Wakemakers underwater LED's

[mattsask]

Has anyone used these on their boat? Are they any good? The price is certainly right and they make some fairly bold claims in their product description.

https://www.wakemakers.com/thmarine-high-intensity-underwater-led-lights.html

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170131/5f2a015c33e6130e74af4ef2afd4573b.jpg

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[BrettLee3232]

Sounds a lot better than paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars lol


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[mattsask]

Sounds a lot better than paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars lol


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Haha I know, right! It seems too good to be true, but I just can't see wakemakers selling them if they weren't top notch.

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[MJHSupra]

I agree. Have not used them, but no way ($24) they can compare to something like Shadow Casters, Abyss, Ocean LED, or ...?
Not even a pic on the site.

Years ago, I recall someone on WWorld creating a good thread to compare the Underwater LEDS

[beat taco]

Probably just as good as the attwoods at half the price.

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[mattsask]

Waiting to hear back from wakemakers. I'll update when I get some specs and hopefully sample pics.

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[BrettLee3232]

Very interested for sure [emoji1305]


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[jtatexc]

Waiting to hear back from wakemakers. I'll update when I get some specs and hopefully sample pics.

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Please do! Price is great on these

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[mattsask]

Very interested for sure [emoji1305]


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Here is the reply I got this morning. Let me know what you guys think.

That specific under*water light is about 600 lumens and has a wide angle flood projection. Those lig*hts are made by TH marine, the part numb*er is 232-LED51866DP. Unfortunately, I do not have any in use pictures of these lights. As you can see from the price th*ey are an entry level underwater light so they will most lik*ely not be comparable to the multi-hundr*ed dollar lights you*'ve seen online. I apologize I do not ha*ve all the answers you are looking for, I hope I was able to clear it up a littl*e.



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[mattsask]

A quick Google search turned up these pics.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170201/3b38d53f65b5493af8d0692876f96c85.jpg

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[KG's Supra24]

600 lumens isn't very bright. Worth putting a hole in the boat for?

[MLA]

light is about 600 lumens
Interesting, 4 other sources, including the manufacturer TH Marine, put the lumens at 180 per assembly. If there has ever been an example of why I dont like to use lumens to compare one manufacturers light to another, this is it. The current draw is .13A.

[BrettLee3232]

Here is the reply I got this morning. Let me know what you guys think.

That specific under*water light is about 600 lumens and has a wide angle flood projection. Those lig*hts are made by TH marine, the part numb*er is 232-LED51866DP. Unfortunately, I do not have any in use pictures of these lights. As you can see from the price th*ey are an entry level underwater light so they will most lik*ely not be comparable to the multi-hundr*ed dollar lights you*'ve seen online. I apologize I do not ha*ve all the answers you are looking for, I hope I was able to clear it up a littl*e.



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According to the website they are only 180lumens
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170201/68e401d6f3a3a5298ed52ebb67251148.jpg


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[mattsask]

Definitely not worth a hole in the boat.

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[trayson]

Interesting, 4 other sources, including the manufacturer TH Marine, put the lumens at 180 per assembly. If there has ever been an example of why I dont like to use lumens to compare one manufacturers light to another, this is it. The current draw is .13A.

Yeah, how much power they consume tells a LOT. so about 1.5 watts. Meh. Not impressed.


I got a handful of these that are CREE and 6w each for just over $10 each.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-6W-CREE-Boat-Yacht-Jeep-LED-Rock-Deck-Underbody-Glow-Light-Bulb-Waterproof-/181981931974?hash=item2a5ef7e9c6

I haven't gotten around to installing them, but when I do, of course I'll report back.

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KN8AAOSwYIhWi49q/s-l500.jpg

[mattsask]

Yeah, how much power they consume tells a LOT. so about 1.5 watts. Meh. Not impressed.


