Boat owners and fishing enthusiasts know how stunning nights in the sea could be. The moment when the sun slowly goes down is a breathtaking view that no one wants to miss. However, it can be difficult to traverse the deep waters without the bright boat lights illuminating your way.
Waters can be fascinating, but they can also be dangerous. That is why you need premium quality boat lights that will illuminate your way as you sail around. Whether you like to stay in the sea, have a good time with friends, catch fish, or enjoy the delightful night view, you need to make sure you bring a reliable underwater boat light.
This buying guide will give you a rundown of the best underwater boat lights on the market. You will learn about the essential functions and must-have features of the most reliable underwater boat lights, including a product review, top brands for underwater boat lights, a buying guide, and a helpful FAQ section. Let this article walk you through the process of buying the best underwater boat lights on the market.
Top 8 Best Underwater Boat Lights Reviewed
- IP68 Underwater Boat Drain Plug LED Light by Tidal Wake – Best Overall
- High-Intensity Underwater LED Light by T-H Marine – Best Value
- Waterproof Marine Lights by BASIKER – Editor’s Choice
- SeaBlazeX LED Underwater Boat Light by Lumitec
- Super Delux 10-Watt Garboard Brass Boat Plug Light by Firewatermarine
- 60W Cree LED Surface Mount Underwater Boat Lights by Jiawill
- Light Armor Underwater LED Light by Attwood
- Surface Mount Underwater Light by SeaSense
1. IP68 Underwater Boat Drain Plug LED Light by Tidal Wake – Best Overall
Specifications
- Ultra-bright 1800 Lumen LED
- Waterproof quick-connect plug and storage bag
- Stainless steel 27-watt 9 Cree LED
- Fits all ½” threaded boat drain plugs
- 160° light projection
- 50,000-hour life
For those who prefer bright underwater boat lights that come with no drilling installations, you may certainly like the IP68 Underwater Boat Drain Plug LED Light from Tidal Wake. It is a high-quality LED light with a green shade that will let you enjoy fishing, swimming, and cruising at night.
With its super-bright 1,800 lumens, you can stay safely in the water while providing extra visibility in the dark. Tidal Wake uses sturdy stainless steel for its construction, making it a durable underwater light. It also includes an overheat-protected driver.
Another feature is the 50,000-hour lifespan, which lasts for a long time. It also comes with a 27W 9 CREE LED and can fit in threaded drain plugs at ½”. It also includes a handy bag for easy storage.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| High-quality ultra-bright 1800 lumen LED light | The electrical switch is purchased separately |
| Does not require drilling holes | Comes with shorter pigtail |
2. High-Intensity Underwater LED Light by T-H Marine – Best Value
Specifications
- High-intensity LED underwater light
- Surface mount or small hole for wiring
- Six super-bright LEDs
- Low amperage draw (130mA)
- Longer lifespan than conventional bulbs
- 100,000-hour life
Wiring your underwater boat light is not a serious concern if you use the High-Intensity Underwater LED Light from T-H Marine. This LED light has a small hole for its wiring, or you can surface mount it as well. You will find six radiant LED lights in its package that guarantee a longer lifespan than typical light bulbs.
The T-H Marine underwater light comes with a low amperage draw, making it as an energy-efficient underwater light that is very cheap to invest in. This unit has 180 lumens, which is impressive enough as a bright lighting source. Besides using it as a light source underwater, this LED light from T-H Marine is flexible enough for other applications like swimming pool steps, transom, or trim tabs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Affordable underwater LED light | Not meant to last for years |
| 100,000 hours of lifetime | Not waterproof |
3. Waterproof Marine Lights by BASIKER – Editor’s Choice
Specifications
- High-quality stainless steel housing
- Overheat protection for LED lights
- Efficient power draw
- 50,000 hours LED lifetime
- 10-30V DC working voltage
- Easy to install
The BASIKER Waterproof Marine Light offers excellent quality underwater LED light at an affordable price. This LED light can work wonders on your nighttime cruising just like other costly options, without breaking your budget. BASIKER used high-quality materials for its construction to ensure it will serve you for a long time.
