# HPS Lights (sorry) - 150w vs 400w?



## metallurgynerd

Noob first post here. I'm a Canadian living here in Alabama and fishing in the daytime summer heat along the Gulf Coast kills me. I've decided to get into gigging and bowfishing at night (there's some monster Gar in the Mobile delta). As far as lighting goes I've spent a fair bit of time researching (here and elsewhere) and I think I've landed on HPS lights and a Yamaha EF2000iS "quiet" generator. I'm looking for opinions on whether to go with six to eight 150W lights or three 400W lights. At first I thought I wanted 150W lights but then I started doing the math and discovered that I can actually save over $200 on the lights alone by going with the 400W setup, not to mention money saved on fabricating fewer mounts.

The lights will be mounted on an older 18'6" Hanko custom welded aluminum walkthrough with 2' fantails (a Cajun boat). She's not the prettiest boat on the water and not quite a skinny water boat either but with a 3/16" welded hull and an old Johnson 150 she's just about indestructible and reasonably fast. The semi-vee hull isn't deep enough to venture out more than a few miles into the Gulf in calm seas, but she's great in the rivers and near shore. I plan on having some sort of quick disconnect brackets welded to the hull so the lights can be moved around or taken off completely.

So the 400W option seems cheaper, less cords to run, fewer pieces of equipment to mess with and adjust. Is there a downside? Less versatile? Something else I haven't thought of?

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance.


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## Grove

id go with the 400s, less mess just thoughts, not an expert


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## bamafan611

*Hps lights*

Metal, I've been running 3 400 watt HPS for 3 years now and have pretty much tried them all. Havn't had a single problem with them and have killed my fair share of flatties with them. I have about a 24 ft radius of light and unless the water is pea soup, I can go. There are a million opinions out there, but these are the best I've ever used. I can take my light bar off in about 5 minutes if I want to use my boat for something else. I'm running a Honda 2000 and get about 6 hours on a gallon of gas.Search my post for pics.


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## Ruger7mmmag

Holy cow that is one mean flounder killing machine set up you have there.


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## metallurgynerd

bamafan611 said:


> Metal, I've been running 3 400 watt HPS for 3 years now and have pretty much tried them all. Havn't had a single problem with them and have killed my fair share of flatties with them. I have about a 24 ft radius of light and unless the water is pea soup, I can go. There are a million opinions out there, but these are the best I've ever used. I can take my light bar off in about 5 minutes if I want to use my boat for something else. I'm running a Honda 2000 and get about 6 hours on a gallon of gas.Search my post for pics.



Yep, seen your setup here previously (very nice!). That's what started me thinking that 400w might be the way to go. So do you have to wait for the first two lights to warm up before firing up the third? Could you hazard a guess what RPM your generator is running once all three are warm? Or how many amps each light draws when warm? I know I'll need to run high power factor lights, just want to make sure I won't have any trouble starting three 400W HPS with the Yamaha EF2000iS.


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## bamafan611

Mine start instantly with built in ballast and take about 3 minutes to warm up to full brightness.My light are Hubbel and are sealed completely with aluminum housings. My gen runs on about 3 quarter rpms with all 3 running. I move around alot so I power down and back up several times a night. I did replace the bulbs after 3 years, just for insurance and kept the old ones for spares.


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## Death From Above

Metall......I have the same Yam genie as you. I run 4 150W HPS. I can start 3 of them, then can start the 4th after the first 3 warm up. Can't start all 4 together without tripping the generator.


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## metallurgynerd

Death From Above said:


> Metall......I have the same Yam genie as you. I run 4 150W HPS. I can start 3 of them, then can start the 4th after the first 3 warm up. Can't start all 4 together without tripping the generator.


So I take it your 150W lights are not the High Power Factor variety (i.e. no capacitors)?


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## X-Shark

metallurgynerd said:


> So I take it your 150W lights are not the High Power Factor variety (i.e. no capacitors)?


I can just about guarantee that.


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## Death From Above

metallurgynerd said:


> So I take it your 150W lights are not the High Power Factor variety (i.e. no capacitors)?


Correct. No capacitors. I could add them, but decided to use them the way they are for this year.


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## X-Shark

It's a simple install......About $9ea from Cap King. 55uf is the ones you want


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## metallurgynerd

*Okay, I finally got my lights set up.*

Thanks to everyone who offered helpful information while I figured out what light setup to put together. It took a month to get it all together  but I'm finally done. I think.

I settled on 3x400W HPS lights. They're the 16x16 type from econolight, cheapest I could find. With 3 brackets, 3 extra bulbs, and 4% tax the lights the total came to $421.36. Not bad at all. I wired them up with outdoor extension cords ($15/ea). A 3-outlet GFCI pigtail was $30. A new Yamaha EF2000is from Wise Sales was $899.99. Custom aluminum mounting brackets were made and installed by Precision Products Inc. in Moss Point MS. I supplied materials ($50) and they handled the fabrication ($350). Quick-release pins and miscellaneous hardware was about $50. Total bill comes just shy of $1850. I figured I'd share all this for anyone else who might be looking into the cost of a 3x400W HPS setup.

