Boater compact thrower suggestions

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Been researching flashlights for boating for a couple of weeks now but he shear amount of flashlights on the market is mind-boggling. I have a few practical needs out of a thrower for boating use. This light wouldn’t be used very often and usually for short lengths at a time ( 15-20 min). Spending a small fortune on sparse use wouldn’t seem useful. LEP too costly and pencil beams unnecessary.

Throw - sustainable beam with usefulness of a couple hundred meters for spotting buoys and other obstacles in boat path. Brief need of father throw (500 meters or more) for reflective marker spotting. Don’t need 1.5 km+ throw.

Runtime - I’d say at least an hour of usable beam strength of a couple hundred meters in the rare case of being a bit far from home. Farther throw time is momentary.

Build - used in marine environment so some water spray/splash expected.

Size - holding a light in your hand at shoulder height for extended period of time can be tiring. I think around the size of the Catapult V6 or so would be as big as I’d like. The massive cannons are not what I’m looking for right now.

Beam spill - this is an importanat factor to be considered in boating use. To much beam spill reflection from deck affects night vision so keeping spill down is important. zoomie an option

Color - NW is preferred (helps with bad weather)

Budget - $100 if it can be helped

Any common battery type is fine with me, runtime being a concern is to be considered.

Some lights that interest me:

Acebeam E10 - compact, nice throw and low beam spill. Runtime? No lanyard attachment. Budget friendly

Acebeam L17 - similar to E10. Runtime? Budget friendly

Thrunite Catapult V6 - Good throw but light spill might be issue?. On sale at Thrunite for $62 free shipping.

Brinyte T18 Artemis - Adjustable zoom very handy for different throw length uses. Very bright throw. Low spill. Over budget.

Noctigon K1 with W1 - Awesome throw and maybe runtime. Spill?

Heard from an avid night boater on his choices for lights. His collection is a bit dated but extensive. For smaller lights he likes Fenix TK32, HT18 and Nitecore P30.
His YouTube video of boating lights: https://youtu.be/jyBu-l37re0

Derrelight NM800-4S very popular amongst boaters. They swear by the aspheric lens usefulness out on the water.

Marinebeam Ultra Long Range is another thrown around among boaters

I’ve asked this question on r/flashlight. I’d like the suggestions or advice of some of the users on this forum.

2

Noctigon K1 with W1 is a way to go.
Mike

3

Streamlight waypoint.

4

As a boater, I always feel an obligation to post a cautionary statement when considering flashlights for marine use. Most of the lights the OP listed are decent or better lights for some purposes. And I am an big admirer of Hank Wang for the innovation he has brought about. But, if the safety of my boat and crew were at stake, I would not choose any light with an electronic switch, or without potted electronics. And I would strongly lean toward a product with a long tack record of reliability, and rugged durability, rather than one with the latest emitter or complex UI. I realize it is over budget, but my number one pick for my own use, one that has not failed in years of rough duty at sea, is the Malkoff Hound Dog 18650 (in neutral white, with a hi-lo head switch). I don’t want to sound over-dramatic, but I can tell you from experience that if someone falls overboard at night, their life might depend on the flashlight you choose.

5

Yeah I’m really liking the K1

6

Hey those are valid points. The fancy lights make me wonder about durability like dropping on ground and such. I wont rely on a single flashlight, always have a backup. I don’t run much at night and of course GPS these days is a huge help. Those Hounddogs run about $120-180 I think, few different models.

Back in the 80’s before GPS nav systems I relied on charts and handheld 12v cig lighter spotlights to navigate at night. It was a PITA but never had a light failure thank God.

7

The trusty pistol grip spotlight. It’s a solid pick and floats too. I think it loses half its output after 30 min on high.

8

Olight Warrior X Pro and Acebeam L17. Both manufacturers make very reliable lights and are very reliable. Speras T1 is another interesting one I like alot. MF02S with SBT90.2 LED but might be overkill.

9

If you navigate your boat from the stern(in my case,i use tiller control outboard and on sitting position),you need to use flashlight that produce less spill due to light reflected from your boat deck.I use WF1 both on handheld and headlamp configuration.
I found the faster you go,the throwier light you need.I usually cruise at approx 10-12 knots.
I dont use zoomie since most zoomie heavier that reflector type light and less water resistance.
Having warm yellow led (example SST20 2700k-3000k) also neat incase dense fog or on raining condition.

10

I like the L17. Can’t find much info on the runtime or compared to the E10.

11

Yeah, you got the right idea. I agree with all those points. I like sub 5000k. What’s WF1? Is it a K1 with W1 or a some specific emitter? Modded light?

I’d be piloting from a center console. Spill is a big concern of mine. I don’t want to be blinded by the spill. That’s what I find attractive from the Acebeam E10 or L17.

12

Sorry for the bad acronym.It is Osram White Flat 1mm(WF1).C8(convoys,astroluxs,sofirns) size head is adequate for the task.
I never had acebeam,but i think it can do just well.

13

I couldn’t find those lights with that emitter as a standard choice so I’m assuming it’s modded.

Those Acebeams got low spill but the runtime might be an issue. They are cheap enough to have 2 of them or spare batteries.

14

Yes,mine was modded headlamp(powered by usb powerbank) and stock noctigon K1(heavy to be handheld for a long period).I tested convoy c8 with xpl-hi,but it just way to much spill.If you could do some soldering,swap the emmiter to WF1.

15

There is a comparison of the Acebeam L17, E10, and Manker MC13 here

More beamshot comparisons of the MC13 and others. I believe the MC13 is being compared to the C8S with W1, LH351D, and SST40 emitters in these beam shots.
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6845471620

There is a group buy on the MC13 right now. It is also the first flashlight to use the CULNM1.TG, which is the highest intensity emitter in existence.

16

Interesting. The MC13 beam throw seems very similar to the Acebeam L17. I can’t find much review tech data on the MC13 since it’s pretty new. Like to know the runtime and throw of high setting. I’d have a hard time choosing between the two. I’d opt for the 18650 tube for the MC13.

How can I find that group buy?

17

MC13 uses one of the white flats, output is pretty high for WF1 so likely the 2. It also has similar optics to the Acebeam E10 and L17, possibly the exact same as one or both.

Just about every light suggested in this thread uses one of them.

The MC13, E10 and L17 are some of the best options due to bright spill being blinding like already mentioned. Their TIR optics have a very wide spill, but it’s much dimmer than that from a light using a reflector.

18

I like both MC13 and L17. Either would be a good choice IMO for the reasons you stated. K1 W1 seems like a popular suggestion due to great throw but reflector spill makes it less desirable to me.

So how do I get into group buy for MC13?

19

Yeah K1 is also much larger than any of these and has a truly “pencil” beam. It’s extremely tight and focused - the XHP35 HI option for it would almost be a great fit, but that has even brighter spill.

If there is an MC13 GB/coupon it will either be in a thread here or at M4DM4X.com, highly suggest joining that. Max shares some really great deals.

One thing to consider is that Manker lights have sometimes been “misses” instead of hits on build quality and designs that withstand lots of abuse. Acebeam is very well regarded in those factors, and I say from experience that they really do have great fit and finish + designs that aim for durability and longevity. Often the same or better than you’d see from Streamlight, Surefire, etc.

20

BLF special group buy for the Manker MC13 and E14 III can be found here [UPDATED M4D deal] Manker “EDC Muscle Combo – BLF Limited”
The Mankers should be pretty efficient and last quite a while with the Boost HL emitter as long as it is not always blasted on full turbo. Per manufacturer specs, the driver is constant current circuit (Non-PWM)!