The BASIKER Waterproof Marine Lights can last for 50,000 hours and can further prolong their life with careful use. Another winning feature is its superior coverage, making it ideal to attract fish baits and gather fish from all directions.
BASIKER used stainless-steel housing with rubber gaskets and mounting screws for its construction. It is also energy-efficient with a working voltage of 10 to 30 DC. The best part is that it doesn’t cost you too much time to install it in your boat. Besides boats, you can also use them on RVs and mobile homes.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Works well underneath the water line | Not reliable in lighting up a specific area |
| Made of quality stainless steel | Water easily leaks in |
4. SeaBlazeX LED Underwater Boat Light by Lumitec
Specifications
- Up to 4,000 Lumens
- 12-volt DC to 24-volt DC
- Marine-grade bronze alloy housing
- Transcom mountable, small ½” through-hole
- Underwent 2,000 hours of salt spray chamber testing
- Timed Toggle Protocol to control light features
Lumitec is known as one of the toughest competitors among underwater light manufacturers. Its premium model, the SeaBlazeX LED Underwater Boat Light, comes with 4,000 lumens available in various colors. Lumitec used a marine-grade bronze alloy for its housing with strobe and crossfade modes.
The SeaBlazeX LED Underwater Light is compatible with 12V to 24V power sources. It can last for longer periods of usage as it provides 50,000 hours of overall service life. This underwater light works best for those who use LED lights for fishing since it delivers better lighting performance.
In addition to its potent lighting, the Lumitec underwater boat light ensures simple and hassle-free installation due to its small through-hull holes. Lumitec also included the innovative Timed Toggle Protocol (TTP) that enables users to change color or adjust the mode by simply using the power toggle.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Made from marine-grade bronze housing | Installation can be challenging |
| Energy-efficient and durable | Not ideal for big boats |
5. Super Delux 10-Watt Garboard Brass Boat Plug Light by Firewatermarine
Specifications
- Super bright output at 800-1,200 lumens
- Heavy brass construction
- Fully encapsulated LED driver
- 60-day warranty
- 160° light angle
- 10-watt LED chipset for an amazing amount of light
When installed on your vessel, the Super Delux 10-Watt Garboard Brass Boat Plug Light from Firewatermarine will not cause any major concern when cruising with your boat. All you have to do is loosen its plug and let it unfasten or lay towards the edge. Plus, you can also stick the light onto your pocket with its new quick-release feature.
Super Delux 10-Watt Garboard Brass Boat Plug Light guarantees quick installation as you can simply hang them over the vessel’s edge to lure more fish. It is also made of rugged and thick brass with a 60-day warranty.
This portable underwater boat light is convenient enough to use since it is not prone to leakages, for there is no plastic or glass to break. Firewatermarine designed this unit with a 160° light angle with a waterproof and fully encapsulated LED driver that you can easily disconnect at any time.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Consists of a crystal-clear lens and UV-resistant epoxy | Requires modifications for outboard or inboard motor |
| Full-sealed 10W driver | Thread diameter is too small |
6. 60W Cree LED Surface Mount Underwater Boat Lights by Jiawill
Specifications
- 6 Cree 10-watt LED, 2,853 lumens
- Made of marine-grade stainless steel housing
- Comes with a shatterproof polycarbonate lens
- Vibration and shock-resistant underwater boat light
- Temperature protection to prevent damage
- Installation hardware for surface-mounting
For fishing enthusiasts who prefer reliable underwater boat lights for nighttime fishing needs, the 60W Cree LED Surface Mount Underwater Boat Lights from Jiawill is a great choice. With its easy-mount installation process, this boat light is a high-quality unit that best matches a late-night cruiser’s standard requirements.
