• Welcome to Jetboaters.net!

    We are delighted you have found your way to the best Jet Boaters Forum on the internet! Please consider Signing Up so that you can enjoy all the features and offers on the forum. We have members with boats from all the major manufacturers including Yamaha, Seadoo, Scarab and Chaparral. We don't email you SPAM, and the site is totally non-commercial. So what's to lose? IT IS FREE!

    Membership allows you to ask questions (no matter how mundane), meet up with other jet boaters, see full images (not just thumbnails), browse the member map and qualifies you for members only discounts offered by vendors who run specials for our members only! (It also gets rid of this banner!)

    free hit counter

Interior and exterior LED install (Image Heavy!)

MidnightRider

Jetboaters Captain
Messages
956
Reaction score
1,312
Points
207
Location
Zumbro Falls, MN
Boat Make
Malibu
Year
2013
Boat Model
Wake
Boat Length
20
I did full interior and exterior LED install last year but never got around to documenting it. Thought I'd finally create a post for my install in case it is of interest to anyone. First a disclaimer, I spent way too much time and money on this install but had some ideas I wanted to try so I said what the hell and just went for it.

I wanted to do custom led lights and after searching for something I liked in the sizes I liked, I just couldn't find what I wanted so decided to make my own LED lights using LED mounting channels.
Some wants:
- Custom mounted LED
- RGB all around
- Underwater and exterior accent down lighting
- Multi-zone controller with music sync

I started putting together the vision with a Wet Sounds 4 Zone RGB LED Controller (WS-4Z-RGB). Not cheap, but pretty cool controller.
Has zone control as well as music synch (will post a video of the music synch later)
93776


I made the decision to create an entire wiring harness for the whole system ahead of time so I could run the wiring one time and not have to figure out all the wire to pull for each zone/led branch. I split the zones into (1)"Floor", (2)"Mid", (3)"Tower", (4)"Underwater, Exterior Down Light"
The Wetsounds controller allows me to control each zone separately as far as the zone color and mode (flashing, multi color flash, strobe, etc).

93779

Then I got into creating each light I needed. I cut all the sizes of led lights I needed and split the protective coating to wire in pig tails in the center of each strip. This would allow me to run the pig tail out the center of the LED channel for installation. After soldering in the pig tails I resealed it with silicone. I ended up with four different sized batches.
93781


Next I got into cutting the LED channel down to the different sizes. I used the sliver channel for any LEDs that would install on white gel coat and black channel for any LEDs that would be installed on black gel coat/plastic. Drilled the holes for the screws and for the LED pig tail.

93782


Channels were install in the various locations

93783

93785


The pre-fab'd wiring harness was run through out the boat and then started installing the LEDs into the channels

93786

93787
93788


Lastly installed the channel lens and end caps

9378993790

93791


I also install an extra long one over head on the tower

93792











EXTERIOR

I installed some down light LEDs along both sides of the boat

93793


I also install a Dagon 5150 RGB underwater 8000 Lumen LED on the transom (no pics - video of it later).






RESULTS
93794

93795
93796

93797



On White it actually makes for a really nice courtesy lighting for cleaning up at the end of the night etc.


93798



The exterior down lighting LEDs
93799
 

Attachments

props2you

Jetboaters Captain
Messages
533
Reaction score
817
Points
207
Location
Round Lake, IL.
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2016
Boat Model
242 Limited S E-Series
Boat Length
24
WOW!!! Great install and mod!

, I spent way too much time and money on this install
I think you hit the nail on the head with your disclaimer, at least you had both resources, time & money to do it, it looks amazing. I about had a seizure watching your music sync vid.😵 And I thought I had an LED obsession! LOL
 

MidnightRider

Jetboaters Captain
Messages
956
Reaction score
1,312
Points
207
Location
Zumbro Falls, MN
Boat Make
Malibu
Year
2013
Boat Model
Wake
Boat Length
20

Markk

Jetboaters Lieutenant
Messages
280
Reaction score
325
Points
167
Location
Grand Prairie 75054
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2014
Boat Model
Limited S
Boat Length
24
Interested in where you bought the LED channel/lens/caps. I’ve used this type of LED strip often, but I’ve never found the channel. Makes for a nice finish.
 

