# Yet another light question



## mudd_cat23 (Jun 3, 2011)

Alright I have a simple rig. Let me start off by saying last year i fished with a standard 14 foot flat bottom boat rigged up with 4 500w halogen work lights powered by a VERY LOUD 2500 coleman powermate. I stuck fish could see them good and everything well i went and redone my rig this year and changed out and made 2 of the underwater sea striker lights. I have changed generators to the Chicago electric 900 watt generator. No its not a honda but it is surprisingly quite. I went the other night with the 2 200 watt underwater lights and it just didnt project the light i was use too of course. So do you think if i take my 4 halogen work lights and change all the bulbs out to 200 watts that will be sufficient and give me enough light. I dont want no high doller rig. so NO HPS or LED lights i just wanna try to use what i got around the house already so. I guess the ? Is will the 4 200 watt above water halogens cut the water good enough or should i stick with the sea strikers


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## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

> powered by a VERY LOUD 2500 coleman powermate.


Yep...Loudest on the Market!

The closest I can find on the charts is the 225 Ultra bulbs to a 200watt halogen bulb. But I haven't seen them. They draw 1.9amps each.

Have you read the manual for this generator?

http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/66000-66999/66619.pdf

I call your attention to page 12



> Calculating Power Draw:
> Power draw can be calculated by multiplying volts and amps. The resulting number is wattage.
> Never exceed the rated maximum • wattage (800) for the Generator or outlet.


So with that in mind Your at aprox 912watts...Which even exceeds the Max on this generator [Continuous is 800watts] and you will burn it down. 

Sooooo....While these cheap Lil Generators look like a bargain on the surface....They are not, as they will not perform the job at hand.

Did you also see where it calls for 89 octane fuel? [Mid grade]


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## mudd_cat23 (Jun 3, 2011)

X-shark how about the philliops 150w the package says 150 (200) so I don't know if it puts out like a 200 but only draws 150 Watts. Your pretty knowledgeable from the past stuff I've read what do you suggest I do I just like above water lights cause I can see further out and I'm just using these generators cause I got 6 for 150 so I was like what the hey ill try it


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## mudd_cat23 (Jun 3, 2011)

The bulbs are Philips 150-Watt (200W) T3HalogenEnergy Saver Light Bulb I can't find how many amps they draw


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## Clomer (Mar 9, 2012)

I think they are doing the comparison to incandescent lights - you know like CFLs and LEDS do. They are just 150W bulbs... and only 2850 lumens (19 per watt). That is better than incandescent, but still pretty sad. 

I also have one of those Harbor Freight 800w/900w generators and it's okay, but I wouldn't run it continuously much over half load. You could go with 4 of the 150 watters. But 600w would be all I would put on the little two stroke generator, though. I don't even know what you guys do with all that light. More is better I know, but I have found about 5000 - 7000 lumens it plenty for the water I fish in. Usually you couldn't see more than five or six feet if you have one of them spot lights they have on the tug boats.

Something to think about;

6 150w halogen x 2850 lumens = 17100 lumens @600 watts (19L/W)

8 15w 12v CFL x 945 lumens = 7560 lumens @120 watts (63L/W)

120w only pulls 10 amps off a 12v battery. Theoretically, a 125 amp hour battery would run the setup for over 10 hours. Reality is about 6 hours as you never want to fully discharge a battery. I am currently making a 6 CFL set up that is looking great with 5670 lumens in the back yard after dark. That will run better than 7 hours and I'm pretty give out after that long pushing an 18' boat around.

Bad side is the lights are $10 apiece... but I really, really love not having to run that damn generator.


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## Clomer (Mar 9, 2012)

oh yea, your question... they draw 1.25 amps.

at 120 volts...

if you ran one off an dc to ac inverter, it would pull over 12 amps from the battery. Probably close to 14 amps considering the best inverters are only about 90% efficient


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## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

> But 600w would be all I would put on the little two stroke generator, though.


I would agree with you on that...No sense in pushing it to the max.




> 6 150w halogen x 2850 lumens = 17100 lumens


I get a little less than that on this chart that I use, but it's not that much. 
[2200 Lumens]

http://bow.fishingcountry.com/forums/showthread.php?606-Let-talk-lights


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## Clomer (Mar 9, 2012)

X-Shark said:


> I get a little less than that on this chart that I use, but it's not that much.
> [2200 Lumens]
> 
> http://bow.fishingcountry.com/forums/showthread.php?606-Let-talk-lights



I dunno, I just clipped it from Home Depot;

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/philips-150-watt-200w-t3-halogen-energy-saver-light-bulb-316670.html


Ya know, this go-round is my 6th or 7th light design (with three boats).

I have worried myself over the optimum flounder light setup for better than 25 years, lol, now that I think about it. I even built a little 8' modular aluminum "pontoon" boat when I was about 19 (so I could break it down and carry it in a S10 Blazer) and put window ports flush mounted in the pontoons so the lights could be below water but protected. It half-assed worked, but the thing was so short and wide you couldn't hardly pole it forward unless you were in the stern. Where you _can't see_ the fishies. From the bow you just kinda pushed yourself sideways. It leaked pretty good, too, as I remember. One trip and I abandoned it on my, um, then current employers property till they finally scraped it in a "clean up" a couple years after I left. (It had plenty of company where I left it, trust me, a scrap yard... we fabricated everything there. 

It was not a problem since the goats kept housekeeping. But, then, that's another story.

I can't wait till the new Hi Intensity LED technology retails more reasonably. There are LEDs in development now that are pushing 180 lumens/watt.


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## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

> I have worried myself over the optimum flounder light setup for better than 25 years, lol,


Isn't that the truth. LOL......In 16yrs I've changed mine 7 times.

I have still to test my latest.... just haven't had the time. The 2 400 HPS's were changed out to 400MH's for a brighter White light.


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