The 60W Cree LED Surface Mount Underwater Boat Light comes with stainless-steel housing with a shatterproof polycarbonate lens, making it an efficient, durable, and reliable material for resisting vibrations and shocks. This Jiawill underwater light offers some fascinating features that make it a practical boat light for boat owners who love to cruise every night. It offers superior illumination that can light beyond the swim platform.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Utilizes blue, green, and red illumination | The switch is not included in the package |
| Generate outstanding white illumination | Prone to short circuits |
7. Light Armor Underwater LED Light by Attwood
Specifications
- Premium surface-mount LED lights
- An exclusive heat-sync cooling system
- Active overheat protection
- Resistant to corrosion, chemicals, and UV damage
- Electro-polished 316 stainless steel cover
- Simple installation with minimal mounting hardware
The Attwood Light Armor Underwater LED Light is a premium surface-mount LED light built to tackle the most extreme environments. This unit is available in different sizes with three vivid colors, white, blue, and green.
This LED light comes with 5,000 lumens, one of the brightest LED lights in its category. Its power and intensity make it suitable for boats that require lights that can illuminate a large area and vast stretches of water. Attwood guarantees that it is also built to last with its stainless-steel casing resistant to corrosion, UV damage, and other chemicals. It also has electronic components that come with a fully-sealed, waterproof chamber.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| One of the brightest LED lights with up to 5,000 lumens | Lacks lighting effects |
8. Surface Mount Underwater Light by SeaSense
Specifications
- Utilizes advanced LED technology
- Comes with 58” of wire
- Transom mount
- Four 3W LEDs, cool white or blue LED units
- 50,000-hour lifespan
- Stainless steel construction
SeaSense Surface Mount Underwater Light is an underwater transom light designed to provide intense light for night swimmers and anglers at an affordable price. It works best for boating enthusiasts who need an understated and budget-friendly LED light. This transom-mount boat light comes with four bright blue and white 3W LED lights that can illuminate your midnight cruising with minimal hassle.
The Surface Mount Underwater Light has a sleek and compact design with a lifespan that can last up to 50,000 hours. Its housing is made of stainless steel, which helps prolong its lifespan, ensuring more value for your money.
Another standout feature of the SeaSense Surface Mount Boat Light is its accessibility. For those who don’t need an array of features, this unit will certainly appeal to you. It works best for budget-minded boat owners who want to take advantage of a value-priced boat light.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Poor brightness at only 405 lumens | Highly-affordable LED light |
Top Pick for Best Underwater Boat Lights: IP68 Underwater Boat Drain Plug LED Light by Tidal Wake
Now that you have discovered all the top underwater boat lights on the market, you may still be confused because of all these products’ amazing features. Luckily, after gathering all the top-selling boat lights, only one managed to tick all the boxes of what every boat owner is looking for in a reliable boat light.
IP68 Underwater Boat Drain Plug LED Light by Tidal Wake is an underwater boat light perfect for cruising, fishing, or swimming. Not only will it illuminate the water and help you navigate, but it also does wonders for fishing enthusiasts as it will attract potential catches with its green light.
A noteworthy feature of the Tidal Wake Underwater LED Light is that it doesn’t require you to drill holes since it comes with easy installation. Removing the LED light is also made easy, as it includes a waterproof quick-connect plug and storage bag.
Tidal Wake uses durable stainless steel for its construction with 1,800 lumens, making it a suitable option for small to average-sized boats. The LED light offers up to 50,000 hours of lifespan with a required 27-watt power supply, including an overheat-protected driver. Overall, it can provide some extra visibility at night.
Its only drawback is the pigtail, which is not as long as it should be. Also, if you own a large vessel, you may not be satisfied with its brightness.
There is indeed an incredible number of reliable underwater lights, both offline and online markets. You may also check out other boat lights mentioned in this guide to better suit your cruising needs.
Best Underwater Boat Light Brands
Like many products nowadays, the online market has given consumers access to an unlimited variety of products and features, where many are simply garbage. The process of finding the best underwater boat light can be tedious, but you can filter it down by knowing the best brands that manufacture the most reliable and durable boat lights. Listed below are the top three popular brands for underwater lights.
