How to Light Boat Decks

Boat decks are dark places after the sun goes down. They have to be, because lighted decks blind you and other boaters -- unless you're having an activity on deck. Then you will need light and lots of it. Whether you're having a party topside, or you just want enough light to tie the boat up when you dock, you can light up a dark deck yourself, with removable halogen deck lamps that turn your fishing rod holders into lamp bases and your boat's deck into a center of activity after dark.

Things You'll Need

  • 3/4-inch PVC pipe
  • Hacksaw
  • Marine-grade halogen lamp
  • China marker
  • Drill and bit
  • Pliers-type wire crimper
  • Screwdriver
  • 5/16-inch box-end wrench
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut 3/4-inch PVC pipe into 6-foot lengths with a hacksaw.

    • 2

      Hold a marine-grade halogen deck lamp near the top of a piece of the PVC pipe. Use the lamp's mounting bracket as a template as you mark the location of the bracket's mounting holes onto the pipe with a china marker.

    • 3

      Drill holes through both sides of the PVC at the mounting-hole locations, using a drill and appropriately sized bit. Bolt the lamp to the pipe.

    • 4

      Push the PVC pipe into one of the boat's fishing rod holders.

    • 5

      Crimp ring terminals to the lamp's red power wire and black ground wire with a pliers-type wire crimper. Remove a screw from the boat's common power bus, using a screwdriver. Place the ring terminal over the screw and return the screw to the power bus. Connect the black ground wire to the common ground in the same way you connected the red power wire to the power bus.