Duck season starts in the dark. You launch before first light, run a narrow channel to your spot, then rig decoys and a blind with whatever light you have. This guide covers what lights a duck boat or jon boat actually needs, where each one goes, and which Black Oak LED kit fits which boat. It follows the questions hunters ask us most: what to run at the bow, what to rig by, how much battery it takes, and how to keep your navigation lights legal.
- Bow light bar for the run. A 6 inch bar suits a narrow jon boat bow, a 10 inch bar suits a wider one.
- Spreader or blind lights, usually a pair of 2 inch pods, to light the deck while you rig decoys and the blind.
- A stern or dock pod for backing up and working the ramp.
- Navigation lights that are made and rated as navigation lights, wired separately from your task lights.
- Power through a fuse and relay, with the front and side lights on their own switches.
Want it in one box? The jon boat duck hunting LED light kit bundles a 6 inch bar, two pods and the harness. Browsing everything? See all marine LED light bars.
What lights does a duck boat actually need?
Think in jobs, not products. Each light does one job, and each can be switched off on its own. The old rule still holds: it is easy to turn off a light you do not want, and impossible to turn on one you never installed. The drawing below shows the six jobs on a typical jon or duck boat, from above and from the side.
Top and side rig layout for a jon or duck boat. Numbers match the list under the drawing.
Bow light bar: the one you drive by
The bow bar is your headlight for the run from the ramp to the blind. Mount it low and centered at the bow, aimed ahead, and keep the lens clear of anything that can block it. A 6 inch double row bar is the compact choice for a narrow bow. A 10 inch double row bar covers more water on a wider boat. Both are available in combo optics, which pairs a focused center spot with wide flood on the sides, so you can read the channel ahead and still see the banks. Browse the 6 inch marine double row bar or the 10 inch marine bar.
Interior and spreader lights: the ones you rig by
Rigging decoys and raising a blind with a flashlight in your teeth gets old fast. Spreader lights fix that. The 2 inch spreader light uses a 120 degree scene beam that spreads light across the deck without a hot spot, and the marine spreader pod kit gives you a matched pair with a harness. For a light you can move around the boat, the GoPOD clamp-on light grips tubes from 1 to 1.875 inches or any flat surface and runs from a 12V socket harness.
Stern or dock pod
The ramp is where you back a trailer in the dark. A small pod near the motor, aimed down and aft, lights the water behind you for reversing and docking. A 2 inch marine pod light is a common choice for the job.
Navigation lights are a separate job
Black Oak LED builds task and flood lighting, and task lights are not navigation lights. Under the Inland Navigation Rules, a power-driven vessel under 12 meters may show an all-round white light and sidelights, red to port and green to starboard, when underway at night (33 CFR 83.23(d)). Buy lights that are made and rated for that job, and wire them on their own switch. Accent lights are not a substitute.
Which duck boat light kit fits my boat?
Measure before you buy. Check the width of your bow, the flat surface where the bar will bolt down, and where the wiring can run. Then match the kit to the boat.
| Kit | What is in the box | Listed output and draw | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jon boat kit | 6 inch double row combo bar, two 2 inch 40W flood pods, harness with splitter, brackets | 12,840 raw lumens, 8.2 amps | Jon boats and small skiffs with a narrow bow |
| Duck boat light bar kit | 10 inch double row combo bar, two 6 inch double row combo bars, harness with splitter, brackets | 24,200 raw lumens, 9.3 amps | Wider duck boats that can carry a taller bow bar and side bars |
| 20 inch bow and spreader kit | 20 inch marine combo bar, two 2 inch 40W diffused pods, harness with fuse, relay and switch | See product page | Larger marsh and bay boats; the product page lists 20 to 30 ft boats |
| Spreader pod kit | Two 2 inch 40W diffused pods, harness with splitter, brackets | 120 degree dispersion | Add-on deck and blind lighting for any of the above |
Contents and listed figures come from each product page. Raw lumens are the LED rating before optics and housing losses.
What arrives in the jon boat kit: one 6 inch double row bar, two 2 inch pods and the harness.
Both bow kits wire the front bar on one switch and the side lights on another, so you can run the bow bar alone on the way out and bring up the side lights at the blind. To run all three together, add a connect cable. Not sure which size is right for your bow? Our light bar size guide shows every bar length drawn to scale.
What is the best light bar for a duck boat?
The right bar is the one that fits your mounting surface and matches how you run. For most jon boats that is a 6 inch combo bar. If your bow is wide and you run long open stretches, step up to 10 inches. Pair either with spreader pods and you have covered the run and the rig. If you are still deciding between bar styles, the marine light bar guide compares them.