MidnightRider

Jetboaters Captain
Messages
956
Reaction score
1,312
Points
207
Location
Zumbro Falls, MN
Boat Make
Malibu
Year
2013
Boat Model
Wake
Boat Length
20
Interested in where you bought the LED channel/lens/caps. I’ve used this type of LED strip often, but I’ve never found the channel. Makes for a nice finish.
You can find different style channels at various online stores. I liked the Aluminum “Micro-ALU” Channel - I used black and silver anodized. You can buy different style of lens and end caps - I used the frosted style lens. I ordered from this site:
Scroll down in those ^^ search results and look for Micro-ALU channel
 

Dean P

Jetboaters Admiral
Messages
3,471
Reaction score
4,915
Points
357
Location
Florida
Boat Make
Chaparral
Year
2017
Boat Model
VRX
Boat Length
22
You can find different style channels at various online stores. I liked the Aluminum “Micro-ALU” Channel - I used black and silver anodized. You can buy different style of lens and end caps - I used the frosted style lens. I ordered from this site:
Scroll down in those ^^ search results and look for Micro-ALU channel
Nice install and nicely detailed. Not to rain on your parade, honest, but are the out side lights legal. Would they get mistaken for navigational lights if they're all red or all green? I placed tiny blue lights on the outside of mine (3/side to let me know if the battery switch was on). Did want to go there.
 

MidnightRider

Jetboaters Captain
Messages
956
Reaction score
1,312
Points
207
Location
Zumbro Falls, MN
Boat Make
Malibu
Year
2013
Boat Model
Wake
Boat Length
20
Nice install and nicely detailed. Not to rain on your parade, honest, but are the out side lights legal. Would they get mistaken for navigational lights if they're all red or all green? I placed tiny blue lights on the outside of mine (3/side to let me know if the battery switch was on). Did want to go there.
Actually the US Coast Guard signed off on this entire project!! :winkingthumbsup"

No, of COURSE its not legal. In fact technically most color LEDs anywhere on a boat are illegal. Blue is a gray area state by state, some places I've been told I couldn't have them on and other places they don't seem to care, but red and green anywhere I know of, either inside or outside the boat, are illegal except for navigation lights installed in compliance with the US Coast Guard.
When we have these on we are parked/partying in a cove or slip somewhere and boat is light up like christmas tree - there isn't any mistaking that its just sitting there having a good time.
Also, that's what's nice about the zone controller, I can tone it down by just turning on just the floor lighting or overhead light, change colors, etc.

So thanks for raining on my parade.... :p no I'm kidding. In all seriousness your point is valid even if obvious --- it would very irresponsible and stupid to go flying around the lake with lights on that are confusing to other boaters.
 

Dean P

Jetboaters Admiral
Messages
3,471
Reaction score
4,915
Points
357
Location
Florida
Boat Make
Chaparral
Year
2017
Boat Model
VRX
Boat Length
22
Actually the US Coast Guard signed off on this entire project!! :winkingthumbsup"

No, of COURSE its not legal. In fact technically most color LEDs anywhere on a boat are illegal. Blue is a gray area state by state, some places I've been told I couldn't have them on and other places they don't seem to care, but red and green anywhere I know of, either inside or outside the boat, are illegal except for navigation lights installed in compliance with the US Coast Guard.
When we have these on we are parked/partying in a cove or slip somewhere and boat is light up like christmas tree - there isn't any mistaking that its just sitting there having a good time.
Also, that's what's nice about the zone controller, I can tone it down by just turning on just the floor lighting or overhead light, change colors, etc.

So thanks for raining on my parade.... :p no I'm kidding. In all seriousness your point is valid even if obvious --- it would very irresponsible and stupid to go flying around the lake with lights on that are confusing to other boaters.
Thank you for explaining! That makes perfect sense. You never know who's reading these threads and might copy your mod to have the same affects. Now, they also know the rest of the story. ;)
 

Jameson Clark

Jetboaters Lieutenant
Messages
558
Reaction score
364
Points
162
Location
Laurens, SC
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2017
Boat Model
X
Boat Length
21
Incredible install man!! How hard was it wiring the light that is mounted up on the tower? I keep wanting to add some LEDs up there similar to what the 242s have.
 

MidnightRider

Jetboaters Captain
Messages
956
Reaction score
1,312
Points
207
Location
Zumbro Falls, MN
Boat Make
Malibu
Year
2013
Boat Model
Wake
Boat Length
20
Incredible install man!! How hard was it wiring the light that is mounted up on the tower? I keep wanting to add some LEDs up there similar to what the 242s have.
Yeah I was a bit intimidated by the thought of doing that as well. In the end it was really simple - its pretty open through the tower. I just put a vacuum at the top bottom of the tower and feed a string into the top hole. Took me all of 30 seconds to get the string through, from there it was a piece of cake to pull the wire.
 

Jameson Clark

Jetboaters Lieutenant
Messages
558
Reaction score
364
Points
162
Location
Laurens, SC
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2017
Boat Model
X
Boat Length
21
Yeah I was a bit intimidated by the thought of doing that as well. In the end it was really simple - its pretty open through the tower. I just put a vacuum at the top bottom of the tower and feed a string into the top hole. Took me all of 30 seconds to get the string through, from there it was a piece of cake to pull the wire.
Cool idea with the vacuum! Now to decide on trying to some flush mounts in the crossbars or something similar to what you did... 🤔
 
Top