[NuffDaddy]

My uncle replaced the one I bought with the Honda 2000i for his camper. That this is whisper quiet. The Northstar is quieter than most but not as quiet as I was hoping.

 

[redneckbowfisher]

^this. They are the $60 ones. Save a lot of money on the generator. What size was your boat again *******??

mine was a 14' Jon boat with a 4500 gen. On it

 

[NuffDaddy]

^this. They are the $60 ones. Save a lot of money on the generator. What size was your boat again *******?? mine was a 14' Jon boat with a 4500 gen. On it

I feel like 8 lights would be a little overkill on a 14 footer. Maybe not.

 

[JDawgBailz]

I feel like 8 lights would be a little overkill on a 14 footer. Maybe not.

X2

8 27 watt LED's are plenty on a 14'. 8 HPS would be a super bright floating yellow light in the water.

 

[BigSwole]

I dont feel like you can have too many. As little power as those 150s draw a 3000w champion genny from lowes that is 300$ would still only be half load with 10 of them.

ou can always start with a few and add more if you like.

And i highly suggest the genny at lowes. Mine sits in the boat year around uncovered and unsheltered and still starts first pull. Quiet enough to.hold a normal conversation on the deck

 

[NuffDaddy]

Remember that HPS use more power that what the bulb does. After warming up the 150s use close to 200watts I believe and warm up is a little over 250watts. Still plenty of power in the champion to run 10-12 of them though.

 

[BigSwole]

Remember that HPS use more power that what the bulb does. After warming up the 150s use close to 200watts I believe and warm up is a little over 250watts. Still plenty of power in the champion to run 10-12 of them though.

True. My 400s ive designates them 500w of power apiece.

I was originally thinking 4 400s and a converter which would be roughly 2700w at full load on converter and all lights warmed up.

Then maybe a led or 2 in the back just because i like lights lol.

I have 2 400s now. Have 4 custom housings about to be on the way. As soon as my taxes come in i will be getting them shipped to me. Cant wait for em.

 

[redneckbowfisher]

I feel like 8 lights would be a little overkill on a 14 footer. Maybe not.

no, on my old 14' boat I had 6 600w lights but my new boat I'm hoping to get is like 17.5'

 

[redneckbowfisher]

* I ment 6 500 w lights not 600

 

[BigSwole]

I will say this,

alot of people who start out with 150s end up later upgrading to 400s. If you get 400s from the start your one step ahead of the game!

also with less 400s you also have less wiring to deal with.

 

[upsouth811]

true a lot of people go to 400s but then i know a lot of people who go back to 150s or 250s

 

[redneckbowfisher]

Yea but 400w lights are expensive and a generator to push them will be heavy lol

 

[DonArkie]

any genny with db rating of 60 or less would be a quiet genny. I run a 2500W Inverter that is 60 db's with Customfitz LED's & 2 Powermax 55amp converters and the residence around the lake dont complain about the noise. They make alot of desent quiet genny's under 600.00 you just have to remember if your just guy that like to arrow rough fish or you do both as a tounery fisher, if your the guy that does both I would invest in a honda or yammy. I dont tourney fish, I'm the guy that is just out to have fun arrowing rough fish so my genny is all what I need. I get the question asked why the LED's if your running a inverter with converters? my reply is I fish from a 14/48 so weight is the issue, I figure genny with converters & 2 batteries 1 for lights 1 for troller are better than 4 batteries 2 running in pares. Plus I dont have a problem getting on the fish.

 

[THS Sporting Center]

I am going to ask if my little 900 watt gennerator will run my new

Schumacher 12 Volt 2/10/20 Amp Wet/Gel/AGM Battery Charger

• Fully Automatic Microprocessor Controlled
• 80 Amp Engine Start - for emergency starting.
• 10-20 Amp Fast Charge - self-adjusting, variable charge rates for everyday charging needs and maintaining your battery in peak condition. Charges and automatically desulfates and restores car, truck, RV, farm equipment, AGM, gel cell and deep-cycle batteries.
• 2 Amp Slow Charge - for charging and maintaining small batteries; charges motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile and lawn tractor batteries.
• 125 Amp, Sure-Grip Clamps - for top and side-mounted battery posts.
• Electronic Touch-Pad Controls - easy-to-select switches for Digital Display, Battery Type or Charge/Start. Choose from 12V regular automotive, 12V deep-cycle, 12V AGM or gel cell batteries.
• Built-in Digital Voltmeter/Tester - helps diagnose problems.
• Retractable Handle - for easy portability. Cord wrap on back

 

[THS Sporting Center]

