coming from in time to Q-beam it!


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## BigFatYak (Jan 5, 2015)

FISH ON ! said:


> Guys please don't point a laser pointer at me and expect a good outcome! I will assume you are aiming a weapon at me and act accordingly. I don't recommend this solution.


I believe it was suggested as a last resort to keep from getting ran over. But your right I diddnt think about someone mistaking it for a weapon.


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## Ocean Master (May 20, 2008)

I've almost run over Kayaks leaving out at dark thirty in the am. Anything sure would be helpful.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

I have a yellow PA and I was thinking of Blue or green LEDS in the hull and turning the whole boat into a fishing night lite either that or plain white light and I would have a glowing banana in the water!


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## 16983 (Sep 12, 2011)

*I have an LED light you can try*

BFY, I bought an small LED spotlight to try on a project. It's not going to work for what I intended it for. It's yours if you want it. I run my FF on a gel cell battery. I hooked the light to the battery to see how long it would last. After 10 hours I gave up and it was still going strong. The good: It's a great price, the bad: without the remote, it cycles through white, red, blue and green. but, I have the remote too. I'll try to attach a pic of the light and a pic in my garage of my yak w/ the light inside.


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## 16983 (Sep 12, 2011)

Or there's always there's always these:
http://www.supernovafishinglights.com/kayak-lights
if you don't want to re-invent the wheel. Inside or out, your choice.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Mac1109 said:


> Or there's always there's always these:
> http://www.supernovafishinglights.com/kayak-lights
> if you don't want to re-invent the wheel. Inside or out, your choice.


go to academy sports much cheaper


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## BigFatYak (Jan 5, 2015)

Mac1109 said:


> BFY, I bought an small LED spotlight to try on a project. It's not going to work for what I intended it for. It's yours if you want it. I run my FF on a gel cell battery. I hooked the light to the battery to see how long it would last. After 10 hours I gave up and it was still going strong. The good: It's a great price, the bad: without the remote, it cycles through white, red, blue and green. but, I have the remote too. I'll try to attach a pic of the light and a pic in my garage of my yak w/ the light inside.


Yeah man I will give it a shot. How much do you want for it.


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## Snook (Jun 21, 2013)

Jackson has a glow color in their lineup. I believe it needs to be light "charged" and it will last a couple hours. Great for afternoon/evening trips.


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## servo765 (May 25, 2013)

if you really wanna pucker someone's asshole, get a pistol flare kit and let one rip if you think your life is in danger. Just be prepared to deal with a real angry boater if they saw you and had a differing opinion of how close is too close


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## boomyak (Mar 21, 2014)

That red glow with the eye decals is a nice look.


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## 16983 (Sep 12, 2011)

BigFatYak said:


> Yeah man I will give it a shot. How much do you want for it.




Like I said, it's yours if you want it. Not charging you for it, just come pick it up, I don't get to Navarre very often at all.


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## daniel9829 (Jan 31, 2009)

Mine has Firefly on it the rest has wore off. It is not water activated and I slip in in a 1 1/2 in piece of pvc about 3 foot long and stick in a rod holder right behind me.


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## 16983 (Sep 12, 2011)

boomyak said:


> That red glow with the eye decals is a nice look.




Gracias Boomyak


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## Big Red (Oct 1, 2007)

I have a Mango colored T140 that long ago I put LED Rope lights in.
I ran them inside the hull up on the gunnels completely around the perimeter of boat. 
Ask any one who has seen it & they’ll tell you it glows like a Halloween pumpkin.
There is also a bright 360 degree light on a 36” rod on the stern of the Yak.
 At night, I also carry a very high candle power lantern & a 12 gage flare pistol. Both are bungeed in at my fingertips. 
Any boater who cannot see me on the water has their head up their a$$, is an incompetent twit, & should never be at the helm of any vessel.

When I hear a boat approaching, I always assume the approaching helmsman is 1) Blind, 2) Drunk, 3) Too busy lying to his/her fishing buddies to see me, or 4) Really is out to see how many kayakers/paddle boarders he/she can run over.
With this in mind, I always try to run for cover if any is available close by.

I personally believe it to be far more in my better interest to be somewhat safe behind some pilings hurling a long string of well earned epithets at some Delta Hotel than trying to hang on to my overturned yak with one hand & blazing away at said Delta Hotel with my .40 S&W Sig.


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