lights - Maxum Boat Owners Club

seapuppy · 10-31-2006, 04:13 PM

I just finished installing these cool LED lights on my swimstep....they are single units about the size of a nickel and I spliced them into the cockpit lights ...so when I kick on the cockpit lights...they are on...now these things have 2 bulbs in each unit and a lens infront to basically focus the light a bit..not much...man are they bright...lights up the whole step and only cost about 12 bucks at my local boat store....the stbd side where I put mine was a real bear to install..that's where my shore pwr comes into the transom locker....but other than that...drill a hole..file it smooth...and install....draws very little current but is bright as hell......really makes the boat light up in the stern.......
next time I can..I'll shoot a couple of nite shots..but the temps dropped like my ex-wife finding out about my girlfriend...( :wink: )...so it may be a bit before I get out to the boat to take some pic's....definitely worth the 12 bucks for each unit....

racer2c · 10-31-2006, 06:05 PM

Sounds nice. I look forward to seeing the pics!

Franco_2100SC · 11-01-2006, 02:23 PM

Nice to hear there are some that can still get out on the water. Here in Northern Va the temps will be below freezing this weekend, and I just got Sempre Veloce back from the Marine guys so its all shrink wrapped and stuck away for the winter.

I'm gonna be pulling the JBL POS radio and replacing it with Clarion come the spring, and I saw over on another web site I frequent "TheHullTruth" a neat little voltage read out that is gonna wind up somewhere on my console.

For me, all that remains is to jack up the trailer and set it on Jackstands so I can spin the tires each month to help prevent sidewall rot.

I have to move south soon....

KKKKFL

seapuppy · 11-01-2006, 05:03 PM

I used to live and work in Va....hate the winters...worked at NN Shipbuilding and drydock....man..I can attest that it's friggin cold as my ex wife's heart....

moved up here to the pacnorwest and can tell you it's great boating all yr long....pretty much..there are a few weeks where it's pretty unpleasant...but most of the time it's pretty good........
temps dropped pretty drastically the other day and had to go to the boat and put heaters in the boat..
but overall...great boating up here....

racer2c · 11-01-2006, 07:19 PM

We may be moving to Tampa in Jan if I accept a job transfer.
Boating is different down there, at least for my little boat. It's a great little lake and river boat, but I think I'll feel pretty small out on the Gulf.

The Gulf can be as smooth as a lake at times. I've seen actual glass conditions! I've also been miles off shore in a little skiff (14') and it's not a comfortable feeling (to me at least). I have seen many boats my size (18' bowrider) that boat in the Bay itself so maybe I'll look into that, but my wife and I want to take weekend cruises to FL shore towns so we're already making a wish list for our next boat. It needs to be small enough to still trailer with our V8 Dakota (5500lb tow capacity) but large enough to sleep on if we want with some sort of galley. I don't think I can get into a cruiser, but I see some of the newer 22 to 25' cuddies have microwaves/hotplates and a portable head, though I doubt any cuddy has a generator. Isn't that the real difference between a cuddy and a cruiser i.e. generator, galley, head?
That's not what we really want, but I don't want to have to get an older boat just to get into a true cruiser.
We'll see.

I'm also not thrilled with dealing with salt water either, but my marina man said it's just a matter of flushing it regularly and all will be fine. It's the corrosion that sucks.

seapuppy · 11-01-2006, 08:41 PM

we cruise up here in the pacnorwest where the water is salty and cold...corrosion is a big deal here so..yeah...it's a pain but it's dealt with by flushing everytime we go out....now we went for a 2455 bay when we got our first cruiser....a cuddy compared to a cruiser is basically just more built ins....ie the head is built in..no porta potty..(not fun to deal with :x )...and the galley is more of a built in too...more sleeping arrangements...you can tow a 2455 or the 2400se (almost the same boat) and still call it a cruiser...the cuddy might be a bit small for you and the open water...
when i was growing up in Fla...the water was anywhere from lake flat to OH MY GOD that's ugly!!!...and it can change in a new york minute.....so...get a boat that will handle it....like a minimum of a 24ft cruiser...they mostly all have the same engines and drives so it's not like it's anything bigger...just the size of the boat.....but that's just my 2 braincells firing off again......good luck.....oh yeah...in fla...we had to fight off the palmetta bugs.....(aka.. giant friggin roaches that fly!!!)......haha...