How much battery do duck boat lights need?
Amp hours are amps times hours. Take the listed draw of the kit, multiply by the time the lights will be on, and add anything else on the same battery. The numbers below assume every light in the kit is on the whole time, which is the worst case.
| Kit | Listed draw | 1 hour on | 2 hours on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jon boat kit | 8.2 amps | 8.2 Ah | 16.4 Ah |
| Duck boat light bar kit | 9.3 amps | 9.3 Ah | 18.6 Ah |
Formula: amp hours = amps x hours. Example only; your run time and other loads will differ.
If you keep the lights off once the decoys are set, real use runs well under the worst case. If you want lights to be independent from the starting battery, run them off a dedicated second battery. You can charge it three ways: from the outboard if its charging output covers your draw, at home before the trip, or from a generator you already carry. For a compact lithium option that can also run a pod, see our electric reel battery guide. Pro Series 3.0 double row lights are listed with a harness that includes a fuse, relay, switch and 12 gauge wire, so the install is mostly mounting and routing.
Which light color should a duck boat use?
Color is a tool. White gives distance and detail for driving and rigging. Red keeps your eyes adapted to the dark when you are working gear in the blind. Black Oak accent lights come in white, red, green, blue, UV and RGB, and an RGB set with a controller lets you pick the color and dim it.
Wavelengths are the engineering values Black Oak uses for each color. This guide makes no claim about what any bird can or cannot see. Federal rules bar taking migratory game birds from a motorboat unless the motor is off and the boat has stopped moving (50 CFR 20.21(e)), and rules on lights vary by state, so check your regulations before you hunt.
Can I build a housing for a duck boat light bar?
Yes. A guard or housing protects the bar from reeds, stumps and ramp bumps, and it can hide the bar's outline in the blind. We do not sell housings, because every boat is different, but a local fabrication shop can build one from aluminum in an afternoon. A few rules keep it from hurting the light.
- Keep the lens clear. Nothing should sit in front of the optics, and the guard should clear the beam edges.
- Bolt the bar through its brackets so you can loosen the stainless bolts and re-aim it when conditions change.
- Plan the cable exit before you weld. Leave a drip loop and use waterproof connectors.
- Treat the housing as impact protection, not waterproofing. Black Oak lights are military grade and IP69K rated, sealed against dust and high-pressure, high-temperature water jets, with a military grade breather that equalizes pressure so moisture does not build up inside. What IP codes mean.
Pre-dawn run checklist
Do this at the dock, in the light, before you push off.
Plan the run, the rig and the ramp as three jobs, and give each one its own light and switch.
Duck boat light FAQ
What lights do I need on a duck boat?
A typical setup is a bow light bar for driving, a pair of spreader or blind lights for rigging, a small pod near the motor for the ramp, and certified navigation lights wired separately.
What size light bar fits a jon boat?
A 6 inch double row bar fits a narrow jon boat bow, and a 10 inch bar suits a wider bow. Measure the flat mounting surface first. The jon boat kit uses a 6 inch bar with two 2 inch pods.
Can accent or RGB lights be my navigation lights?
No. Navigation lights must be made and rated for that job. Use certified red and green sidelights and a white light, and treat accent lights as interior or deck lighting.
Do I need a second battery?
It helps. A dedicated battery keeps your starting battery free. The jon boat kit draws a listed 8.2 amps with everything on, so one hour is about 8.2 amp hours.
Are Black Oak duck boat lights waterproof?
Black Oak lights are IP69K rated, which means sealed against dust and high-pressure, high-temperature water jets. They are also military grade, with a sealed aluminum housing and a military grade breather.
How do I wire the front and side lights?
The kit harness puts the front-facing light on one switch and the side lights together on another. A connect cable lets you run all three on one switch.
Should I run my lights while hunting?
Lights are for the run and the rig. Rules on lights and hunting from a boat vary by state and federal law, so check your regulations before you hunt.
Shop duck boat lights
Jon boat duck hunting kit6 in bar + 2 pods
Duck boat light bar kit10 in bar + 2 bars
6 inch marine barBow bar
10 inch marine barBow bar
Spreader pod kitBlind and deck
2 inch spreader lightScene beam
GoPOD clamp-on lightPortable
Marine accent lightRed, white, RGB
Shop all marine LED light bars
Every Black Oak light bar and pod ships with a lifetime warranty.
Designed and engineered in Sarasota, Florida.
