How much would you pay per buoy for a wireless light up solution?

[Delonous]

Just had an idea and have been throwing it around. Basically would be a small device sitting inside at the bottom of the buoy with a solar panel, battery and LED. Would use a wireless receiver to turn on and off. Device would have a clamp to seal buoy after insertion. Just curious if the average person would pay upwards of $500 to light a course. I've crunched the power numbers and theoretically it could work. Options are per buoy cost

[Horton]

I love the idea but do not think I would use it much

[eleeski]

Decorative lighting. Looking down a lit up course at night, priceless!

 

Eric

[Zman]

Because our lake is well protected to the west with hillside and tall trees, we get shadowed early evenings. Not a big deal since I retired and now ski much earlier.

But, it would be cool to light up the buoys when we ski later, especially early and late season.

Bring it!

[Lars]

In the evenings by the time the surfers call it a day it's too dark for the driver to see the buoys and always figured I could get a decent set in if the buoys were lit.

 

[BraceMaker]

@Lars you do but certainly on public water you are only allowed say 60 minutes past sunset for towed activity, for us it's just not much of a window.

 

We have really clear water and I've always thought a lit up mainline 55s on would be a neat dark driving aid.

 

I think I'd be less interested in a solar wireless than wired, just thinking I could wire the balls with something like cat. 3 wire and carry enough juice to power an led in a ball which could easily be a molded in led which is just discarded. Wonder what a combo power/mainline would cost....

[Than_Bogan]

@BraceMaker You would run power many hundreds of feet instead of using a self-contained solar unit? I think I'm missing something.

[Than_Bogan]

I'm not sure I'm very interested in this, but I think if so I would only light the red ones. It's unsafe (and illegal) to ski in true darkness on our public lake, but we do often ski as the light is fading, and find that in low light performance declines. Being able to spot each of the 10 skier balls (and maybe 4 more green ones) more reliably in low light might make a big difference?

[BraceMaker]

@Than_Bogan not all power is equal. LED pull squat. If you buy bulk wire you could probably get the cost for wire capable of powering 6 turn balls and every other boat guide for maybe 2 cents a foot. Have your per ball cost down after install to pennies more than the cost of a plain ball

[MISkier]

In Michigan, we can ski up until one hour after sunset. We can also ski an hour before sunrise. The lighted buoys would be very helpful during those timeframes, assuming you are lucky enough to have a course installed.

 

I’m also thinking of it for the private sites. At one, we have a sizable membership. This could help alleviate evenings when it’s tough to get a set, or as many sets as you wanted.

 

For the other club that is less busy, it gives the skier an option when they get out of work a bit late and want a quick set.

 

In both club scenarios, an early morning set before work also becomes more possible and practical.

 

And, most of all, it can help you wait a little longer for that evening glass when the conditions are more turbulent during the day.

[PatM]

I wonder if it would help on days where it is tough to see in the daylight due to iffy conditions. i.e. fog or dank dark days with the sun none existent.

[ski6jones]

I would pay more but wouldn't buy them at all for where i ski due to frequent buoy damage. A guy at our lake strapped glow stick on our course one night and we skied. It was a blast. So much better if you could jump out there and night ski when the mood struck you.

[igkya]

While a cool idea, I'd be more interested in a safer buoy/turn ball, that isn't $$$ like the bubble buoy.

[Orlando76]

@BraceMaker led’s do draw squat but to get 12 volts for just the 985’ not to mention the added distance from the source would require practically 4160v once you calculate the voltage drop of a cat5.

[Zman]

@Orlando76 For a floating course, maybe one battery pack per pipe. Hang sealed battery pack a foot or so down a buoy anchor line. Then, run wire through or along pipe for each of the 6 sets of turn ball and 2 boat guides. That would require about 60 feet of wire for those 6 sets. Then 1 battery pack for each pair of gates and 55s. About 20 feet of wire each, assuming cable is about 5 to 6 feet below buoys.

@igkya With Polyform S1 boat guides with the screw in plug over the inflation port, maybe an led stick could be pushed in, the the port sealed with silicone with wire coming out?

For safer turn buoys and gates, Wally buoys. Maybe Wally can work with manufacturer to have led light preinstalled.

 

[lpskier]

Wally Bouy (almost) makes the product you are proposing. Boat guides only, no turn balls. $23, but the light is extra.

 

We have a woman that comes down from Ohio to ski with us pretty regularly. She is in the plastics business. She says it would be pretty easy to make buoys with a glow in the dark material.

[DaveD]

I think they would be useful on a public lake to keep the boats on midnight cruises from running into them.

[ski6jones]

I think @lpskier hit the nail on the head with glow in the dark buoys. They don't need to be crazy bright. Pretty sure when it's dark you'd see them just fine.

[DW]

Concur with the posts on visibility and performance in dimming light, would be great for that.