I got a handful of these that are CREE and 6w each for just over $10 each.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-6W-CREE-Boat-Yacht-Jeep-LED-Rock-Deck-Underbody-Glow-Light-Bulb-Waterproof-/181981931974?hash=item2a5ef7e9c6

I haven't gotten around to installing them, but when I do, of course I'll report back.

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KN8AAOSwYIhWi49q/s-l500.jpg
Nice find trayson. I ordered some, but I'll wait for your full review before I install....

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[trayson]

Nice find trayson. I ordered some, but I'll wait for your full review before I install....

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So now I actually have to get mine done!!!

[MJHSupra]

Yeah, how much power they consume tells a LOT. so about 1.5 watts. Meh. Not impressed.


I got a handful of these that are CREE and 6w each for just over $10 each.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-6W-CREE-Boat-Yacht-Jeep-LED-Rock-Deck-Underbody-Glow-Light-Bulb-Waterproof-/181981931974?hash=item2a5ef7e9c6

I haven't gotten around to installing them, but when I do, of course I'll report back.

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KN8AAOSwYIhWi49q/s-l500.jpg

Power/amps/watts is the first thing I look at.

Where are you installing them?

[mattsask]

Haha I hope he says tonight!

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[trayson]

Power/amps/watts is the first thing I look at.

Where are you installing them?

They'll be on the transom below the swim platform. And of course I'm gonna be putting them somewhere I'll have access to the back side of the holes I drill, so they're not going on the hull below where the rear locker floor is.


Haha I hope he says tonight!

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Not likely. temps are in the 30's. the boat's winterized and stripped with cover on. It's under the carport, but it wouldn't be a fun project with it this cold. Not to mention I've had 'em since halfway through the summer and still haven't done anything.

[KG's Supra24]

Call me negative nancy but now ya'll are talking about a handful of holes in a $60k boat to put $10 lights on .....

[trayson]

Call me negative nancy but now ya'll are talking about a handful of holes in a $60k boat to put $10 lights on .....

Good thing I only have a $30k boat. They'll go well with my PPI amps and my DIY angel eye and plexiglass ring LEDs.

If we are talking about 6w cree LEDs, why does it really matter if they're affordable?

Don't forget I'm the guy that made Swiss cheese from my last boat with the custom NSS style surf system. And also made my own LED transom lights with resin.

[mattsask]

Call me negative nancy but now ya'll are talking about a handful of holes in a $60k boat to put $10 lights on .....
Lol. That's why I'm waiting for trayson's xlv to be the guinea pig. These could be the Internets best kept secret.....

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[trayson]

Lol. That's why I'm waiting for trayson's xlv to be the guinea pig. These could be the Internets best kept secret.....

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Love it. I feel like I'm on the cutting edge, pioneering mods. But I guess I'm just a guinea pig

[KG's Supra24]

If we are talking about 6w cree LEDs, why does it really matter if they're affordable?


I don't know what you mean?

I'm not knocking you trayson ... I'm just stating it seems crazy to punch a bunch of holes in a brand new boat and buy $10 lights. For less than 1 boat payment you could have the lights you know you want ...... but thats coming from someone who doesn't think the internets best kept secret costs less than dime bag.

I should also add where my perspective is coming from .... I'd bet (i dont know) that these lights would be weaker than my factory underwater lights. I'm not pleased with my factory underwater lights.

[mattsask]

Love it. I feel like I'm on the cutting edge, pioneering mods. But I guess I'm just a guinea pig
Haha don't take that the wrong way, man! I admire your ingenuity. I definitely appreciate that you know how to stretch a dollar, because I'm the exact same way. I wouldn't have bought the lights on your advice if I didn't think you were on to something.

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[trayson]

I don't know what you mean?

I'm not knocking you trayson ... I'm just stating it seems crazy to punch a bunch of holes in a brand new boat and buy $10 lights. For less than 1 boat payment you could have the lights you know you want ...... but thats coming from someone who doesn't think the internets best kept secret costs less than dime bag.

