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Old 29-07-2014, 09:34   #16
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Re: Underwater Lights

It was just a thought. Not worried about the bottom cleaning because we use to do it in the bay area. I have my own tanks and hoses. I was just curious if anyone had done it before on this site. Thanks for the info.

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Old 29-07-2014, 09:53   #17
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Re: Underwater Lights

Under water lights are great if you sail in the tropics. I fitted one under each hull on my cat. They were the seablaze 3 and yes i cut two big holes in my hull which didn't bother me at all. I did the job myself and did it properly. Watching the fish and sharks at night was awesome. My kids loved them . One night , while anchored off Las Perlas , on the pacific side , i noticed some pacific snook below. I fetched my speargun and lay on the sugar scoop and bagged me one ! My hair hardly got wet
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Old 29-07-2014, 10:03   #18
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Re: Underwater Lights

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Originally Posted by fstbttms View Post
Lights mounted below the waterline will quickly become the worst fouled spots on the hull. Just sayin'.
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During the summer I clean my bottom every week or every other week. (The water is too darn warm...)

My lights are easy to keep clean, I just wipe them off w/ my bare hand. The hard glass has very little build-up.
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Yes, but how many people are willing to get into the water clean their lights every few weeks (which is the frequency that would be needed in the Bay Area, where the OP is) or pay someone to do it?
According to this NOAA Water Temperature Chart the San Francisco Bay water temperature climbs to the low 60s at the peak of the summer heat.

When my boat was in those much colder water temperatures I cleaned the bottom once per season, when the boat was hauled for the winter. There was very little growth.

My water temperature is mid 80s now and still climbing, so the summer months here see lots of growth, especially on the southern-facing side of the boat. In these temperatures the boat MUST be cleaned once per month, but I prefer to stay on top of the growth, doing it myself by anchoring in the lake and swimming underneath for an hour.

In my conditions, the easiest part to clean is the lamp glass, followed by the painted hull, with the bonding plate and the propellers requiring the most effort.

The wife and the kids appreciate the lights. The lights attract fish, this entertains the children.
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Old 29-07-2014, 10:13   #19
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Re: Underwater Lights

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Originally Posted by wingless View Post
According to this NOAA Water Temperature Chart the San Francisco Bay water temperature climbs to the low 60s at the peak of the summer heat.

When my boat was in those much colder water temperatures I cleaned the bottom once per season, when the boat was hauled for the winter. There was very little growth.
Having earned my living cleaning boat bottoms for twenty years in San Francisco Bay, I can tell you that the water in Bay Area marinas gets much warmer than the low 60s. In fact, I measured it at 70° in the Oakland Estuary last week. This is typical for this time of year. Further, I can tell you from first hand observation that on the typical hull cleaning frequency here (every 2-3 months), any unpainted surface (such as underwater lights) will foul to the point of uselessness.
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Old 29-07-2014, 10:15   #20
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Re: Underwater Lights

Personally I like the idea. Hubby wants to be able to fish and the lights do give an advantage to fishing plus it has great entertainment value- one huge aquarium- how awesome is that?! I know there are nay sayers but we each have our own likes and dislikes. I can't see where this would be annoying like a jumping car- especially since the benefit would be when away from the dock.
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Old 29-07-2014, 11:21   #21
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Re: Underwater Lights

We have the low-rent version of this -- in nice anchorages we tie a waterproof flashlight to a cord and lower it down a ways. In Maine we watch the baby lobsters crawl on the seabed. Kinda cool.
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Old 29-07-2014, 11:34   #22
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Re: Underwater Lights

I have two TV sets on my boat. Some people will say that TVs have no place on a boat. Who am I to judge someone that wants underwater lights? I don't have any interest in them myself but they seem pretty harmless.
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Old 29-07-2014, 16:09   #23
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Re: Underwater Lights

I personally think underwater lights are great but I probably won't fit them to my next boat as it's going to be a 65' trawler, made of wood, Rocna anchor and a no guns sign at the entranceway.
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Old 29-07-2014, 17:29   #24
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Re: Underwater Lights

We paid off our Morgan yrs ago and are pulling it out of the water next year to finish a few things that didn't get done two years ago when we had it out. I'm not going to put lights on it we have enough to do. I was thinking about it but not into making new holes that aren't needed. I have better things to spend my money on. I like the idea of putting one overboard and being able to pull it up when were done. Thanks for all the info.

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