The light brackets are made from 1.5" Sch.80 aluminum pipe which slip into corresponding 2" Sch.80 pipe brackets welded to the boat gunnels. I had 5 boat brackets attached, 3 at the bow deck and 2 at the stern deck so you can move the 3 lights around to wherever you want them. Each light is held in place with a 5/16" push-button quick-release (ball detent) pin and the light brackets are drilled every 45 degrees so you can rotate them to different positions. Just pull the pin, rotate and re-insert pin. Simple, sturdy and secure. Pins are tethered to the light assembly so they don't fall overboard.

I just got the brackets back today so I haven't tried the system out yet but I'm hoping to this weekend.


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## wareagle22

Nice looking setup! I have 6 150 watt HPS that I run on a Honda eu2000i and I have 400 watt fixtures to replace them with too. 

You might want to look at building a remote ballast box so you can take the weight out of the fixture. The Econolight fixtures are not very rigid. My 150's came from there and I had to build me a remote box mounted under my deck because the lights were taking a beating while I was running to and from my spots and really bad when trailering. I went ahead and added the caps to them so I could run all 6 with my Honda. The ballast in those 400 watt fixtures probably weighs 10-15 lbs. It's really a simple job to build a ballast box. There's plenty of info and pics on bow fishing country. Again, very nice setup with the quick disconnects!!


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## Mike aka FishWerks

metallurgynerd said:


> Thanks to everyone who offered helpful information while I figured out what light setup to put together. It took a month to get it all together  but I'm finally done. I think.
> 
> I settled on 3x400W HPS lights. They're the 16x16 type from econolight, cheapest I could find. With 3 brackets, 3 extra bulbs, and 4% tax the lights the total came to $421.36. Not bad at all. I wired them up with outdoor extension cords ($15/ea). A 3-outlet GFCI pigtail was $30. A new Yamaha EF2000is from Wise Sales was $899.99. Custom aluminum mounting brackets were made and installed by Precision Products Inc. in Moss Point MS. I supplied materials ($50) and they handled the fabrication ($350). Quick-release pins and miscellaneous hardware was about $50. Total bill comes just shy of $1850. I figured I'd share all this for anyone else who might be looking into the cost of a 3x400W HPS setup.
> 
> The light brackets are made from 1.5" Sch.80 aluminum pipe which slip into corresponding 2" Sch.80 pipe brackets welded to the boat gunnels. I had 5 boat brackets attached, 3 at the bow deck and 2 at the stern deck so you can move the 3 lights around to wherever you want them. Each light is held in place with a 5/16" push-button quick-release (ball detent) pin and the light brackets are drilled every 45 degrees so you can rotate them to different positions. Just pull the pin, rotate and re-insert pin. Simple, sturdy and secure. Pins are tethered to the light assembly so they don't fall overboard.
> 
> I just got the brackets back today so I haven't tried the system out yet but I'm hoping to this weekend.


Nice set up. Very nice boat!


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## X-Shark

I want to add to what wareagle22 said.

I like the cup mount that goes on the boat. But the case of the light is the weak point and especially attaching to the yoke mount.

I know....I know It look's plenty strong now and on a pole as a static mount it would be fine. But it's on a boat and boats get tossed every which a way.

Those things weigh about 30 to 35lbs. That's a LOT of hinging weight being snapped around.
Your brackets are not where it will break. It will crack the housing just above your brackets. 

Here's a scenario. 

The weather turns to crap....[It will happen if you go enough.] 

Your bouncing down thru there to get home. The bracket breaks and now the light is being flailed around still attached by the power cord and it's beating the crap out of your boat.

This is why I wrapped the light housing with 1/4in alum plate and attached in multi points. This spreads the loading out.





















And to lighten them even more. Here's the Guts out of them in a ballast box.


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## metallurgynerd

Thanks for the tips guys. Had I seen this earlier I might have changed the design a bit.:001_huh: I'll run it for now and when it breaks I'll get some better pivots made up. I'd really rather not go with a ballast box, for space reasons, but I'm all for beefing up the housing/mounts if they need it.


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## Flounder9.75

Great looking set up. But I'm like X that's alot of wt. on those narrow mounts. If there's enough room inside you might want to at least put a backing plate an through bolt it. 
You'll be pissed if one of those expensive lights breaks off.


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## Death From Above

With those quick release pins if it gets rough you could always just pull the lights and stow them.


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## metallurgynerd

Death From Above said:


> With those quick release pins if it gets rough you could always just pull the lights and stow them.


Yeah, that's the plan for now. Likewise they'll be stowed when trailering. But I agree with the others who have recommended building a sturdier mount/pivot. I've already got a design in mind and started ordering materials. Wish I had an AC TIG rig so I didn't have pay a welder but I guess they've got to make a living too right?

Anyway, to be continued...:shifty:


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## Flounder9.75

Now if this Freakin Rain will quit and water clear up we'll be good to go.


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