Kayalite Portable Bright White Kayak Light Compatible with sit-on-top, Stand-up Paddleboard, Canoe, Scull and Inflatable

The media could not be loaded. Certainly not a cheap light but it is certainly worth stepping up your budget to buy this premium light when compared to what else is out on the market. It is very easy to mount, snapping the carabiner onto any deck lines and puling it tight. I ended up purposely rigging a single strand of Dyneema rope between two existing eyelet fittings to center the Kayalite behind my seat and forward of my rudder. The light is not meant to illuminate your surroundings, rather to let others spot you but it is still casts a strong luminescence on the deck of my tandem sit-in kayak and the back of the person sitting in front of me. One point of concern for some may be that it might not quite be tall enough for 360 degrees of visibility given your body might obscure it, more so for sit-on-top kayaks. In my case with a sit-in kayak my head slightly obscures the light in the direction of the bow since it is mounted behind me, though I don't have much an issue with this as I have an additional red/green Tektite Navlite there and given how close to the water my kayak is it is easier to see the light when in an elevated position- such is the case for other larger motorized vessels and sailboats.Being battery operated, easily mountable, water-proof, and easily toggled between on/off with a simple twist of the bulb, this light fits my needs perfectly as I do kayak in somewhat congested intra-coastal waterways and occasionally out on the ocean.

First, the light is super bright and 360 degree-but lets face it you can get a bright light but where and how do you mount it?? I was a bit hesitant at first due to the mount, I will be honest. Then I thought I may add an eyelet to my rail and put it on there, etc so I went with it. When I got it I was amazed a how easy it was to mount anywhere! I clipped the carabiner to the bungee stay and it holds securely to the least flat surface on my kayak! And when the sun is up it takes 5 seconds to unmount. I also tried it by wrapping the bungee around my molded in handle-because of the channel in the lower foam "seat" of the light it stayed put and upright. If you have anywhere you can make a tie-wrap loop around (lever on hatch cover??), you don't need to drill for an eyelet-create your own. Again, I was skeptical but this is not over-engineered it is engineered to work.

Updated comments and increased rating to four stars after considering the manufacturer's response.The mount design is ingenious, it is durable and gets the job done, but the quality of the LED and reflector assembly leaves something to be desired.Usage: Keep on hand 95% of outings in case I end up on the water after dark. Used in fresh water, usually away from powered watercraft if after dark.Overall comments:The design of this appears to be a well thought out engineering exercise leading to very effective simplicity. I see this both from an manufacturing and an end use standpoint. It has zero bling and money was spent where it was most effective, and not spent where it was not needed. Simple is good, though I'd like to have had a couple wasteful changes.The mounting design is great in that it's secure, yet it won't break should you roll it into rocks or just roll fast in the water. Using the bungee as an adjustable length spring is a great compliment to my deck lashing, the structure is waterproof, and its LED is about the optimal level of brightness: bright enough to be seen, but not so bright so as to ruin your night vision when mounted behind you. Note: I do not consider this to be useful in the way a headlight is useful, but it does exactly what I bought it for. I don't use it to see around me, I use it so other boats can see me. I have other adjustable brightness 1000 lumen lights if I want to see around me...Regarding the LED, mine isn't well centered in the hole in its reflector assembly, and the contact with the battery positive appears to be a solder bump. Not terrible, but not what I expected from a light at this price point. That said, I expect this is a low volume product (and so can't spread development costs over a huge number of parts) so I expect that drove some decisions. Also, the objective is very different from the other flashlights I use, therefore the lack of a precise looking mounting of the LED doesn't measurably affect the performance of this light for its intended purpose.Regarding the carabiner, I stand corrected. What I thought was oxidation pitting under some kind of sticky film was instead... 100% sticky film. Took some brake cleaner to it and it wiped down to shiny metal. It is by no means a trick part, but it gets the job done. No oxidation on the carabiner thus far.

A kayak group i belong to started organizing local moon-light paddle trips to beat the heat during the summer. These trips are on a local river and a requirement for participation is to have bow/stern lighting to paddle at night. After looking at many stern lights I purchased the Kayalu Kayalite for ease of installation, operation and quality. Canoes and kayaks usually operate in the daytime and I didn't want a permanently mounted bow/stern light. Also, I didn't want to drill holes in my boat to mount lights. The Kayalu Kayalite is battery powered (comes with batteries installed) and uses "Secure-Attach" system which consists of a breach clip and shock cord instead of a suction cup. Clip the light to deck rigging on the kayak, pull the shock cord tight and tie it off on base of light and the assembly is mounted securely to kayak. Turn the lens clockwise and light come on. Turn counter-clockwise and light is off. The light is 18" tall when mounted on deck and is stable (it doesn't fall over). Because of the shock cord, if the light comes in contact with a tree branch or other object it will give instead of breaking off at the base. Because of the breach clip, it will not fall off and sink or float away.At $49 this is not the cheapest self-contained kayak stern light you can buy. If quality, ease of mounting and operation are important this light offers great value.