I should also add where my perspective is coming from .... I'd bet (i dont know) that these lights would be weaker than my factory underwater lights. I'm not pleased with my factory underwater lights.

Well, I guess it depends on perspective of how much is "enough". On my last boat each of my transom lights was comprised of 30 SMD 5050's. And they were pretty decent once I had 6 of them. So these will exceed that by far.

However if I had Trinity River visibility of 6" in the murky water, if prob need your kinda flood lights.


I've never been shy about holes. Like people that won't drill holes for a license plate despite the fact that the holes are covered and never seen. Bring OCD about something that is never seen is a bit too neurotic for me. For example, I have an Audi S6 that I love, yet I chose to drill a hole in the dash and finish it off with a nice plastic grommet so that I could hardwire power for the car dock of my phone and also for my radar detector. It's a clean install, yet I know people that think I'm the devil because I drilled a hole in the dash. Honestly, I could care less because I'm not modding my car for the "next guy" that owns it; I'm modding it for what I like and what will be useful for me. Basically the same concept with my boat. I'm not arguing your perspective, because I totally get where you're coming from. Just figured I'd shed some Lumens on where I'm coming from.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BDlYC6FLK4s/VM3NKU9GJsI/AAAAAAAAXk8/KPwQqQAGwHA/s800/20150131_223442.jpg

And again, I don't have a new boat. It's a well loved 2008.

[KG's Supra24]

However if I had Trinity River visibility of 6" in the murky water, if prob need your kinda flood lights.


I don't know anything about the Trinity. My water is clean!

But yes, I agree with you on expectations. I tied up next to someone with seablaze lights and when I walked back to check mine out, I had to go make sure they were on! When I ran side by side with Dusty across the lake, I could see my wake was lit up a little, but the whole back half of his boat was lit up.

I could also be wrong about the ones you linked being weaker than the factory lights.

[trayson]

As far as the economics...

Shadowcaster SCM-4 = 17 watts which means that ~3 of these ebay LED's will be about the same power draw and arguably about the same light. $30 vs $319.

Shadowcaster SCM-6 = 25 watts, which means that ~4 of these ebay LED's will be about the same power draw and arguably about the same light. $40 vs $419.

Shadowcaster SCM-10 = 42 watts, which means that ~7 of these ebay LED's will be about the same power draw and arguably about the same light. $70 vs $679.

So realistically 1/10th the price. I'm willing to take that gamble. And my boat payment is $231 for 6 years, so I couldn't get 1 shadowcaster for that. LOL.


But seriously, people, buy what you want! I have nothing but respect for boats with top end components. I just don't have deep enough pockets for that.

[trayson]

I don't know anything about the Trinity. My water is clean!

But yes, I agree with you on expectations. I tied up next to someone with seablaze lights and when I walked back to check mine out, I had to go make sure they were on! When I ran side by side with Dusty across the lake, I could see my wake was lit up a little, but the whole back half of his boat was lit up.

I could also be wrong about the ones you linked being weaker than the factory lights.

For sure. Seablaze 3 lights are 32 watts, which means it'd take over 5 of these to equal one of those. That's a huge difference.

[dusty2221]

I know all about muddy water...

Daytime...
http://i.imgur.com/AmMtyXg.jpg?1

Lumitec Seablaze X Spectrum at night in that water.
http://i.imgur.com/eTSXJqT.jpg?1

And a bad pic but it kinda shows the light still going..
http://i.imgur.com/tsRsdcK.jpg?1

All these were taken the same day I believe, I hate our water.....

[KG's Supra24]

For sure. Seablaze 3 lights are 32 watts, which means it'd take over 5 of these to equal one of those. That's a huge difference.

http://lumiteclighting.com/product/seablazex-underwater-light-2/?application=marine

Yea, the Seablaze are a bit better value than the Shadowcaster I think. I believe that link is 60 watts for $300?

