Solar Lights For Your Boat Cockpit
Being on a boat offers unobstructed access to sunlight
. There are no trees or overhanging roofs when you are on the water, anchored offshore, or tied up to a dock. This provides you the opportunity to convert the solar energy to something very useful for you. Lets explore the advantages of incorporating solar lights on a boatTo begin with, standard electrical power generating systems use coal, oil, gas, and other Earths natural resources. This is the energy source for conventional lights powered by electricity. Solar lights use solar energy that does not require any fuel, transportation, or storage of such fuel. Outdoor solar lights are clean, non-polluting, reliable, and a great option when conventional electrical hook-ups are not available.
Each individual solar panel running the solar lights is a long-lasting fixture. Solar panels generate no noise and have no moving parts, making them a safe and reliable solution to providing lighting where traditional electricity is not available.
Solar power is available as long as the sun exists. Solar power can be stored temporarily with rechargeable batteries and is especially useful in remote areas. Its nice that we can harness the unlimited and free solar energy to use whenever we want, wherever we want.
Solar panels are relatively maintenance free and have no large recurrent costs. Occasionally the solar panel for the solar lights must be monitored to be free of debris so it may capture maximum sunlight in order to recharge the batteries daily. The solar batteries must also be replaced every two to three years since they may be recharged from 500 to 700 times in their lifetime.
How do I install the solar lights you may ask? Installation is easy requiring no electrical hook-ups to remote power sources with wires or cords. Solar panels can be placed anywhere the sun is persistent. Simply select your location, install, and presto you are done in a matter of minutes!!
Insect swarming around your solar lights is not a concern. The LEDs, lasting up to 100,000 hours, used in the solar lights do not emit infrared light that bugs are attracted to. You will greatly appreciate this feature, as you are entertaining on your deck on a warm summer night with family, friends, or someone special.
Solar lights do not present themselves as an electrical hazard since they do not use a strong electrical current. This is especially critical when young children and pets are present. I am certain this will give you peace of mind as you are enjoying your boat.
During electrical power outages, when using dock power, your solar lights will NOT be affected since they do not rely upon electricity. There will be no interruption of visibility as long as the solar batteries have been properly recharged.
Now that you know the benefits of using solar energy, let me tell you exactly what I did on my sailboats cockpit. I incorporated a 4 solar spot lights system interconnected to each other with 4 feet of wiring. Each of these solar spot lights contain two LED bulbs providing me with sufficient but not overbearing illumination at night. They turn themselves on when it gets dark and off when daylight prevails. Many times I have gone out to my deck at 4 am or 5 am in the morning and the solar lights are still shining as brightly as the night before, well past the 8 hours they are rated to last.
I placed these solar spot lights in the folds of my bimini making them and the wiring unnoticeable. I used 8 plastic ties to keep the lights from moving around the support pole and was able to position the lights where I wanted them.
With 15 feet of wiring, the solar lights are connected to a remote solar panel containing the rechargeable batteries. This enables me to place the panel out of the way along the port or starboard side of the stern and facing the sun so the batteries properly recharge during the day. When under sail I can detach the panel and stow it below and out of the way. The lights never get in the way.
Since the solar spot lights have stainless steel covers and are subject to salt water corrosion, I removed the covers and sprayed them with rubber coating. Any brand will do but I used black Performix* Plasti Dip. I then glued the covers back in place around the fixture and they look great.
You too can safely move about your cockpit with perpetual light at night when you install solar lights on your vessel! Good sailing/motoring, be safe, and Id love to hear your story too.
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