Tidal Wake
Tidal Wave is the brainchild of a sibling team-up, namely, Patrick and Jamie McNaughton, who are passionate about recreational water activities. The McNaughton sibling’s love of the water led them to design and develop numerous products to make water activities easier, safer, better, and more fun.
Tidal Wake utilizes exceptional engineering to create expertly-designed products. They manufacture inventive water-wares and boating accessories to make your boating experience worthwhile. Their product line includes boat gears and wake surfs, underwater LED lights, apparel, gifts, and other accessories.
T-H Marine
Since 1975, T-H has been manufacturing products for the marine industry. It is a family-owned corporation consisting of boaters and fishing enthusiasts. Along with his two partners, Bill Huntley developed a product with great market potential in the boating industry.
T-H Marine is the leading producer of boat accessories and spare parts, whose main goal is to provide quality products, exceptional customer service, and competitive prices. Their product line includes boat performance items, outboard jacket plates, outboard motor mounts, trolling motor equipment, and other general boat accessories.
Lumitec
Founded in 2007, Lumitec is a lighting company that offers a wide array of lights for utilities, underwater, domes, flood, courtesy, driving, deck, and wet location lights. Lumitec’s founder, John Kujawa, is known for his commitment to research and product development. He created Lumitec to leverage new technologies in the production of innovative and high-value lighting products.
Their lighting products vary from marine, terrestrial, and specialty applications for underwater, dome, flood, scene, cabs, navigation, and more. Today, Lumitec is a trusted brand for top boat builders and suppliers.
Features to Consider When Buying Underwater Boat Lights (Buyer’s Guide)
Now that you’ve gone through the top eight underwater boat lights and top manufacturers, the next step is knowing how to choose which one will meet your boating needs and preferences. This buying guide will enumerate the standard features you should look for in an underwater boat light.
Installation
The installation process is an essential part of finding the right underwater boat light. Some units require modification for their installation spot, while others may only require a small hole to fit in the wiring and screws. Meanwhile, other units can be installed on the drain plug with no drilling required.
Look for versatile boat lights that can offer different mounting locations. The drain plug, transom, and trim tab are the easiest to work with.
Number of LEDs
When buying underwater boat lights, the first thing you should consider is the number of available LEDs. The LED number will determine the coverage and strength of light. The more LED lights, the better the light emitted. Some units offer up to 14 to 24 LEDs per unit.
Those who are willing to invest in a quality underwater boat light should get a unit with at least 14 LEDs.
Lifespan
Another key feature to remember is the boat light’s lifespan. No one wants a light that burns out easily. Lights typically have lifespans of around 50,000 hours before they die down. While there are lights that can last up to 100,000 hours, 50,000 is your standard measure for the lifespan. However, it would be better to find a more generous lifespan ranging from 70,000 to 100,000 hours.
Brightness or Power
Before buying underwater boat lights, make sure you have understood the differences between lumens and watts. Lumens refers to the brightness emitted by the LED lights. The more lumens, the better the illumination.
Small underwater boat lights offer around 600 to 1,000 lumens, which is enough for those who love to navigate. However, if you’re looking for superior lighting and fish attraction, you should go for higher lumens at around 3,000 up to 6,000 lumens of power.
Beam Width
Beamwidth is related to the light’s angle of view. An angle of 90° is considered wide, while a lesser angle tends to be narrow. Ideally, look for units with a quality full beam width.
Single Color or Multicolor
Some boat lights underwater produce only one color. However, most boat owners prefer units with several colors, such as blue, green, and white.
Size
The size of an underwater boat light should depend on your boat size. For those with smaller vessels, your lights need to be smaller at around 94mm or three to four inches, while those with bigger boats should get the ones at around 10 inches or more.
Weight is also another factor. A boat light that is too heavy may wear the boat down, while a small light may not offer enough coverage. Ideally, consider consistency when looking for the right size.
Material
The material of which your light is made is worthy of consideration as it determines its durability. Since the boat light will be underwater all the time, you need a light that doesn’t wear out easily from water. A unit with an IP65 to an IP68 rating tends to be more durable and lasting with anti-corrosion abilities.
