OK, I’m 150mi. from the coast right now and it’ll be a month before I get to use 'em but I found a good DIY Flounder Gigging Light thread on another forum and decided to give it a go.
The aforementioned thread (http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=410882) is over 60 pages long with multiple iterations including models with multiple LED lights, power switches and built in batteries. Trying to cut to the chase for you guys with this post.
I wanted the most power possible in a lightweight handheld unit for our murky waters. I wanted it to be KISS simple, and I wanted to get the most bang for my buck. All credit to SmackDaddy53 over at 2CoolFishing for the final design. I think this will work nicely.
The light head comes from Oznium and it’s a single 20 watt LED that uses about 2 amp per hr. 12v battery power. http://www.oznium.com/home-super-bright-spotlight. Two great things about this head is that they’ve already waterproofed by filling with epoxy and using silicone rings, and that the rear of the head unscrews to accept a 1" threaded PVC adapter. Additionally, it comes with an interchangeable spot/flood lens and in many different colors. Reports are that the green cuts through murky water the best but I ordered both the “warm white” and the “green” to see which I like best.
Light is extremely bright. I think they’re ratings on they’re website are very conservative as they are brighter than any 50 watt halogen I’ve ever used. Oznium shipped fast and followed up with wiring instructions. Class acts.
Once you get the head, assembly is pretty simple for anyone. You will need:
-5’+ stick of 1" PVC
-1" PVC T for the handle
-45*degree coupling
-1" Male Threaded PVC Adapter
-(2) 1" PVC Caps
-PVC Primer & Glue
-Tube of Silicone
-Silicone Thread Tape (optional)
-Heat Gun (optional)
-2 12’ lengths of 16 gauge electrical wire in different colors
-Wire Butt Connectors
-Battery Clips
-12v SLA Battery (7-12amps)
-Shoulder bag or small backpack.
Here’s how you make your stick
Excellent work. I’ve built a lot of LED arrays for use over reef aquariums, and I’ve made a few flood lights for night fishing. You have a very clean looking, lightweight product.
I guess the LEDs have their driver built in, correct?
If you ever decide that you need longer life out of that battery, you could swap the prefab LED fixture out and make your own rig from Luxeon Rebel ES or Cree XML LEDs that should give you nearly double the battery life due to the drastically higher efficiency. Won’t be a cheap swap, and totally unnecessary if you’re getting good life out of the battery.
… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.
Thanks, this is a single 20 watt Cree LED though I’m not sure what flavor. I’m sure there are more efficient versions but ease of assembly for relatively low cost and weight is what makes this so attractive. Drivers, heat sink, epoxy waterproofing has already been worked out for me. Lights draw 2 amps so I should get at least 3 hrs from this little 8amp battery. I think that’ll be long enough for me. I’m not particularly handy or good with a soldering iron.
16’ High Tide Flats (Green) w/Yamaha 90,
Wilderness Ride 135
Wilderness Tarpon 120
Meh, I could show you all you need to know about soldering most LEDs, it’s quite simple. But like you said, the simplicity of this is very, very hard to beat.
The Cree multi-chip LEDs like these are definitely more efficient than the more common chinese types. Yes, they are less efficient than the single-die XML’s but probably not enough to fret over.
I’ve considered putting some lights on the underside of my aluminum boat (via two large magnets-- one inside the boat, the other outside, as a clamp). If I can get the light near the keel, then I could fish all around the boat. Wouldn’t be too hard to rig up “LED overkill” and run it on a marine battery.
… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.
quote:
Originally posted by Redfish_matt
g some lights on the underside of my aluminum boat (via two large magnets-- one inside the boat, the other outside, as a clamp). If I can get the light near the keel, then I could fish all around the boat. Wouldn’t be too hard to rig up “LED overkill” and run it on a marine battery.
Magnets! Why didn’t I think of that. I’ve been trying to figure a good temporary platform to put removable lights on my Flat’s boat. I’d been thinking about suction cups but will have to look into that. Let us know how it works.
16’ High Tide Flats (Green) w/Yamaha 90,
Wilderness Ride 135
Wilderness Tarpon 120
We use these lights below at the cabinet shop over on one of our sanding tables. We mounted them about a foot higher than the table itself, shining across the surface of the table, which allows us to see every little scratch pattern in the wood left by our sanders. Two of these makes for absurdly bright light at the sanding table. These have the common chinese LEDs but they sure get the job done.
http://www.amazon.com/TSSS-Security-Wallpack-Landscaping-Floodlight/dp/B00CAEFUWW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1404860961&sr=8-3&keywords=30+watt+flood+light
… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.
You can get big magnets at harbor freight and tools on Dorchester road really cheep. They have one also on a line for retrieving underwater stuff 
that could be used
Neat set up you posted! Tanks for the info and idea!
miss’n fish’n
212 SEAHUNT CC
Sea Squirt 16
JLee,
I’ll take some pictures of the clamps I made to fit my flats boat and send you a PM. Have you compared the green and white lights in actual use yet? I’m interested to hear if the green really is better or if it’s annoying.
There are lots of comments and comparisons on this thread: http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=410882 with most favoring the green in murky water of Tx bays. They claim that it reflects less particulate than other colors. In fact, the green is frequently sold out on the Oznium site where I bought the light heads. No, I’m currently landlocked (for about another month) so I haven’t made a trip to compare these myself. The Warm White certainly seems brighter.
16’ High Tide Flats (Green) w/Yamaha 90,
Wilderness Ride 135
Wilderness Tarpon 120
quote:
Originally posted by penfishn
You can get big magnets at harbor freight and tools on Dorchester road really cheep. They have one also on a line for retrieving underwater stuff that could be used
Here are my favorites. This magnet is TINY (look at the dimensions) but has a 70lb pull.
I use two of these on my aquarium to clean 1/2" thick glass. They are cast in fiberglass bricks so they don’t corrode.
… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.