Thanks!

I try to take a picture next time I stop by at the dock. The stock light is glued in a thick (3/8"?), U-shaped rubber 'cup' that's held in place on the tube by a hose clamp. Very simple and it works, I'd really like to pry the lamp out and reuse the rubber but it's very tight. I'll probably have to break the lamp first and pull it out in pieces with pliers.

A rubber spacer between the bulb and lamp might work, thanks for the idea. Probably heat resistant silicone instead of plain rubber, to avoid melting. The only (slight) problem is that it's flexible and every time you change the bulb, you'll have to make sure it's aligned properly - H3 bulb is held in place with a regular screw instead of twist-in bayonet mount. Back of the bulb isn't a problem, it's sealed tight, but one of the high voltage wires is partially exposed when the bulb is installed in the lamp and moisture is just about the last thing you want anywhere near it.

By the way, what do you mean by 'wireless'? The on/off switch being radio controlled? I'm using the stock docking light switch, wires and fuse to power the ballasts; nothing fancy, just lots more light when hit the dashboard switch.

Aaaah! that was a typo (wireless). I meant so say "waterproof". Sorry bout that.

Ah, ok. :)

These lamps were more or less waterproof, but not without the metal housings I had to discard, to make them fit to docking light tubes.

Update...

I ended up making an adapter, 30/20mm diameter, 3mm thick aluminum ring I screwed and epoxied to the lamp. I also drilled and tapped it, with 170/190° spacing to ensure that the plastic base HID bulb stays in place firmly. Tightening the screws will provide an airtight seal.

Next I'll have to figure out a way to protect the setup from anchor chain. I've thought about cutting a length 12" PVC drain pipe in half and screwing it to the hull, but that'll have to wait.

They're having a fireworks competition at a bay nearby tonight and I'll try to have this one lamp installed before that. I'll have to navigate back home in total darkness and if there are no coast guard boats around, I just might 'forget' to turn off the docking lights at some point... :daz:

http://eduskunta.com/hid8.jpg

http://eduskunta.com/hid9.jpg

http://eduskunta.com/hid10.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...nahan/HID1.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...nahan/HID2.jpg

8000k HID kit

Looks like you could have just used a washer?

Keegan, how did you do your kit? your lights are exactly like the ones on my fountain with the lense covers.

Mine actually is a fountain also. Just bought a cheap fog light kit on ebay (non-sealed) beams. And swapped the HID kit in. Super simple.

How do the factory lights come out and how did the new fog lights mount in? What HID kit did you use and how did the bulbs mount in the new fog light housings? Did you have to run any new wiring? Can you show a link to the kind of fog lights you bought? any more pics of the install? Thx and sorry for all the questions.

Not sure what you have, but I was able to access my lights thru my anchor locker. I cut the wires, loosened a hose clamp, and my foglight assembly came right out. The kit I bought is just any 4" round foglight kit. Make sure the housings on the new foglights have the option to swap out bulbs. The factory ones were a sealed beam (have to replace whole light if bulb burned out) there is a rubber sleeve the foglights sit in. I just pulled the factory ones out, and pushed my new ones in. Wired the HID kits to my factory wiring.

STARBOARD SIDE INSTALLED

The OEM rubber sleeve was tight. Very tight. So, I put it in a 10ton hydraulic press, upside down, and pushed the sealed beam foglight out. The sleeve is sealed, with only tiny holes for the wires to go through, so I drilled it open with a 1" hole saw.

The 4.5" lamp fitted perfectly inside the sleeve and 1" hole was large enough to install the bulb. I used the rubber cap on the wire to seal it; another tight fit but now it's really watertight.

I made the trial installation with a 50W ballast, to make sure there won't be any heat issues - 100W ballasts may run a bit hot sometimes. I also have 70W quick startup, 3G+/4G digital ballasts that would be ideal (they don't heat up much) but unfortunately I only have four and I need them for another project.

I could have gone for fog light lamps to keep original beam pattern, but the cutout is very low, it only illuminates water/dock right in front of the boat so the modified high beam pattern is much better for what I have in mind. Additionally, the beam is just about as wide as the tube where it goes through the hull so that maximizes light output very nicely.

I'll see if I have time to modify the other one before the end of the season. This time I just got the inspiration, started working on it and didn't have a camera at hand in garage.

47 minutes before the fireworks start so it's time to go. I have a camera with me so I'll try to remember to take beamshots while I'm at it.

Yes, post pics!

Sorry, no usable beamshots. :(

Never got out of the boat, it's docked bow to the buoy and the ones I took standing on front deck were just... illuminated water.

I also realized that the lights are aimed low. I mean really low. While you can see reflectors at distance because of spill and reflections, the beam is aimed just 50ft or so in front of the boat. I'll probably have to do something about it, having 'driving lights' of sorts is tempting...

Missed this ealier...

Basically, it IS a fancy washer. The reflector is aluminum so I wanted to make sure there won't be corrosion problems like there would have been if I used a plain steel washer. The screws I used are aluminum, too.

As a sidenote, I took a close look at some of the pictures I took earlier and it seems the docking lights are installed with sealant and eight screws. I think it won't be difficult to change the angle - the old screw holes must be sealed with a fiberglass filler, sanded and polished. The tube holes in the hull seem to have some room for adjustment. I'll look into that when the boat is out of the water next month.