Looking for tip on using portable generator & lights

[Bullish]

I bought a quiet Honda generator last year to run portable lights off of my tower for chunking at night. I would like to get a better set up than this. I used four 250 watt halogen work lights with a hook that I hung from the aluminum pipe in my tower. I tied them down so they weren't banging all night. I couldn't get a great angle based on the limitation of the adjustments on the lights.

1. Has anyone figured out a good solution for using a portable generator and lights to hang from the tower? I am thinking that I could install two permanenet 500 watt halogens next to my factory spreader lights and run my generator through the shore power connection...which brings to my next question.

2. Is there any risk of running my portable generator through the shore power connection? I am least knowledgable about electricity, potential power surges, etc.,

Any thoughts or ideas would be a great help.

[REEL ADDICTION]

Generator

I have a honda 2000i and last year i used it when i would run to the canyon and it ran fine. I would run everything . The only thing I would turn on at the breaker would be the microwave other than that it ran everything just like being at the dock.

[Bullish]

Thanks for the tip....were the stock spreader lights bright enough for you?

[REEL ADDICTION]

I was going to install halogen lights all the up top on the tower but I could not find someone to give me a set price so i just use the ones that come from the factory.

[biteme]

110 lights

i had 2 500w lights installed on the tower facing back and one on each side.wired into my 110 system with seprate breakers for rear and side.this all runs from my factory gen. away from the dock...if you run your gen into the shore power inlet everything on your boat will run as if you were docked up to the limit of your gen...this setup turns night into day all around my boat.

[REEL ADDICTION]

Did you put the lights all the way on the top of the tower and if so how hard was it running the wire down to the bottom

[biteme]

the rear lights are monted on small bars that come out of the tower at the base of the buggy top. the sides are on the hardtop .i did not do the work..

[Bullish]

That's what I would like to do. I am not entirely clear about how your 500 watt lights are wired. What would be the harm in replacing the factory spreader lights with 500 watt halogens and using the existing wiring from the factory spreader lights? Do the halogens draw too much power for the factory gauge wire?

[biteme]

lights

the factory lights are 12 volt..the lights i added are 110 volt a/c powered by the gen. the wireing cant be the same !!

[THE SHARK HUNTER]

lights

i installed my lights on the top of my tower running 110v down into my engine room outlet because their is a switch for it on the master panel check it out works great but was hard to snake the wire through the tower pipe.

good luck

dave

[REEL ADDICTION]

Did you run the lights all the way from the top of the tower

[Bullish]

If the factory spreader lights are 12 volt than there must be a converter on board somewhere that converts my portable generator power (through the shore power connection) to 12 volt....am I right are just out in right-field somewhere?