All round white light?

[Clumpy]

Hi guys,

Some advice would be great; I have a canopy on my boat and would like to put a nav light on the top in the middle of it. At the moment i have a poll attached to the side of it, this is ok as it can been seen from any direction but i would like something a little more permanent and tidy.

Option 1: I could just drill some holes into the top of it to mount the light, but this would mean drilling holes though the canvas which I don’t want to do.
Will putting two small holes in my canvas ruin it? Is there something I can put in/on the canvas to stop it ripping after putting holes in it?

Option 2: I already have a small stern light, I could put a bow light on, but this would involve drilling into the fibreglass, which I’m trying to avoid.

I know a lot of people just put a extendable white light on the stern of the boat, I don’t want to do this as I want it seen from all directions as it should be. (I have almost hit enough boats at night to know this)

Anyone got any ideas I would really appreciate the advice. :thumbsup:

Cheers

[Brett]

if you want it centered on the alloy frame of the canopy, then there isn't much choice but to put holes in the canopy.
If done properly I can't see a problem, with it ripping. You should be able to use a soldering iron to melt the edge of the material after the hole is made, this will help stop it ripping.

The other way, take it to an upholsterer and show them where you want the light, then they can remove the canopy and cut the relevent section out and re-seem it, could be a touch expensive for a simple light though.

[Clumpy]

You should be able to use a soldering iron to melt the edge of the material after the hole is made, this will help stop it ripping.

great idea, thanks Brett

[Tezza_26]

Is there any reason that you can't mount a small plate with the light on it and attach it to the ally frame with acouple of pipe mounts simmilar to exhaust clamps? This would remove the need to cut your canopy or even to drill holes in your frame. Just an idea.

[Clumpy]

Is there any reason that you can't mount a small plate with the light on it and attach it to the ally frame with acouple of pipe mounts simmilar to exhaust clamps? This would remove the need to cut your canopy or even to drill holes in your frame. Just an idea.

Thanks for a the advice tezza, thats the sort of thing i already had, however im a little retentive and wanted to tidy it up a bit. I just bit the bullet and mounted it to the top of the canopy, this worked even better as i was able to run the wires inside the canopy, this way i didn't have a heap of unnecessary wires all over the place.
But cheers for the help.