Project Sailfish / Underwater Lighting
We just picked up this beautiful, yellow Sailfish 266 Center Console and being a marine lighting company, we just had to start drilling holes to put lights in it. Our fist project was to add some Underwater Lights. We originally had intended to use two thru-hull type, either in LED or Xenon HID, but soon realized that mounting two of them below the waterline was not possible with the location of the twin outboards and trim tabs. We now had to decide between a single HID Xenon thru-hull or a single SeaLED LED Light. We opted for a single HID Xenon thru-hull.
Before cutting the mounting hole, check to ensure there is sufficient space
to
accommodate the fixture body and that it will not affect the operation of other
equipment in close proximity, nor compromise the integrity of the structure.
View from inside the bilge area before cutting the hole. Make sure you have
plenty
of clearance and that nothing is in the way, wires, hoses, etc.
Mark the position. It is good practice to tape cardboard to the surface to be
cored/cut then cut the hole through the cardboard. Measure twice, three times.....
We used a 3 1/4" hole saw and a drill in slow speed to cut the hole. Because
of the
thickness of the transom, we had to finish cutting the hole from the inside.
Go slow
and make sure not to breathe or get the fiberglass dust all over you.
Notice how thick the hull is at the transom.
After coring/cutting the hole, apply a marine-grade high-temp. sealant to the
cut surface to ensure it is completely sealed against the ingress of moisture
between laminations.
Apply a generous bead of sealant around the underside of the Lens Bezel flange
(sealant should squeeze out around the edge of the flange). Excess sealant can
be cleaned away once the unit is completely secured with locking nut.
Fit silicone rubber mounting seal provided. Fit mounting washer. Fit mounting
lock
nut. Tighten Mounting Locking nut firmly; ensuring silicone rubber mounting
seal is
under compression.
Finish up the wiring and you are done. This is a fairly simple and quick project.
Should take about 1-2 hours to complete depending on how much wiring you need
to do to run it to an Accessory switch.