Surface Led's On Boat - Opinions please

[Doodlebug]

Okay, so to explain.

 

We are changing the design on the side of our boat. Plan is to have a dark blue side, and then i'm going to laser cut a woodland scene (to match the new name for our boat) which will be painted black, and will sit against the blue background.

 

Anyway, what I thought would look really cool, is if against the sky (the blue) we had little LED's glowing slightly, so that it looks like stars.

 

I had considered drilling holes through the boat and popping led's through but thats a massive job requiring the inside to be ripped out. Then I thought of laying thin wire onto the paintwork, in the same colour. But that wont look as good.

 

I am now thinking that I can run copper track on the paintwork up to a surface mounted LED which I could then paint over to hide it, but then I found a pen which rights with conductive ink. That would be even better I think?

 

Do you think it will work, or do you think the paint solvent will dissolve the ink off the boat surface. Ill post a link for the pen in a minute.

 

Cheers

Damn, i've just reread it and it says it can be removed with soap and water. Back to the copper track idea. Still, do you think it sounds like a good idea?

[Ex- Member]

A good idea in my book is an idea that is useful and serves a purpose. So I'm afraid no, it's completely bonkers and would look as bad or even worse than awful Xmas lights.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Julynian

[MoominPapa]

I have to say I'm with Julynian on this. A surfeit of blue LEDs makes even very expensive computer kit look like cheap Chinese crap. I fear it would do the same to a narrowboat.

 

MP.

[bottle]

Your boat do what you like but I wouldn't do it.

[mrsmelly]

Go ahead and do it, brill idea ............ there will be loads of wet nappies on boats..............awesome

 

Tim

[Pete & Helen]

If you want to do something like that then my idea would be to use a piece of perspex and paint your scene on that. then fit LED's around the side so they are inserted in to the edge so when lit they act as back lights. Hope you understand what I mean.the whole thing can then be fitted as one unit and if it turns out to be naff than you just take it off and hardly any damage to your boat

[Beaker]

Have you got a muriel (sic) with three pot ducks on your wall at home?

 

Just asking...

[MtB]

Well I think it would look cool.

 

Not sure how to impliment it though, I'd prefer to spend what limited time I have cruisin!

 

 

MtB

[Lady Muck]

I would do anything you like, so long as it doesn't involve drilling holes in your boat. I know someone who drilled holes and now the boat is a leaky, dripping mess.

[MtB]

I would do anything you like, so long as it doesn't involve drilling holes in your boat. I know someone who drilled holes and now the boat is a leaky, dripping mess.

 

It might yet turn out to be condensation....

 

 

MtB

[Doodlebug]

But no problems with the actual practicalities?

 

I was intending for it to be extremely subtle, so it will look more like a photograph of a skyline than a boat. Maybe I didn't explain it very well.

Perspex would be a good idea but the blue overlaps onto the roof slightly, In terms of the look, we have had a silhouette scene for a while now and a lot of people think it looks good. Its painted on but I want to replace it with a more 3d effect, and have it all redone and rename out boat. Thats all.

[MtB]

Tons of probs with the practicality. Mostly involving water i.e. rain. Sorting out the practicality of projects like this is EVERYTHING. This is why you never see it done.

 

Doesn't mean it can't be done though. Jsut needs some serious thinking,,,,

 

MtB

[mark99]

If you want to do something like that then my idea would be to use a piece of perspex and paint your scene on that. then fit LED's around the side so they are inserted in to the edge so when lit they act as back lights. Hope you understand what I mean.the whole thing can then be fitted as one unit and if it turns out to be naff than you just take it off and hardly any damage to your boat

What do you mean "if it turns out to be"?

Edited November 9, 2013 by mark99

[steven wilkinson]

are you thinking of using the Bare Conductive pens? Their conductive ink is sold as water soluble. What about drawing an ink track on the existing surface, and then painting over it to seal it from the water and also disguise it?

 

I am thinking the end product might be best viewed from a distance rather than up close!

 

 

P.S. - I like individuality in a boat!

Edited November 9, 2013 by steven wilkinson

[jodansgang]

I'd run a single insulated tracer pair across the overlapping blue sky with vairying single individual droplets of intense White LED ribbons forming the stars. You could also remove them to create the illusion of a cloudy sky.

To achieve this amazing spectacle I'd adapt one of those cheep outside garden solar 40 led ribbon lights. Or perhaps I'd use two sets so as to incorporate more constellations.

Edited November 9, 2013 by jodansgang

[PhilR]

Wouldn't it be easier not to change the name of the boat?

 

But, don't let that put you off. I am all for innovation. Please keep us posted with what you decide and include some photos of the finished job.

 

Good luck. Personally, I wouldn't want to drill holes in the steelwork for non essential purposes, but I would probably drill holes to fit navigation lights

I'd run a single insulated tracer pair across the overlapping blue sky with vairying single individual droplets of intense White LED ribbons forming the stars. You could also remove them to create the illusion of a cloudy sky.
To achieve this amazing spectacle I'd adapt one of those cheep outside garden solar 40 led ribbon lights. Or perhaps I'd use two sets so as to incorporate more constellations.

