Clip-On Solar Light

A clip-on solar lamp is the easiest way to bring light into a boat without messing with mounting, wiring, or batteries or depleting power from the boat's batteries. This model is made for an outdoor BBQ, with solar cells on the top (facing the window in this photo) and a switch-controlled bright LED lamp. It won't light up your whole boat cabin, and the small solar array won't power it very many hours, but it's a simple system you can clip on and forget about until needed.

This one clips to an overhead hand rail and illuminates a galley countertop.

LED Overhead Cabin Light

12-volt LED boat lighting has become fairly inexpensive, but often it's difficult to find units to exactly replace existing incandescent lights on older boats. Sometimes you can replace just the incandescent bulb with an LED unit, or replace the whole fixture, but because of mounting differences the result can be unsatisfactory. Instead, simply mount a new LED fixture right next to the original and connect the wires into the existing lamp.

The 8-LED surface-mount dome light shown on the right costs less than $20 (West Marine and elsewhere online) and mounts in minutes. It uses a fraction of the power of the incandescent light beside it, is just as bright, and also includes a red light to prevent spoiling night vision when needed.

Here's a more detailed article about replacing boat lights with new LED lamps.

Many boats have permanently installed electric fans in the cabin or berths, wired into the boat's 12-volt system. But if your boat lacks fans and one is only occasionally needed on warm nights, a clip-on 12-volt fan like the one shown here makes cool sleeping a breeze. Most fans like this have a standard cigarette-type plug and draw little current. You can save the trouble of adding permanent wiring, often difficult on an older boat - and when you're done using it, just roll up the cord and tuck it away.

Your berth-mate will thank you!

A wide variety of cabin fans are available, starting at about $12 (Defender Marine and elsewhere online).

Sometimes it's the really little touches that make a difference. A problem in many marine heads is where to mount the toilet paper holder. Sometimes it's inside a cabinet door where it can stay dry, but that can be a hassle. And if it's mounted out in the open as in your bathroom at home, the paper often gets damp from shower or sink spray - and marine toilet paper is made to disintegrate quickly when wet.

The nifty toilet paper holder shown here mounts easily on any flat surface and keeps the paper dry inside under its hinged cover. This convenience will mean more than you might think to landlubber guests aboard your boat!

About $25 at Defender Marine.