[KG's Supra24]

You can see the intensity of dusty's even in muddy water. I wish he would bring that boat to AR water so we could better compare.

Mine looks like a bigger spread but that's bc the water is clear. You can see the intensity difference though ....

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170203/37c94e075269df3bc3cd14e2f1f28b7f.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170203/918d88ace40576acd55323c55bac818c.jpg

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[kaneboats]

I kinda like the murky water. Down here in FL you don't wanna see what's down there or you wouldn't be getting in it.

[MJHSupra]

I feel like I'm on the cutting edge

Drilling edge with $10 lights . . . . . let the swiss cheese making begin and make sure to post pics this coming spring.

[dusty2221]

Ali has a few options that look identical the what comes on the boats of you check the box.

https://m.alibaba.com/trade/search?SearchText=transom%20led

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[That Guy]

Anyone have lifeform 6 or 9's?

The 6's are on sale for $199 now.

http://lifeformled.com/lifeform-6-underwater-led-boat-light/

I had just a drain plug light on my last boat and was satisfied with it, but due to the wake plate on the Moomba can't put on one this boat so looking at other options.

[MLA]

Lifeform makes a solid light. I use a lot of the LF9 as our lakes are a red clay bottom and not very clear. They use a glass lens over a polycarbonate or other plastics that can fog or cloud. Billet aluminum housing for the fresh water lights and a stainless for the salt water lights. Not brass that will turn or other cheap metals that will pit or corrode.

Check the sale, I thinks its only on the red/green dual color, which I dont like. You only get 2 LEDs for each color, where as the single color you get all 6.

[bergermaister]

Question for you guys with the big boy underwater lights - are any of you riding behind your boat at night with them on?

My mostly DIY setup just puts off a soft glow but I'm into it maybe $50 and no drill has touched my transom. Not going to win any competitions, but we also surf at night and I think anything brighter would be blinding. Yes we have clean water and we are probably the most dangerous thing out there at night compared to some of you guys down south. But I would think trying to ride behind Dusty's boat lit up would be like staring directly into the sun.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k414/grberglund/MoombaMobiusV/20140729_041815121_iOS.jpg

[mattsask]

Question for you guys with the big boy underwater lights - are any of you riding behind your boat at night with them on?

My mostly DIY setup just puts off a soft glow but I'm into it maybe $50 and no drill has touched my transom. Not going to win any competitions, but we also surf at night and I think anything brighter would be blinding. Yes we have clean water and we are probably the most dangerous thing out there at night compared to some of you guys down south. But I would think trying to ride behind Dusty's boat lit up would be like staring directly into the sun.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k414/grberglund/MoombaMobiusV/20140729_041815121_iOS.jpg
You can't deal us with that nice DIY setup and not share what it is!

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[bergermaister]

hehe... trade secrets my son, trade secrets.


Ok so I tinker around with LED stuff a lot at home on vehicles, etc. I started with 2 of these guys when they were on sale and the results were pathetic. https://www.oznium.com/marine-led-light
I have a fixed wake plate and wanted to mount everything as low as possible so that's where they ended up.


Next I did a little research on COB LEDs or Chip-On-Board LEDs and found some thin little light sticks that were exactly the size I wanted for the back of that wake plate. Thing is they get very hot when lit so they are typically mounted on a heat sink or something to dissipate the heat. I figured underwater would be plenty of cooling. For the life of me I can't remember what country / website I ordered these from but they only came in blue which was perfect for me. I want to say advertised lumens was 800-100 each.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k414/grberglund/MoombaMobiusV/IMG_8655.jpg

I simply mounted these with industrial 2-sided tape. Then I soldered all the wiring down and covered with heatshrink to a single pair. Then removed one of the 3 screws that holds in my bilge drain flange. Ran the wires through, topped it off that hole with some Marine 5200 sealant, tied into my existing LED circuit, done.


http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k414/grberglund/MoombaMobiusV/54B7BA73-5411-4022-B7F7-233421410705.jpg

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k414/grberglund/MoombaMobiusV/IMG_1672.jpg

I wish they came with a black backing but oh well. Pretty minimal impact overall. End result is decent.

