How to Rig a Small Boat With Running Lights

If you plan to run your dinghy or other small boat at night, it’s a very good idea to install running lights to avoid collisions and keep from getting a citation from the Marine Patrol. Here’s how you can rig up a 12-volt navigation light system for your small boat.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• LED marker lights, red and green
• Bi-color marker light, LED or marine style
• White stern marker light
• Portable drill with selection of small bits
• 2-conductor wire, 18-gauge or 16-gauge
• Soldering iron and solder
• Electrical tape
• Wire clips and 3/8-inch pan-head screws
• Clinching battery terminal lugs

1. Shop for red and green side marker lights. You can use LED marker lights available in auto parts stores. They are completely encapsulated and waterproof, and cost less than $10. If you find LED marker lights in a mounting base that directs the light to one side, a red and green pair can be used for an inexpensive bi-color bow light.

2. Find a white stern light with a detachable base, or with a clamp mount and battery power. When you’re not planning to use your small boat at night, it’s more convenient to get the stern light out of the way and stow it. Buy a marine bi-color bow light at a marine supplier if you can find the right type of LED lights.

3. Buy enough 2-conductor wire, like 18-gauge stereo speaker wire, to go around the circumference of your boat and have several feet left over. Buy a bag of wire mounting clips containing at least eight clips with mounting screws. If you can find lightweight battery terminal lugs that clinch onto wire, buy a couple.

4. Unless you already have a trolling motor battery in your boat, buy a small 12-volt garden tractor battery to run your lights, or a larger battery if you plan to run a bait aerator or other accessories with it.
   Buy electrical tape, silicone caulk, and a bag of 3/8-inch long pan-head screws.

5. Drill 1/32-ich pilot holes on the gunwales for the two side marker and one or two bow marker lights if your boat is aluminum or fiberglass. Drill a 3/32-inch hole at each marker light position to feed lead wires to the underside of the gunwale. Run the 2-conductor wire under the gunwale and attach it to the underside with wire clips about every two feet.

6. Run wire along the port or starboard under the gunwale, depending on which side of the transom you started from. Feed leads from the red LED marker light on the port (left) side of the gunwale in the middle of the boat, and feed the wires for the green marker LED on the starboard side of the boat. Feed leads for the bow marker lights and continue running wire with wire clips on the underside of the gunwale.

7. Cut and strip positive (red or marked wire) and negative wires, in offset locations close to each marker light, so that wire joins won’t overlap and possibly short out. Connect stripped leads of positive and negative wires, and solder them together if possible. Wrap connected lead wires with several turns of electrical tape.

8. Finish hooking up the parallel circuit wiring to the last side marker or stern light, then crimp battery terminal lugs to the free ends of the wires in the stern if you have them. Test the light system before you screw the marker lights to the gunwale.

Tips & Warnings

• If your dinghy is constructed of HDPE, you won’t need to drill pilot holes for mounting marker lights.
• It will help to drill 1/32-inch pilot holes to fasten wire clip screws on aluminum and fiberglass boat. Use a drop of cyanoacrylic glue on mounting screws to keep them from loosening from vibrations.