"Calif Bill" wrote in message
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"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
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"Calif Bill" wrote in message
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wrote in message
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As you can tell from my posts, I'm new at owning a boat and am not
really that handy. So bear with me.
I recently bought a 12ft aluminum Jon Boat. It looks like someone was
trying to turn it into a fishing boat at some point. There are signs of
a fish finder mount on the back.. rod holders.. etc. It also has a nav.
light on the stern (that's the front, right?). The light doesn't work,
but is wired through a pvc pipe that goes to the back of the boat. I
have no idea what the guy was trying to do, but there are a lot of
wires in the pvc pipe and I'm not sure what their intended purpose was.
At some point they come out of the middle of the pvc onto a panel of
some sort, and then some more come out a little farther down. Maybe he
was trying to do a live well or something? Anyway, I want to do away
with all of the unfinished wire work and pvc pipe. But I would like to
keep the light in case I stay out past dusk at some point. What do I
do? Run a couple of wires from the light back to the battery and attach
them to the battery operate? Do I need to protect them from water,
somehow, or is it that simple? I wouldn't mind mounting a switch for
the light to the back of the boat as well. Is it as easy as it seems it
would be? Run a couple of wires back to the switch, and from the switch
to the battery? Anything special I need to be looking for?


Stern is the back end. Bow is the front end. Remove the light and all
the associated wiring. You can get a clamp on bow light, that is like a
flashlight. Maybe $15 tops. My 14' aluminum jon boat had a fish finder
and a transom (stern) mount trolling motor. Both ran off a group 24
deep cycle 12 volt battery. About $50 at Walmart, Costco, chain stores.


If the clamps on those bow lights aren't strong enough to permanently
injure your finger, they're useless. They'll fall right off, or shift
around. And, they don't provide him with a stern light. There's only one
good way to install navigation lights. My way.


It is a 12' Jon boat. The battery and panel will weigh more than he needs
for a light. And most cops would not give him a ticket in a small lake
with just a bow light.


Maybe. But, I see navigation lights as the first defense against morons and
drunks in other boats. They may still try and drive right through you, but
at least when you shoot them, you can point out to the cops that you had
lights, so you weren't at fault.