Rope lighting your houseboat

These are great and most houseboats are adorned with them.  The down side is they tend to not fair so well out in the weather. Not only do the rope lights themselves tend to turn a burnt orange the channel they rest in do to. The channel usually gets very brittle and breaks away leaving a sagging string of unsightly lights.  If you make a trip to the usual home center this can break the bank.  You can purchase this by the roll from several places.  You should be able to buy a 150ft. roll for approx. $70.00  These places also stock the channel.

Now, bare in mind your boat most likely has both 12volt and 110volt rope lighting.

Normally speaking anywhere you can readily touch will be 12volt.  Example's:  The stairs leading up to the deck area, around the swim platform.

Normally 110volt is used in areas out of reach. Example: Front and rear deck ceiling, soffit areas inside.

Also make note of the size when ordering lights and channel.  Is it 3/8 or ½" they use both.

Now here's some more news.  If you choose you can step up and go green. As in LED (light emitting diode). These are very cost efficient as they use very little energy, but the upfront cost can be 5 times more than bulb lights.

In the estedics department there is nothing that can cheer-up an older houseboat like rope lighting. They come in a variety   of colors, are easy to change with the seasons, and can be put virtually anywhere! We take our boat out every weekend and the children play in the water until dark. With the lights around the swim platform it makes it nice as well as safe.

If you are having trouble finding them by the roll just ask aunt Merri and I will tell you where you can get them.

And Aunt Merri says it's as simple as that.