I'm considering rigging up the duck boat for bowfishing. I want to run 4 lights up front. Can I use a battery ( industrial or heavy marine) and what kind of lights and how many amps and all that good stuff. thanks
Most people use 500 to 600 watt Halogen lights and run them off of a generator. I think you'd be hard pressed to run them off of a battery for any length of time.
Don't want to go generator route but wondering what kind of lights I need? Lets say I go with 6 lights. 3 on each side of bow...How many Amps does the average bowfishing light pull? I plan on using some type of industrial battery. 6 hours on the water would be my max.
Joebuck,
If you go the battery route you will need to use big rig tractor trailer batteries. Believe me it is tough to do reliably. A good alternative is a honda portable generator which can handle two of the construction type lights that clamp on your guard rail/shooting rail at the front of the boat. THe portable generator is quiet and real safe.You will not be pleased with trying to do it with a battery system.
We use a honda generator as well, but ours isn't quiet in the least. Have to yell to talk over it. Good thing is, the fish dont really seem to mind.
I'm with tukudu on this, you will not be happy with batteries, find a lightweight portable generator. We use the honda as well with good results.
You could use the round tractor lights and run 4 for about 1 1/2 hours off marine battery. Thats what I use to run, Have Halogens and generator now. Battery lights work well but limit your time. Also used the off road Baja lights on my set-up. Good luck and have fun!
Thanks guys....I just always took for granted my buddies in Ga.bowfishing rigs when they would take me years ago..Never thought to ask How , what ,when and where... Only reason I was thinking batteries because I have a connection in that industry...However these Big Mouth carp are everywhere at my hunting club on the Mississippi.. Is there such thing as a cheap Honda used generator?
Joe,the Honda is the way to go but I flounder gig using a Marine trolling motor battery and three 60 watt 12 volt bulbs that you can get at a marina or at an RV dealer and the bettery will last about 5 hours. I have one rigged to go under water and the other two are clamp- on work lights that you can get anywhere. That - bay place has used Hondas for about 350 or so and also you may want to look at The yamahas becaue I hear good things about them too. Tom
Joe....get ahold of Mark Land....he might be able to give you some tips as well.
Here's his email......
mark@muzzy.com
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/sdb07.JPG)
Dang! TG ! Why does my boat have Muzzy written on it! I think Mark L. and David Waldrop invented Ga Bowfishing..Biggie was around there too but he couldn't stay awake :D
How about LED lights? Wouldn't they last much, much longer? Is there a light out with LEDs that would work?
Couldn't stay awake? You drug me to Cairo Ga for a traditional bowhunters meeting then we went to Seminole for a few hours,till midnight, left there and went to West Point, got there at 3am, shot fish till daylight then drove all the way back home.....I think you were asleep 1st...just cause I was driving you get upset cause I fell asleep?
I run 6-500 watt hallogen lights with a small generator. I tried the battery technique way back. It was a flop. I couldn't keep a battery big enough to run much light for any time at all. You can rig your boat with lights and AC power for under $600. I did and we've shot tons of fish off the crude set-up. Good luck! CK
One early morning on the way back home from an all night bow fishing excursion, I woke up and asked Biggie " dang this Hwy 27 sure has gotten rough!" Biggie said " I hadn't noticed I've been a sleep" Biggie was driving ! :scared: He had cleaned out a mile of ditch between Columbus and LaGrange Ga.
I'm taking the hint the battery will not work no matter how big...I can get a really big one but I don't know how much amps average light pull per hour. I'm with you Littlefeather...600 and under! crude and simple
i use 4 lights on two seperate batteries they are baja 12v lights and they work fine pm me for more info
Grady "Gator" had a neat setup on his boat, I didn't see it working but he said it worked fine.
He made a wood frame (you could use a cut down palet), mounted a B&S side shaft engine. Pulley on the shaft, hooked with a fan belt to a big alternator for a car. Mounted the engine, generator to the same framework. Wa-la, he ran the lights off the alternator.
You can get generators at the junkyard for cheeeep.
Dan
I find the high pressure sodium lights much better.Alot more lumens,with less wattage.
SouthernA...how many amps does the HPS pull an hour? I read on another bowfishing site someone said to use this....What brand /watt light do you use and how many? thanks
I have six 150 watt Rab HPS lights running off a 3500 watt generator. I replaced 6 500watt halogens with the HPS. It is like night and day. They cost alot but well worth it if you go alot. the 150's need about 4 amps to charge and then drop to around 2 amps after warm up. (http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b11/ToddinBR/Img0467.jpg)
listen! we use trolling batteries. and we run 6 of the Baja lights from wally world on each side. we have three trolling batteries, 6 light on each and a 3 million candle power spotlight on the third. we can run er as log as we want. usually thats midnight at the latest, but theyed last longer. new batteries last longer than older ones, but it works well.
we took a 1x6 and spaced the 6 lights out on it and put a light switch on it it works really well!
heres a pic of our boat before we updated to the 12 light system. ill get a better pic tomarrow.
(http://a396.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/20/m_8f98c98d84b519e341519817ec3c44eb.jpg)
Todd and Trad. Only....I thinking of meshing your two setups....HPS 150 watt lights ( 6 lights) powered by a Industrial Lift truck battery.? Todd your lights pull 2amps an hour a piece so thats 12 amps an hour. I would need an 60 amp battery.....I friend of mine is coming out with a battery treatment to make old batterys new again....It's pretty neat..so thats why I'm leaning towards battery route... It took my Bad Boy Buggie from 20 miles to 32 miles on 1 charge after treatment... But...........Trad.Only ..you only use Bajas on two deep cycle marines?! for what 4 hours?
Joe, I am not an electrician and don't know if that will work or not. Good luck with the battery
A Trojan Industrial has 300plus amp hours on 1 charge...but it weighs 125#...that would run 6 lights all nighter i think.
I talked to a Trojan Battery rep today. I can buy a 12V battery( 73#) for under 150 bucks that will carry 430 amp hours per charge. If i mount let say 6-100 watt bulbs it should last almost 10 hours. Heres my math..1 bulb= 100watts/12volts = 8 amps per hour drained per bulb. 6 bulbs x 8amps = 48 amps per hour I'm draining. 430total amp hours/48= 9+ hours....
Now higher watts I go in the 12volt lights less hours I can run obviuosly....Also I'm on a 12volt system that can be direct wired with no power converter....
Somebody please shoot holes in this..because I'm just learning all of this. But this seems the way to go for under $400 and silent...but Traditional Only told me this a couple of days ago!