Can someone recommend a light system for my kayak?

[Backdoc]

Thanks for all of the advice. I bought a visicarbon pro from Amazon for $92. It seemed steep but someone on here said "you can't put a price on safety" and I agree. My wife is a little more comfortable with my late returns now.

[archeryrob]

I'm late again, I could have saved you money. This light is $10 shipped to your door and I think I have $12 to $15 in the entire flag setup too.
Homemade light and flag pole.

[wfauby]

I have a Visicarbon & my Mrs. just picked up, from the outfitter/retailer REI, a shorter light w/ a suction-cup holder which works well. It has a similar, twist the lens to turn on, action as the visicarbon. i place the smaller light on my bow (with a light deflector on the backside because it blinds me) and it illuminates the shore-line as well as making me twice as visible...the visicarbon is behind me in the crate...

[clm]

My mini stadium light set up...

[Frogsauce]

Between the whistle and air horn, spotlight flashlight, stern light, headlamp, and reflective tape on everything, I should hope no one runs me over. So far many night trips have gone without a close call.

I also carry hand flares in a dry bag. I figure if a boat gets too close after all that, I start tossing him some fiery sticks. Might get his attention.

[eyedaddy]

Now that is bright! Is that a DIY or store purchase?

[clm]

DIY. water proof LEDs on a 1 inch PVC pipe. There is a ring of 8 on top that I use for 360 degree viewing. They put out enough light to read my watch by.. I turn these on for loading/unloading or landing a big fish.

[eyedaddy]

Thanks! It's kinda what I was looking for...BRIGHT!

[rob-kayak]

@ CLM...
His lights are, well.... probably redirecting air traffic to the wrong runways....
all in fun CLM... your lights are awesome... although with my little tugboat I gotta go light weight
and 5000mah lipo's are out of the question (although I got some around the heli-pad).

And the other guys have give some good suggestions to off the shelf options one of the Visi pole types
I saw on Amazoo for a good price... but as usual for me... $40 is gas money to fish...

I reworked my original design from last year (other thread for DIY lights)...
My green and red lights can now be deployed in my forward rod holders if I decide to use them...
But the main stay white light pole for the rear is as shown in the photo... breaks down for storage..
extra batteries etc in the pole... etc etc..
Works great... although I have been looking at one of these to run off my 12V battery....
"Car Step-Down Module DC 12-40V to 5V 2USB Power Charger for MP3"....

The light with 3AA batteries.... will work off a USB type power... but that's another project...

As a "bonus" in the picture is my $5 fish cooler storage bag packed for storage till I need it.
Made from 1/2 a windshield sun shade (works great !). I freeze a block of ice that I keep in my mini cooler bag
that I drop in the fish bag for the trip home.
Towing behind fish on a stringer slows me down especially when I'm out 10 miles from port...

[clm]

@ CLM...
His lights are, well.... probably redirecting air traffic to the wrong runways....
all in fun CLM... your lights are awesome... although with my little tugboat I gotta go light weight
and 5000mah lipo's are out of the question (although I got some around the heli-pad).

And the other guys have give some good suggestions to off the shelf options one of the Visi pole types
I saw on Amazoo for a good price... but as usual for me... $40 is gas money to fish...

I reworked my original design from last year (other thread for DIY lights)...
My green and red lights can now be deployed in my forward rod holders if I decide to use them...
But the main stay white light pole for the rear is as shown in the photo... breaks down for storage..
extra batteries etc in the pole... etc etc..
Works great... although I have been looking at one of these to run off my 12V battery....
"Car Step-Down Module DC 12-40V to 5V 2USB Power Charger for MP3"....

The light with 3AA batteries.... will work off a USB type power... but that's another project...

As a "bonus" in the picture is my $5 fish cooler storage bag packed for storage till I need it.
Made from 1/2 a windshield sun shade (works great !). I freeze a block of ice that I keep in my mini cooler bag
that I drop in the fish bag for the trip home.
Towing behind fish on a stringer slows me down especially when I'm out 10 miles from port...

Nice set up you have too. I run mine with an 1800 may battery, but from the way it sips the volts, I think a 1300 would be plenty as well. On my last outting the small cats were coming up next to the yak and feeding, I may have to rig a submersible light and see what else I can attract.

[Cowpokey]

Nice set up you have too. I run mine with an 1800 may battery, but from the way it sips the volts, I think a 1300 would be plenty as well. On my last outting the small cats were coming up next to the yak and feeding, I may have to rig a submersible light and see what else I can attract.

Crappie fishermen do that.

[Frogsauce]

We made floating, downward pointing lights back in KY. Tossed them out in the water on a tether and fish right under them.

[rob-kayak]

Made a quick dash late yesterday, winds were looking to be almost dead calm with anticipated higher winds the rest of the week. Was treated to a spectacular evening. It was a new place for me... kept worrying the battery on the GPS would die, even though everything was fully charged. I kept spotting lights on the horizon to keep my route true back to launch as a safeguard.
Well anyway.. this was about my new light set up and I was real happy with it. It's amazingly bright for what it is. I kept turning over my shoulder to look, thinking there was a full moon over my shoulder :-) so as to take a picture.

Didn't use the flash for this picture...


And of course there was the sunset !

[daolai]

Nice light well done good idea on where you store your jig heads too... i'm always trying to find ways to keep myself better organized - pre-launch-on kayak-post launch

[rob-kayak]

... pre-launch-on kayak-post launch

Post launch... ie... on the water at 3pm.. back at the launch 10pm'ish... if that is what you were asking :-)