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k414/grberglund/MoombaMobiusV/20140817_050843077_iOS.jpg

Thought I had some other shots lit up in shallow clear water but can't seem to find them.

[trayson]

Yeah, how much power they consume tells a LOT. so about 1.5 watts. Meh. Not impressed.


I got a handful of these that are CREE and 6w each for just over $10 each.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-6W-CREE-Boat-Yacht-Jeep-LED-Rock-Deck-Underbody-Glow-Light-Bulb-Waterproof-/181981931974?hash=item2a5ef7e9c6

I haven't gotten around to installing them, but when I do, of course I'll report back.

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KN8AAOSwYIhWi49q/s-l500.jpg

I'm thinking about going in a different direction with my LED lights... Anyone interested in buying these? $80 shipped to anywhere in the lower 48 states...

I might still do these... But I figured I'd put a feeler out.

[bergermaister]

Put 6 of those on our RZR. Not bad - can't say how they'd do underwater...

http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k414/grberglund/Quads/IMG_6329.jpg

[Seahunt234]

Shadow casters are really good but they are really high in Price..

[trayson]

Yeah, how much power they consume tells a LOT. so about 1.5 watts. Meh. Not impressed.


I got a handful of these that are CREE and 6w each for just over $10 each.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-6W-CREE-Boat-Yacht-Jeep-LED-Rock-Deck-Underbody-Glow-Light-Bulb-Waterproof-/181981931974?hash=item2a5ef7e9c6

I haven't gotten around to installing them, but when I do, of course I'll report back.

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KN8AAOSwYIhWi49q/s-l500.jpg

I finally got around to installing these...


Drilling edge with $10 lights . . . . . let the swiss cheese making begin and make sure to post pics this coming spring.

I went a different direction with the mounting. I chose to only drill a single 1/4" hole in my hull to run a single wire through. I mounted each of my six lights to the vertical lip of the wakeplate. I figure if I'm going to make swiss cheese, it'd be on the wakeplate and not in my fiberglass.

I brought the 6 pos and 6 neg conductors from the lights together and spliced that into a master lead that would go through the hull. That splice I did inside of a section of ballast tubing and then encased the entirety of the splicing inside the tubing with silicone... so I feel pretty good about the wiring being waterproofed.


Haha don't take that the wrong way, man! I admire your ingenuity. I definitely appreciate that you know how to stretch a dollar, because I'm the exact same way. I wouldn't have bought the lights on your advice if I didn't think you were on to something.

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Well, I was going to just bail on the project, but I went ahead and did it...

Because I had six lights and intended on mounting them to the wake plate, I had to figure out where they'd go. the "center" section between the mounting bolts for the hydraulic actuators was a bit narrow for two lights. And I figured that if I eventually get a FAE, it'll be in the center of the wakeplate anyway.

So I mounted 4 lights facing aft, and then mounted one light on each side of the wakeplate shining port and starboard respectively.

http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u492/traysonh/Moomba%20XLV/05181721252_zpscz0etca7.jpg

I finished this last night, so I won't have any water pictures until tonight probably...

Here is a shot on the trailer. You can see 5 of the 6 lights at a time with the limitations of camera angle...
http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u492/traysonh/Moomba%20XLV/0518172123_HDR_zpswakj3vvo.jpg

[trayson]

water evening pics...
I like the side dispersion...
http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u492/traysonh/Moomba%20XLV/0519172114_HDR_zpsbloeiw6p.jpg

with the wide angle lens. good dispersion, but will get better projection when I add the drain plug light I ordered.
http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u492/traysonh/Moomba%20XLV/0519172114a_HDR_zpsd4tfbucy.jpg