MaxumNewbie · 11-01-2006, 10:05 PM

I agree with seapuppy. I have a 23 foot cuddy (2300SC), and a good friend of mine who docks his boat 2 slips from mine has the 24 foot (2400SCR).. We have the same 8 1/2 foot beam, same exact engine. But his boat is much taller. So his cabin you can actually stand and move around, his can be plugged in for power and he's got a bathroom with a sink and door. Also the microwave, hotplate and a separate sleeping hole.

Basically what im getting at is you really get alot more living type of amenities without being a full blown cruiser and its not that much more money than the 23 foot cuddy. The only reason I didnt go for that boat is because it was too much boat for me as a first boat.

I also went out with him last winter for some blackfishing and we got hit at the jetty with 8-10 foot waves, saw my life flashing as we went through it but it still made it through just fine, I think my cuddy would have been washed up in that.
BTW when we left that morning the seas were 3-5 feet but boy did that change fast.

Dont know if my input helps at all, especially since im so new to this but I still enjoy the chit chat and learning everything I have from you guys and this site.

racer2c · 11-02-2006, 04:28 AM

Thanks guys and I didn't mean to derail your thread seapuppy. Still waiting for the pics of your lights!

I've done a bit of boating, not a lot but a bit, out in the Gulf about 45 miles north of Tampa (Hernando area) and its unique shallow water probably has something to do with the smoother conditions. It's about 12" outside of the channel and the channel is one mile long which lets you out into about four feet of water. Of course that depends on tides. From there the rule of thumb is that the depth increases one foot per mile. So ten miles out is only about 14 feet! I've been out about three miles in small boats where it's as calm as any lake in the summer evening and you can see the bottom with no problem.

8 to 10? Oh my. I went through the Gulf on a cruise ship in 12' waves and everyone on board was sick.

ops:

yeah, the bugs in FL are relentless! From the annoying lovebugs to the biting gnats to the...you name it. ugh! At least most have their 'seasons'.

seapuppy · 11-02-2006, 04:32 AM

I'll be the first to tell you that if your going to boat in the cheasepeak.....your going to want a larger boat..or atleast as much boat as you can afford.....the boats are pretty equal in construction and I'll also tell you that that boat will take alot more than you will....it's a tough boat...it's basically the same boat as the 2455...small differences and all....but overall..they will take a beating....I know...I've beaten ours hard and it took more than we did.......tough boats...but comfy....like MN said....shorepwr...built in stove/fridge/head....can't beat that....same engine/drive packages.....so..really the only thing is what you want to add.....but that's just me...the only thing I will be honest to tell you is that it's a bear to dock in wind with a single drive and the complete canvas like we had.......in a breeze..it would spin when we got close to the finger pier and it was basically a chinese fire drill in nasty winds....but overall....good boats....let us know how it goes.....

Franco_2100SC · 11-02-2006, 12:44 PM

This year I put tabs on the 2100SC cuz I am sort of in the same boat (little play on words) as you. I don't want a full up cruiser, but want just that little bit more of galley. I can keep upgrading, the tabs really helped make the 21 SC handle light chop as far as ride, but you start to reach a point.

If you are out shopping over the winter look at the Crownline 275CCR, if I can find a used 2006 that's what's in my future.
http://www.crownline.com/model_list.php?type=cuddies

KKKKFL

seapuppy · 11-02-2006, 04:07 PM

no problems about hijacking....it's all about boating and if I can help out some...great.....hopefully you will make a decision on what is right for you and your family......I used to live in Pcola as a kid...water was outstanding in the gulf but in the bays and backwaters were ugly looking...but it's all good boating..I remember seeing 60 ft straight down in the gulf at p-cola beach....awesome scuba and snorkling....
let us know what you come up with....