Metal Hilide vs. high pressure sodium lights

[seaworm1]

I was looking into installing a new 250w light to brighten up the cockpit, but I lack the knowledge of which light may be better than the other. Can anyone reccomend if one bulb is better than the other, color of the light they emmit, etc.

The RAB floodzilla was the unit I was looking at. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[WoundUpMarine]

i know we used metal halide in the engine rooms of my ship because they where actualy WHITE light, and man are those suckers bright. in my experience sodium lights have always had more of an orange tint. just my opinions though. have you thought about using LED lights for spreader lights, there are some pretty great options out there now a days.

 

[tunaorlater]

Hps is your typical street light, they have a yellow or orange color to the light. A mh is the light you will see in a car dealership parking lot, they are a much whiter and brighter light for the same wattage. I would go with the mh, I think it is a more natural light. There maybe some guys with more experience with marine lighting on here though I do a lot of parking lot lights in my job.

 

[seaworm1]

I wouldnt mind going with a high output LED, but without actually seeing one of those LEDS lit up at night, its difficult to spend $$ on them and not really know how much light they throw

 

[WoundUpMarine]

seaworm whats your location, most hamiltons have a display showing the difference in light outputs, im sure west marines do as well. more importantly whats your power supply going to be? i cant imagine your gonna get a very bright metal halide light running off of a 12v supply as opposed to what you can get with LED

 

[F/V First Team]

Did somebody say LEDs?

Marine LED Lights | Marine LED lighting | Rigid Industries

 

[Helen L]

MH is a pure white, clean light. HPS has the yellowish hue but has more lumens per watt. I have 2 250W HPS that will face forward on the tower and 2 150W ones facing aft over the deck.

 

[seaworm1]

Im in Marshfield- the local west marines are pretty much pleasure boat centers and dont have anything beyond 55w halogen cubes. The 5k genny is the support system. Im not looking to go nuts with wattage, just trying to figure out the better one to go with before spending the money that i shouldnt be spending on light to begin with.

First team- Those were the LEDS I was looking at, but again its tough to buy them without actually seeing them light up the night first.

 

[Blacktide]

Good topic Seaworm! I am looking into this as well. I was thinking about the floodzilla by raab. The mh light is what I was going with as per some advice from a friend. Any further info would be helpful.

RAB Lighting - FZH250PSQ/PC

 

[WoundUpMarine]

travis those are some nice lights, im a big fan of LEDs because they produce a huge amout of light compared to the amount of power they consume, but man they are pricey. Its an awful lot of money to spend on such a simple product.

i have underwater lights from this company. they are LED and awesome, producing great light that shines through the dark waters up here. cant comment on the spreaders other than im thinking about getting some. as far as a gennie goes, i love pure white light, so my vote goes for metal halide

http://www.coastalnightlights.com/styles-LEDspreaders.html

 

[Blacktide]

Helen L , nice thats what I'm talkin!!!

 

[Helen L]

I guess you can tell I'm more interested in seeing in front of me than behind. I run I night a lot.

 

[Blacktide]

travis those are some nice lights, im a big fan of LEDs because they produce a huge amout of light compared to the amount of power they consume, but man they are pricey. Its an awful lot of money to spend on such a simple product.

i have underwater lights from this company. they are LED and awesome, producing great light that shines through the dark waters up here. cant comment on the spreaders other than im thinking about getting some. as far as a gennie goes, i love pure white light, so my vote goes for metal halide

CoastalNightLights.com

I have their underwater lights and smoked them this season. They sent me a new set but I have to wait til I haul out to replace them.

 

[F/V First Team]

No idea about night time light emissions, I'd like to see it done personally, but I do know that when the salesman stopped by the shop a few weeks ago and turned them on they illuminated the far corner of the shop quite nicely, and this was just a little after noon so there was already plenty of light around. I'd give them a shot.

(he wouldn't let me try the hammer test though, ho hum, maybe next time)

 

[WoundUpMarine]

how many seasons did you have them on?? i LOVE them on my whaler, althought the first night the boat was in the water last season the marine patrol didnt hesitate a second to pull me over. those likes are like magnets for the law enforcement!

 

[Blacktide]

how many seasons did you have them on?? i LOVE them on my whaler, althought the first night the boat was in the water last season the marine patrol didnt hesitate a second to pull me over. those likes are like magnets for the law enforcement!

I had them on for 4 months. I was pissed they died while out fishing. At first a few leds went out then it blew 2 fuses so i shut them down. The guy I bought them from said I might have overheated them.

 

[starrfish]

hey there seaworm, i have a rab flodzilla MH 400 watt...you cant look at it after its warmed up without goin blind for 20 minutes ! at night we can make shadow puppets on the cottages about 60 yards away... its a no bulls#*t light.. bright white..
in the canyons or out east it turns the area around the boat into an aquarium, all kinds of critters swimming to it..
if all your looking to do is brighten up the cockpit, a 250 is plenty..

 

[seaworm1]

thank you for the replies , looks like its gonna be metal halide. Those sea critters won't stand a chance

 

[DKD]

I also have the flodzilla MH 400 watt. Great light. We run it off the inverter when the boat is running and a Honda 2000i when it is not. Just put it as high as you can. Lights up the water great.

 

[maineboatswest]

Before you make a decision, check out the marine lights at High Performance Marine LED Lighting - Sea Well Marine Lighting. We use them on fishing boats in alaska and the west coast. The small d2 diffused ones make amazing deck lights and the 10" and 20" combos are designed for forward projection. Two of the 20" combos will give you at least a half mile of visibility and you will pick up a reflector at 1 mile in decent weather. LEDs have come a long way, but these work because of the housing, the bulbs, and the optics. Hope that helps a bit.