Top 7 Boat Dock Lighting Tips for 2022

Safety Lighting

Safety is one of the best reasons to light up your dock. Lighting your dock allows you and your family to be able to see where you are walking and help prevent anyone from falling off the edge of the dock. Dock lighting also helps boat traffic see your dock while they pass by your dock in the canal. Dock lighting will help prevent any marine accidents that might occur after sundown.

Reduce Cost with Solar Lights

Solar lights are a great way to light your dock without having to use your power bill. Whether you’re getting pathway and edge lighting, or lights for your pilings, solar is the best way to go. They will come on automatically every night, and charge during the day. With quality solar lights, there is virtually no maintenance. They will also turn on at dusk every night automatically, so you don’t have to worry about flipping any switches, or plugging anything in at night.

Don’t Overdo It

There are some of us that once we get into adding accessories, it seems like we can’t stop. Be careful when lighting your dock and make sure it’s not too bright. You don’t want it to be lit up so much that the people on your dock can’t see. You also don’t want to blind any of the boaters that might be going past your dock. Lighting is great, but you don’t want it to be a hazard.

Don’t Go Cheap

There are a lot of dock lighting choices out there. Many of them will be very cheap. This might seem encouraging at first, but it’s best NOT to go with the cheapest option when it comes to dock lighting. Cheap solar lights won’t last long on a dock. Many of our customers’ docks are on saltwater. Saltwater is notoriously harsh on anything you have exposed at your dock. It doesn’t matter if it’s a light, fishing gear, or tools, the saltwater will start to cause corrosion. Cheaper lighting options will use cheaper materials during the manufacturing process, so they will not last nearly as long as higher-end products. You’ll find yourself spending more money on replacements of cheaper products, than one longlasting set of higher-end dock lights.

Don’t Get Flashing Lights

Flashing lights might seem like they draw attention and might be safer, but they can actually cause some problems of their own. Bright flashing lights can be distracting, if not blinding to the people with boats coming through the canals. You want to make sure you and those possibly passing by your dock are safe. 

Dock Lighting That Attracts Fish

Underwater Fish Lights are a great way to light up your dock and attract fish at the same time! The soft glow of the underwater dock lights helps boaters see your dock without being too bright. These simple lights can be dropped into the water from your dock or boat, it’s up to you. Small microscopic animals called zooplankton are usually the first to show up when they see reflections in the water caused by the lights, which then attracts small bait fish like minnows that come and feed on the zooplankton. Then, the bait fish see their perfect opportunity to eat some bait fish and don’t even notice the hook in the water because they’re so focused on catching the bait.