Or this MinnKota charger MK 330D

• 3 charging banks
• 10 amps per bank
• 30 amps total output
• Recovery Time: 4-6 hours
• Size: 16-¼" length x 7-½" width x 4" height
• Weight: 20 lbs.
• Digitally-controlled microprocessor design protects your batteries so you can stay on the water longer
• Up to 2X faster charging in high temperatures
• Enhanced status codes provide comprehensive feedback on charge stage, maintenance mode status, error notification and full charge
• Convenient on-board mounting eliminates the hassle of traditional portable chargers
• Fully automatic multi-stage charging (bulk, absorption and maintenance) so you get a full charge every time
• Automatic temperature compensation delivers fast charging recovery, even in extreme temperatures, while protecting your batteries from overcharging
• Waterproof*, shock- and vibration-resistant aluminum construction
• Short circuit, reverse polarity and ignition protection
• Saltwater tested and fully resistant to corrosion
• For use with 12, 24 or 36 volt systems with 12V / 6-cell batteries that are flooded/wet cell, maintenance free or starved electrolyte (AGM) only (40-130 amp hour rating)
• FCC compliant
• Warranty: 3 year
• UL listed to marine standard 1236
• Includes: one pre-wired on-board marine battery charger with three 6' fused output cables and one 6' AC power cord, installation instructions and owners manual
• Manufactuer item #1823305
• MK330D 1823305 12 / 24 / 36 3 10 30 18AWG - 6' 16AWG - 6' 16-1/4" x 7-1/2" x 4" 20 5.2A

 

[DonArkie]

big factor being missed or not mention is the advantages of LED's, like working life on the lights HPs or Sodium to LED's average on HP's & Sodium approx 5,000 hrs LED's 50,000 hrs, power consumption on HP's or Sodium quite high, LED's quite low, optical efficiency on HP's & Sodium are low, optical efficency on LED's high, color temperature on HP's & Sodium is low amber/yellow & uncomfortable, (some even get headaches fishing with these lights) LED's color temperature is quite comfortable cool or warm light available. Light pollution (is excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial light), HP's & Sodium is high with LED's you have very little to none. Shock poof, HP's & Sodium high, glass will break easy, LED's no so much.

Heating, HP's & Sodium are Hot, LED's cool about 65 degrees, maintance cost on HP's & Sodium high, LED's low cost.

its easy to post poor evaluation on LED's and not give the pro's to them.......I listed some of the advantages of LED's I have to say you did mention the comparison price HP's vs LED's yes they are more in cost, but if you see what adavantage LED's have over HP's & Sodium Lights, no comparison. I fished on both HP's & Sodium and had headeaches the whole night, Lighting on boats are personal preference, you love LED's or you hate them, I'm a fan of LED's for all the reasons I listed about them. I've seen many boat I fished on or with that switch from HP's, Sodium to LED's for all the reasons I listed, then again like I mention you love them or hate them, their is NO in between.

I have 2 40W Floods up front 3 27W Floods on each side. My lights are Custom Fitz LED's. I have 2 31 series deep cells (1 for lights 1 for troller) 2 55amp powermax converters (1 for the lights 1 for the troller) I run a 2500W inverter genny withj 2200W working @ (60db's) pretty dang quiet. I get 3hrs running off battery when light start to dim. I'm out on the water fishing 1 1/2hrs before sunset. Our lake close their gates @ 10m dark 30 is 8:00pm. Now the reason I run a genny with LED's is I fish from a 14-48 jon boat, my 31 series batt's are 59lbs ea, yes I can run a few more but I'll be adding more weight to my small boat were I run a 2500W Inverter Genny @ 69lbs @ 60db's. So its better for me to run a 1 large batt with converter & small high out put inverter genny. The nice advantage of LED's too are running total quiet off batteries only, or with converter & genny. Another is running more lights do to the low amp draw also. JMO

 

[NuffDaddy]

The bulb life on HPS lights is 20,000+ hours. Halogens have a 5,000 hour bulb life. Yes the orange color of HPS might give you a headache. That's why before you get them for your boat you should find someone with them and shoot for a night. But the orange light makes carp almost glow under water. I can see fish about 1/3 deeper than I could with my halos. I've never shot over LEDs and I won't nock them, I think they have their place. If the water is clear go for it, but I've heard and seen in videos that LEDs are subpar when it comes to muddy water. HPS will probably be cheaper in the long run too, unless you get fancy with them.

 

[DonArkie]

to be quite honest, here in Arkansas I shoot on lakes & rivers, our rivers are pretty dirty, and I have no problem shooting over them.

 

[DonArkie]

thanks for correcting me on the HPS' life span

 

[BigSwole]

Custom housings 100$
Digital Ballasts 75$
HPS Bulb 10$

Being able to see the fish further than 3ft from the boat.
$Priceless.



Realistically if you add it up.

Housings will cost you 85$ - 125$ depending on who you go with.
Digital Ballasts 400w will run 75$ - 125$ depending on the brand you choose.
Bulbs are 7$ - 12$ buying them online vs local

So roughly you can have 4 400w hps in custom housings and digital ballasts for as little as 680$. Which comes out to 200,000 lumens. And runs efficiently at a little less than 2000w.

50w LEDs run around 100$ per. Some are more than others. EBay has some for cheaper but on average your looking at 80$ - 120$ per light. To equal the lumen output you would need 40 50w LEDs. Which surprisingly comes out to roughly. 2000w. But now you have a cost of...4000$.

Of course most will get good coverage with 10 50w LEDs which I believe some vendors run a discount when buying ten of them and you can get them all for under 800$.

Some are happier with the smaller LEDs which will come out costing less,

. I am not bashing LEDs, in case it comes across like that. It all comes down to personal preference.I mean some guys are more rthan content with a small flash light on their bows.