crodless drill bat. to run nav lights

Chris S.

Chris S.

Well-known member
I read on a post that people were rigging up cordless drill batteries to run just the basic nav lights on there boats. has anyone done this i think its a great idea easy to charge the battery after the hunt. it will be a plug and go set up i was looking to buy a cheap cordless drill for this but i don't know if i should use a 12volt 14volt or 18volt will the 18volt be to much for the lights to handle I was thinking 18volt it will last longer but don't want to over power and have to buy new lights. I will have to rig up some kinda dry box for the battery to sit in. What do you guys think as far as volts? has anyone done this and have pics. any input welcome thanks
 
Chris, you won't save any money that way.... a UPS 12V 12aH sealed battery is like $25 delivered on eBay. Spade connectors make easy connection.
 
Chris,

A better option is a SLA battery. That means a Sealed Lead Acid battery,same advantages and easier to connect to than a drill battery. The SLA battery can be rigged with a quick connect plug and is a simple plug and play operation from then on.
 
I bought LED battery operated (AA) bow & stern lights from Cabelas.... very bright, waterproof and runs for a long time on batteries. You could probably even get some rechargeble AA's. The mounting hardware that comes with the light is terrible, I just make my own custom mounts using the 1/4-20 threads on each light.

View attachment bowlight.jpg
The bowlight mount goes right over a cleat, I made it so that one side of the cleat is captured by the wood, the other side by a bungee cord. On and off in 2 seconds and it floats if you drop it in the water.

View attachment sternlight.jpg
The stern light comes with a small pole, which I kept and mounted that inside another shaft with very little tolerance between the two. I did this to get some length.
 
I used a standard AA mag light as a stern light. I mounted a PVC pipe to my transom long enough to stick up just above the height of my head, wrapped some electrical tape around the flash light handle to make it fit snug inside the PVC pipe. Then I put the mag light inside the PVC pipe and unscrew the glass lens all the way off. It exposes the little bulb completely (viewable all 360 degrees). When I hide the boat before sunrise I put the lens cap back on and light automatically turns off. Really cheap stern light. Especially since I picked up the mag light at a yard sale for a quarter.
 
Brad,

Just curious, does the little bulb in a double A mag light put out enough light to be legal and more importantly safe? Even tho you have 360 degree exposure, is it visible from 2 nautical miles away? According to regulations, the light must be visible from 2 nautical miles away.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Powerboats-Separate or combination red and green sidelights, 112.5°, visible 1 n.m., placed above hull at least 1 meter (3.3') below masthead light. Masthead: white, 225°, visible 2 n.m., at least 1 meter above side lights. White stern light, 135°, visible 2 n.m. OR, one all-round (360°) white light (should also have sidelights). [/font]
Click to expand...

Seems like too much to ask of a little AA mag bulb with no reflector or lens.
 
Yeah dave I was thinking the same thing it can't be seen that far away with only a small mag light the AA one I think I will go with a basic atv or jet ski battery from ebay and use bow and stern lights that can be seen from the proper distance thanks for the hellp guys
 
Check your local building mgr or landfill battery recycling pile.
In our town they get the small AGM's that are used for the emergency lights in Hospitals and other critical facilities. Us. they are date marked right on the case. Charge the thing up and go. Most are still capable of good service and are free.
I run a fish finder on mine and start model engines as well.
 
Coast guard and ABYC standards for the visibility issue has more to do with using certified appliances(the lights) and wiring for voltage drop based on the voltage of the system... 12v in this case. 14 guage for a 14' boat should be fine.
As long as the light is approved for the vessel length by the coast guard and the system voltage is right any battery source can be used provided it has the reserve neccessary. Amp hours is the term for this reserve. Hope that helps some.
Frank
 
Chris, I take the guts out of the standard screw on lights that you get anywhere and drop those little LED flashlights you can get everywhere now in its place. Lasts all season. Just an FYI if you're like me and always think of the running lights at the last minute.
 
To be honest, I never gave it much thought, as to whether my stern light setup was actually legal. 2 miles is a long way out there to see a light...guess I should find a brighter setup. When it really matters, there is no excuse for lack of safety equipment. I know my next project/purchase...
 
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