Don't these lights look cool?
To be honest I had never given much thought to underwater lights on a boat. Sure I had seen the lights on some of the mega yachts but never thought that I would ever have a boat of my own with these kind of lights fitted. I am not much of a fisherman, but apparently underwater lights do a great job at attracting fish to the boat, I can't testify to that as I probably couldn't catch anything whatever I might be using but I do have to say they do look cool as the photo above shows and from the wow factor alone I am now a total convert.
The lights I fitted were from an Australian firm called Aqualuma and I have been very satisfied with them. Most underwater lights from other manufacturers use a metal halide light source in a bronze housing which work well enough but have two distinct drawbacks. Firstly they produce huge amounts of heat and rely on the surrounding water to keep them cool. Should you mistakenly forget and turn them on when the boat is out of the water the very expensive bulbs will burn out in no time at all. Secondly the skin fittings themselves are bronze which means that they have to be connected to the boats bonding system to prevent galvanic corrosion.
The Aqualuma lights overcome both of these problems; the lights are very bright LEDs which use far less power and may be run out of the water without damage. The housing is made from corrosion proof, injection molded polycarbonate which is fantastically strong as the impressive video on the companies website demonstrates in spectacular fashion. I fitted the series three version which is very bright but for larger boats and even greater brightness the series six containing more LEDs is available.
This shows the lights on the bench prior to fitting into the boat which requires a 2 and 3/8 hole. All lights come with explicit installation instructions, which are available for download explaining not only how to install but also offering guidance on the best placement below the waterline for maximum effect. No underwater lights are cheap and these are no exception. Costing around $700 a piece they should last a lifetime and without the worry of bulb replacement or corrosion should almost be a fit and forget item. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, I love the blue light but you can also get them with green or white lights too.
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