Housing Material
Those who frequently encounter extreme conditions when in water, look for superior housing material to protect your boat light underwater. Materials vary from an injection-molded transparent polymer or aluminum bronze. Polymers work best for underwater lights since they tend to be more durable and reliable. They are also corrosion-resistant since there is no metal contact with water.
Meanwhile, aluminum bronze is one of the sturdiest metals for underwater. It provides exceptional resistance against saltwater corrosion with unique thermal characteristics to keep your lights fresh.
Durability
Like all products, underwater boat lights should be durable as well. Besides their waterproofing abilities, they should also be resistant to shocks and enclosed in a robust casing.
Use
It is essential to identify why you want to purchase underwater boat lights. For example, fishing enthusiasts who want to make their fishing experience better should get themselves brighter LED lights with a high lumen rating.
Energy-Efficiency
Besides making sure that your boat light provides decent lighting, make sure that they don’t use up too much power. No one wants a unit that drains the battery too fast or puts additional demand on power systems. Ideally, LED lights are an energy-efficient option.
Brand
While others believe that a famous brand name does not equate to high quality, this rule proves right most of the time. When buying underwater boat lights, look for units manufactured by a reputable brand. This way, you can ensure getting a reliable unit with a decent warranty and customer service.
Reviews and Comments
Checking out reviews and comments online about a specific product can help your purchase decision better. Since manufacturers tend to include only the positive characteristics of the products they sell, reading reviews and comments from previous buyers can help you find out the pros and cons of the product you plan to buy.
Conclusion
For those who want to give their vessels a modern and stylish appeal, you can make them more functional and visually impressive by investing in a premium-quality underwater boat light. You can choose from the eight different units reviewed in this buying guide as one of them can be the best match for your boating needs and preferences.
The IP68 Underwater Boat Drain Plug LED Light by Tidal Wake takes the top spot as the best underwater boat light for this buying guide. Although you probably notice its miniature size, this LED light from Tidal Wake has a superior power line that backs it up.
This light works best for small vessels such as jet skis, motors, and wave boats. It comes with a 1,800-lumen light, which is pretty impressive than other typical small lights. It also has a 27-wattage and doesn’t require drilling for its installation. All you have to do is to plug the light in. Plus, this LED light has reached the standard lifespan of 50,000 hours in total, making it a long-lasting light.
Finally, Tidal Wake’s IP68 Underwater Boat Drain Plug LED Light is perfect for small boats that don’t require much coverage. It provides abundant visibility for small boats and fishing sessions.
There are indeed a great number of exceptional underwater boat lights on the market today. Hopefully, this buying guide may help you with your purchase decision. Instead of taking the plunge, you can review all the tips and guides shared here to guarantee that you get a worthwhile investment in your boating equipment.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
For those who are still undecided about which underwater boat light they should buy, here are some of the common questions to guide you better when buying underwater boat lights.
What is the best color for underwater light?
Although fish lights have a special purpose of luring fish to your bait, any light below the water can lure fish regardless of its color. Once you place the lights under the water, they tend to reflect off particles in the water. The small particles may appear as a natural food source for the fish. As the baitfish are lured towards the light, they will bring in larger game fishes such as bass, snook, and tarpon.
How do I mount the underwater light on a boat?
The widely-used technique for installation is the surface-puck option with wires that goes through the boat’s framework. Regardless of your choice, make sure you understand the manufacturer’s instructions included in the underwater boat light package you have bought.
Does an underwater boat light attract fish?
For those who intend to use a boat light to lure fish, you need to anchor your vessel and make sure you minimize your movements. This way, you can enable the food chain to take place. You can also change the position of your underwater light, which you find convenient.
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G’day, my name is Rach Taylor and I’m the proud Founder of Surf Hungry. I am a former Australian Olympic athlete and Australian representative surf sports athlete. I’ve worked in the surf industry and lived at several of Australia’s best surf spots, sparking a life-long love of the ocean and a passion for surf sports which has now well and truly rubbed off on my two young sons, both little Aussie surf-stoked groms!