 

I wouldn't have thought it possible to make a seemingly technical post so poetic. Well done

[blackrose]

Your boat do what you like but I wouldn't do it.

 

I agree. it sounds horrible to me, but it's your boat. Surely there are some more useful jobs you could be doing on your boat?

I had considered drilling holes through the boat and popping led's through but thats a massive job requiring the inside to be ripped out.

 

Sorry Doodle, but anyone who even considers drilling holes through their hull for aesthetic reasons isn't thinking properly. A boat should be kept as watertight as possible and holes should only be drilled when strictly neccessary - navigation lights for example.

I would do anything you like, so long as it doesn't involve drilling holes in your boat. I know someone who drilled holes and now the boat is a leaky, dripping mess.

 

Precisely!

Edited November 10, 2013 by blackrose

[Bobbybass]

I have...just the thing...

 

I recently visited my cousin in London...and her daughter and others..have set up a new company.

I 'feigned' interest...and said...."well..that looks great"...and went away and almost forgot.

 

They have developed a cheap conductive paint...and showed it to me in the format of a standard business card...where you draw lines with the paint towards a LED and it will light up.

 

I'm not touting for business...as I almost forgot about it until this post came along.

 

Let me know what you think ?

 

http://www.bareconductive.com/

[Arthur Brown]

Maplin do a conductive pen that is said to be suitable for repairing heated screen traces, but the pen is £20+.

 

The design seems further from "Trad" than I'm familiar with and not to my taste, but it's your boat...

 

Do a perspex or polycarb overlay with inbuilt solar and LEDs have several to reflect the changing stellar patterns.

[steven wilkinson]

I have...just the thing...

 

I recently visited my cousin in London...and her daughter and others..have set up a new company.

I 'feigned' interest...and said...."well..that looks great"...and went away and almost forgot.

 

They have developed a cheap conductive paint...and showed it to me in the format of a standard business card...where you draw lines with the paint towards a LED and it will light up.

 

I'm not touting for business...as I almost forgot about it until this post came along.

 

Let me know what you think ?

 

http://www.bareconductive.com/

 

 

see post 14

[Tobymonster]

Plenty of truckers do it to their homes so why can't you do it to yours?

 

Anyway, the problem I foresee is that the effect will only be seen for about an hour or so, i.e. Dawn and dusk. Using dark blues and black will loose the effect during the night. Only random pinpoints of light will show which will make no sense in the dark and is when you want it to look at its best. Similarly, during daylight all you will see is the relief.

 

The Perspex idea above would work, think of the low profile emergency exit signs where the light is at the top of the sign and illuminates the person running out the door. Lights around the edge would illuminate the relief as well if it was printed on the Perspex so you could see it in context at night with the stars. The trouble with this is that perpex will scratch as soon as it sees a branch, so you tranquil woodland scene will look like something like tracer fire above Baghdad!

 

Backlighting the laser cut out will also work, it could also give a dim hue around the relief suggesting sunrise / sunset when it's raised off the background, with the stars set in their own full panel set on the boat side, again raised off to allow for wiring. This will make the whole as watertight as possible with only one hole needed for the electrics into the boat. So this means effectively 4 metal sheets will protrude from the cabin sides that may give access problems down the side of the boat. Be careful in tunnels as well!

 

Hope this helps, TM

[Chop!]

My BSA 750cc low-rider was the first bike in the World to feature fibre-optics under the paint.

It wouldn't require any holes to be drilled, it's quite labour intensive though.

It would easily run off one of the small solar panels you get with solar powered garden lights.

Basically, I laid the strands in resin and had a wooden frame with cotton threaded across it, I turned the strands upwards to rest on the rows of cotton, left it to harden, gave it a 'haircut', then rubbed it down and painted it with translucent paint, the downside was 20 years ago LEDs didn't exist so the quartz halogen light source and motor (through 5 planetary gearboxes) guzzled my battery.

I intend to convert it to LED before I sell it.

 

Yes, I know, I'm nuts!!!

 

P.S. The perspex idea would work better if you polish the perspex and then bond silver foil each side and around the edges, make small holes in the foil and add an LED light source to anywhere on the edge.

Good luck fellow bonkers person!

Edited November 10, 2013 by Chop!

[BlueStringPudding]

Fibre optics could work, but as with leds it would be most effective if hidden behind a laser cut panel or Perspex. Another alternative is to paint the stars on in UV paint and mount a black light above or below it, which will make only the UV reactive paint glow. That way you could use the same paint to pick out highlights elsewhere on the design if you wanted more than just the stars to glow. Glow in the dark paint would work too but only for an hour or two after dark.

[Arthur Brown]

http://www.starcloth.co.uk/index.php?id=27

 

http://www.starcloth.co.uk/index.php?id=21

Edited November 10, 2013 by Arthur Brown

[Chop!]

Starcloth is horribly expensive, we use it quite often in gigs and festivals, it also has the problem that it will lie on top of any surface.