# Lights for Center Console without T-top



## danjammy (Feb 20, 2011)

I have found that I am am doing quite a bit of fishing at night and was curious if anyone has any ideas for installing overhead lights on a CC boat without a T-top. Thanks for any ideas!!!!!


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

danjammy said:


> I have found that I am am doing quite a bit of fishing at night and was curious if anyone has any ideas for installing overhead lights on a CC boat without a T-top. Thanks for any ideas!!!!!


I can make you a LED light that is O-ring sealed and completely water proof that draws 5 watts of power for $50. All you need is the wire switch and mounting of the light. Attached are pictures of the lights there are two colors the yellower one is easier on you at night the whiter one is much brighter. The pictures were taken at night. The LED bulbs will last a lifetime.
Ron 850-712-2603


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## danjammy (Feb 20, 2011)

*Lights for center console*

I am more interested in the "How to mount" portion of the problem than the actual lights. That is a nice light though and I may call you when I figure out a good mounting set up.

D


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## feelin' wright (Oct 7, 2007)

Do you have a hand rail around the wind screen. if so your could mount it on that. Are you looking for permanent or removable applications?


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## danjammy (Feb 20, 2011)

*Lights for CC w/out T-Top*



feelin' wright said:


> Do you have a hand rail around the wind screen. if so your could mount it on that. Are you looking for permanent or removable applications?


I have a rail around the windshield and would leave them on permanantly if they were out of the way. Just looking for ideas and am open to whatever. 

Thanks for any ideas!!!


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## Sushi maker (Jun 3, 2010)

Mount a clamp on rod holder to your windshield rail install a 12v lighter plug w/ fuse and build a mast from pvc for your light mount. I used red led lights for my cockpit area as that color does not cause your pupil to contract thus you never lose any vision due to eye adjustment time. grab some underwater lights as well. I normally have a school of bait at my stern 15 min after turning em on


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## danjammy (Feb 20, 2011)

*Lights for CC without T-Top*



Sushi maker said:


> Mount a clamp on rod holder to your windshield rail install a 12v lighter plug w/ fuse and build a mast from pvc for your light mount. I used red led lights for my cockpit area as that color does not cause your pupil to contract thus you never lose any vision due to eye adjustment time. grab some underwater lights as well. I normally have a school of bait at my stern 15 min after turning em on


 
This sounds like a pretty good idea. I will play with this idea and let you know how it comes out. Thanks for the input!!!


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

My lights are also totally pressure proof. I have had them to over 100 feet deep without a leak. 100'= 44.5 PSI.


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## speckhunter (Oct 3, 2007)

*rodholder lights*

FIRST QUESTION ...Do you have rod holders on your console? If so this what I did and it worked great and the set up cost me about $30-$40...Thus begins the ******* Engineering :thumbup:....I took a 10' PVC pipe and cut it in half. I then attached a tee fitting to one end of both pieces, cut a cross member the width of my console to connect the two sides...then cut 2.5' legs to go on the other side of the tee fittings...with me so far? I then took 2 of those small silver dome work lights. They usually have an alligator clamp on them, remove the clamps. You can get them at Lowes/Wal-Mart for about $8. Now at the end of your 2.5' legs attach an elbow fitting. This gives you a base to mount your light. Find an elbow that the base will fit snug into. I then re-enforced that connection with some silicon and electrical tape :thumbsup:... DO NOT GLUE ANYTHING TOGETHER AT THIS POINT!!! you'll need to route your cords from the lights back through the pipe to your 12v connection. I kept mine unglued because it made it easier to store in the garage when not in use. I then took pipe insulation (the black foam stuff) and wrapped the pipes...gave it a bit of a finished look. also made a nice lure holder... now when you go to connect the lights and they don't come on...you may have made the same mistake I did...I put regular light bulbs in the sockets not 12v light bulbs... you can find 12v bulbs in the RV section of Wal-Mart. Hope this helps you out...


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## danjammy (Feb 20, 2011)

speckhunter said:


> FIRST QUESTION ...Do you have rod holders on your console? If so this what I did and it worked great and the set up cost me about $30-$40...Thus begins the ******* Engineering :thumbup:....I took a 10' PVC pipe and cut it in half. I then attached a tee fitting to one end of both pieces, cut a cross member the width of my console to connect the two sides...then cut 2.5' legs to go on the other side of the tee fittings...with me so far? I then took 2 of those small silver dome work lights. They usually have an alligator clamp on them, remove the clamps. You can get them at Lowes/Wal-Mart for about $8. Now at the end of your 2.5' legs attach an elbow fitting. This gives you a base to mount your light. Find an elbow that the base will fit snug into. I then re-enforced that connection with some silicon and electrical tape :thumbsup:... DO NOT GLUE ANYTHING TOGETHER AT THIS POINT!!! you'll need to route your cords from the lights back through the pipe to your 12v connection. I kept mine unglued because it made it easier to store in the garage when not in use. I then took pipe insulation (the black foam stuff) and wrapped the pipes...gave it a bit of a finished look. also made a nice lure holder... now when you go to connect the lights and they don't come on...you may have made the same mistake I did...I put regular light bulbs in the sockets not 12v light bulbs... you can find 12v bulbs in the RV section of Wal-Mart. Hope this helps you out...


This sounds a pretty interesting! I will play with this idea when I get over thanksgiving. 

I would love to see some pix if you have them. 

Thanks!


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## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

My 1st question is ..."What do you want these lights to do?"

Accent lighting for the deck?

Does it need to be bright enough to tie knots with?

Do you need it not to take away your night vision?

Hmmm....That's 3 questions.


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## danjammy (Feb 20, 2011)

X-Shark said:


> My 1st question is ..."What do you want these lights to do?"
> 
> Accent lighting for the deck?
> 
> ...


Really just looking for lights to make fishing, tying knots, unhooking fish, baiting hooks, etc. Nothing too bright......something practical.


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## SHO-NUFF (May 30, 2011)

I mounted 3 LED strip lights on my 19 foot center console.
one on the Port side, One on the Starboard and one on the front of the console.
They give off a whitish/blue color, and enough light to see what you're doing without killing you eyes in the dark. 
Bought them at Academy for 12 bucks each. I think they have 9 bulbs each and are said to be submersible. You can get them in red also. I will try and take some pics Monday after dark.


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## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

So what you really want is courtesy lights. OK 

I like the little half moon LED's. They are easy to install in a console using a holesaw.










Strip light LED's are nice under the washboards. The problem is the boats are built with no way to get the wiring there cleanly....most of the time.


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## SHO-NUFF (May 30, 2011)

Sorry no illuminate pics. Teenager kids love to use the boat"s singing radio as entertainment while outside, and never turn it off, so batteries are dead. Pics should give you a simple idea on what works well for me. Battery charger on boat now. 
The complete install including the lights, marine grade wire and toggle switch cost about 60 bucks, a few hours work, and worth every penny if you like to fish after dark. 

As X said, unless you have a Cape Horn with a console with a hinged opening, it can be a real bitch to access you're wiring. I had to pull the dash and speakers to get them mounted, but it was well worth the results. Part of the pains of owning a 20 year old Proline.


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## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

> As X said, unless you have a Cape Horn with a console with a hinged opening, it can be a real bitch to access you're wiring.


True, but what I was talking about is getting the wiring to each side of the boat from the console. This is a sting 8ft long of LED's.

It doesn't photo well, but works well.


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