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PostPosted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 11:55 am 
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We have a thread on the Nocqua units already, but I came across this other option today which would require no external power supply or wires:
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/surfstow- ... --16044315
Image

What are your thoughts on this? would it cause too much drag? would the suction cup not hold?
I did notice the kit comes with tethers in the event that the suction fails.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 7:21 am 
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It would not cause too much drag on a slow moving SUP but as fast as the Hobies go, I would worry about it falling off.

My son and I hung a few glow sticks off of our boats in addition to a couple of other lights:
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 12:02 pm 
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Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
It isn't very often we go night kayaking, so I think underwater night lights would be just a huge novelty thing for us (something cool to do but no real practical purpose), at least for us anyway. For that reason I can't see spending several hundred dollars on a novelty. However, I love the glow stick idea, and you can buy a hundred glow sticks for $11 bucks at walmart. As a novelty (something fun to do) I would definately hang a bunch from my boat. I would get a bunch and tape them down to the hull with clear packing tape. A lot of places have boat light parades on holidays, or just do it to entertain the kids. Actually my yellow TI would probably glow in the dark with a few glow sticks thrown in the hatches (I'll have to try that, yea I'll call it a safety thing).
Actually as much difficulty as I have keeping my nav lights operational, for as little as I use them it would actually be easier to just tape a green and a red glow stick to the bow if you get caught out too late. I have gone thru 2 sets of those Atwood LED nav light sets now, I keep them in a dry bag in the hull, just in case I ever need them, but the salt water ruins them usually before I get a chance to use them. The white light that goes on the back of the boat is always ok, but the green red Atwood light that goes on the bow quits working after a few months even if you never used it. At least thats my experience anyway. $75 bucks (what I've spent on nav lights so far) can buy a huge supply of glow sticks, and I'm just guessing here, but they will likely last for years in a dry bag until you need them.
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 12:34 pm 
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I agree with you on the expense issue. It doesn't make sense to spend several hundred dollars on something that isn't going to be used very often. The photo doesn't do a good job of showing just how bright the glow sticks are at night. These were guaranteed to last eight hours but were still glowing, albeit not as bright, 24 hours later.

I didn't take any photos but we had some pretty bright hand held lights that when we placed them inside the hatches made the kayaks "glow." Which got me to searching. Supernova has a least expensive way of illuminating a kayak with interior lights: http://www.supernovafishinglights.com/a ... ow/4117520

Even less expensive are the solar powered string lights. http://www.lowes.com/pd_330071-59179-LS ... ing+lights

Find a way of wrapping them around the boat or cut off the excess lights and wrap just enough around the boat once and you might have something that looks like a floating Christmas decoration.

Walmart also sells these but they are only 10 feet long. Which is enough for one side of most kayaks. You would have to buy two of them to get both sides illuminated. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Shoreline-Mar ... 0/42434038

With that said, anything is cheaper than the Nocqua lights; especially if you aren't going to be out on the water very much at night. I think I'll stick with the glow sticks.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2015 4:05 pm 
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I hear you guys, underwater lights are expensive/novelty and glowsticks are cheap and useful. I don't disagree. In fact, I use a cheap diving flashlight for pre-dawn visibility.
But
Sometimes (I guess in fall/winter) my group hits the water before first light and I thought it would be cool to light up the water underneath and immediately surrounding the kayak for bait and in case you drop anything in the water. Plus some people I know have started hitting the water a couple hours before sunrise to catch their own livebait and I think a bright underwater light would help in that endeavor.

There is another variant to the lights I posted which are designed to be mounted through the scuppers:
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/surfstow- ... --16012866
Now that won't help a 2015 Hobie owner unless they want to give up the option of using a cart, but in an earlier model Hobie you could mount these through the drain scuppers under the seat.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 11:27 am 
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Jcanracer wrote:
There is another variant to the lights I posted which are designed to be mounted through the scuppers:
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/surfstow- ... --16012866
Now that won't help a 2015 Hobie owner unless they want to give up the option of using a cart, but in an earlier model Hobie you could mount these through the drain scuppers under the seat.

Those look like really cool, fun and entertaining lights. However, I can't justify nearly $400 for a couple of sets. We're now thinking about getting good hand-held GPS receivers that will have more practical value. There are only so many shekels that we can spend. I'll probably stick with the glow sticks.

I can remember a time when I use to canoe through marshes at night with a Coleman lantern on the bow. I'd wrap aluminum foil around the back half of the glass to keep the light out of my eyes. I can't believe that I ever use to do that. It seems like a million years ago.

You're imagination can also get carried away in a swamp in the middle of nowhere on a moonless night. One begins to see things that aren't really there; or are they? So one may not want to kayak in a swamp at night with underwater lights. You never know what's lurking beneath the surface.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 7:14 am 
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Location: Phoenix, Az
We do full moon paddles every month and lights are needed. Some people come up with cool lighting...I

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