Where to place bow light and cleats?

I need to install navigation lights and cleats on my new Tracker 1542 and wanted to get a little advice from you guys. I assume that my bow light needs to be a plug-in model on a short pole to get it up over the trolling motor mount. I also assume that it needs to be dead center of the bow, right?

I'm thinking I also need a cleat on the bow for tying off an anchor, but I'm not real sure where to place it. Take a look at my photo-chop job and let me know what you guys think. I don't really like the cleat being off to the corner like that. Do you guys see a better solution?

I'm really nervous to start drilling holes in my brand new boat, so I'm trying to take it slow. :shock:

Thanks.

BoWingo said:

I need to install navigation lights and cleats on my new Tracker 1542 and wanted to get a little advice from you guys. I assume that my bow light needs to be a plug-in model on a short pole to get it up over the trolling motor mount. I also assume that it needs to be dead center of the bow, right?

I'm thinking I also need a cleat on the bow for tying off an anchor, but I'm not real sure where to place it. Take a look at my photo-chop job and let me know what you guys think. I don't really like the cleat being off to the corner like that. Do you guys see a better solution?

I'm really nervous to start drilling holes in my brand new boat, so I'm trying to take it slow. :shock:

Thanks.

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The navigation lights need to be visible and in your case you'd want to raise it above the TM mount. The USCG web site should have the information you need about the specifics of where to mount it. Some boats have them flush mounted into the hull and older runabouts have them on the hood but often several inches back from the very tip of the bow.

Before you decide about the cleat think about how it will be used. If you fish alone you'll be the one to drop and raise the anchor. If it's in the front you'll have to get up and move to the front of the boat each time it's deployed or retrieved. If this is the case you might prefer the cleat in the back nearer the operator's seat. The anchor doesn't have to be in the front. If you think of the anchor being the center point of a circle, the boat will rotate around that point. If it's in the front then the back of the boat will move around that point and vice-versa. I'm not sure it's necessary to have the anchor in front although that's traditionally where they seem to be located.

On my boat I have two cleats on each side and an anchor pulley at the front. The cleats are used to tie up to the dock and hold the boat parallel to the dock. Two sets are good so you can tie the boat up no matter which side of the dock you pull up to. Also, the cleats are located with one set near the operator's seat and the other near the passengers seat. I have two anchors so I can keep my position if it's important - one tied to a cleat in front and one in back. I almost never use the anchor pulley.

Here is the page in my build thread that shows how I did my bow lights. It's about halfway down.

https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=26774&start=255

I used LED modules from www.oznium.com. Couldn't be happier with them. They are nice because they don't stick up over the bow and run the risk of being kicked off or tripped over. They are SUPER bright as well.

As for the cleat, I have one dead center in the front of my bow and one on the starboard side of my transom brace. I use the one on the transom to anchor the boat on the shore while duck hunting. This way we can quickly throw the anchor in the boat, and the bow is pointed out towards the river ready to retrieve downed birds. I used it once to anchor while catfishing, not a good idea!! Lost the anchor because the force of the river against the transom was too much. The bow cleat is ideal for anchoring in any type of moving water.

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the help. I'm going to go with a single cleat dead center on the bow. For stern cleats, I'll put them on both port and starboard in the triangle transom braces.

I like those LED modules. I'm going to look into how feasible those would be for mounting on a square bow. Need to figure out how to provide aft visibility while also blocking the lights from shining across the centerline.