Boat LED Strip Lights

Boat LED strip lights are popular applications among marine hobbyists. Waterproof LED strip lights for boats can go around the trim of jet skis and boats to provide additional underwater lighting or deck lighting on yachts. Non-waterproof LED strip lighting for boats is typically used as accent lighting in the wheelhouse, staterooms, and galley, as well as display and task lighting.

What Are Boat LED Strip Lights?

Image via Flickr by Port of San Diego

Tape and strip LED lighting for boats typically emit lights in a single direction. LED strips for boats are easy to install, using L-shaped connectors for 90-degree corners, and come in several colors, including bright white, warm glow, red, green, and blue. A downside to LED strip lighting for boats is that they generally have a limited-run length of around 16 feet before requiring their own power source.

While most strip lights for boats are sold in 120, 60, 40, or 30 LEDs per meter, some sellers offer strips by the reel, with one reel equaling 16.4 feet or 5 meters. While the 30 LED strip only draws three amps, the 120 LED strip light provides the most brightness while only drawing four amps. The brightness of boat LED strip lights are measured in lumens instead of watts. It also varies from project to project:

• Accent lighting: 150 to 250 lumens per foot.
• Under-cabinet lighting: 175 to 550 lumens per foot.
• Task lighting near-source: 250 to 450 lumens per foot.
• Task lighting far from source: 350 to 700 lumens per foot.
• Indirect lighting: 375 to 575 lumens per foot.
• Signs: 500 to 750 lumens per foot.

One 60-watt incandescent light bulb equals 12 watts of LED boat lighting. To calculate what transformer is needed, multiply the strip's length by the wattage of the strip. For example, if you had 6 meters x 5.3 watts = 31.8 watts, a 60-watt transformer would be needed.

What Are the Right Strip Lights for Boats?

You should choose the best marine LED strip lights for your project. First, decide if the LED strip lighting will be exposed to elements like sand or water. If you're looking to install boat LED strip lights in underwater or high splash areas, you'll want to use waterproof LED strips. If you're looking to install them inside your boat, away from water and sand, then waterproofing isn't needed. Other steps include:

• Deciding how bright you want your lighting to be. Are you looking for soft accent lighting or brighter lighting for areas needing more light? When installing brighter LED strip lighting, you'll want to make sure you have a dimmer also. 
• Determining how much LED strip lighting you'll need for your project and calculating how many meters, feet, or reels of LED lighting you need. 
• Installing your boat LED strip lights. Solderless connectors even allow you to cut and connect LED strips to just about anything. 

Do You Need a Remote Dimmer?

As mentioned above, you may want to invest in dimmers, especially with brighter lit areas. Remote LED dimmers allow you to control your boat LED lighting strips remotely. For instance, installing a dimmer and transmitter kit close to your LED strip lights will enable you to remotely activate the dimmer either with a small tape-on LED dimmer or a wireless handheld dimmer. Tape-on dimmer switches are handy, allowing you to mount the switch where it's most convenient, with no wires running between the controller and dimmer.

Remote dimmers also provide an incredible amount of flexibility. You can even have one dimmer transmitter switch paired with several dimmer receivers. For example, you can have one dimmer switch controlling all your boat LED strip lights on both sides with no wires running between the dimmer control and switch. You can also have two dimmer transmitters controlling a single dimmer receiver, especially nice if you like having the ability to turn on floor illumination from both the bow and aft of the boat.

Top Boat LED Strip Lights

There are a lot of boat LED strip lights available, so how do you know which ones will work best on your boat? You'll want to think about where you plan to place the lights, the purpose you want the lights to serve, and how much you're willing to spend on LED strip lights. Here are a few top picks when it comes to boat LED strip lights.

DAYBETTER LED Tape Lights

The resin used to make these strip lights allows them to be suited for outdoor use as well as indoor use, making the DAYBETTER LED Tape Lights an excellent choice for your boat. You can purchase a roll that measures either 16.4 or 32.8 feet of lights with 300 light sources requiring a 12-volt power supply. Peel and stick these lights just about anywhere, thanks to the strong adhesive. The 44-key remote control lets you customize your lighting experience.

DC Waterproof 5050 LED Light Strip

Another great option for boat LED strip lights is the DC Waterproof 5050 LED Light Strip available in cool white, warm white, red, blue, green, yellow, and RGB (red, green, blue). You get a roll of 16 feet of 1000 lumen lights that require a 12-volt power source. These lights are waterproof and can be mounted on your fishing boat or pontoon easily with the 3M adhesive strip.

T-Toplights.com Submersible LED Light Strip

Are you looking to add LED strip lights to your jet ski or underside of your boat? Then the T-Toplights.com Submersible LED Light Strip should be at the top of your list. This LED light strip offers four feet of low amp, bright, energy-efficient lighting that can be submerged in water. For your protection, the LEDs are sealed in silicone.

Boat LED strip lights can be beneficial and fun additions to your pontoon, fishing boat, or jet ski. Marine hobbyists add lighting and audio systems to their boats to customize them while enhancing the experience. Consider lighting up the night with a strip or ten of LED strip lights on your boat for your next night ride or night fishing trip.