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There’s something about a quiet night on the water — boats tied up, a light breeze off the Gulf, a little reflection dancing on the canal. It’s peaceful. That’s when dock lighting really shines — not just for looks, but for safety and that bit of magic it adds once the sun goes down.
We’ve installed more dock lighting systems than we can count here in Naples. Every one’s a little different — some simple, some showpieces — but they all have one thing in common: when we’re done, the dock looks better and it’s safer.
The best setups these days use low-voltage lighting. It’s efficient, safe, and perfect for our coastal climate. High voltage and salt air don’t get along. Low-voltage, on the other hand, lets you get creative without worrying about corrosion, shock hazards, or burned-out fixtures every season.
So, let’s talk about it. Here’s how we think about dock lighting — what works, what fails, and how we build systems that last down here by the water.
First thing — low-voltage lighting runs on 12 or 24 volts. That’s a big deal when you’re working a few feet above saltwater. It’s safe, it’s efficient, and it gives you flexibility with design.
Let’s break it down.
1. It’s safer.
If a fixture cracks or a connection loosens, you’re not dealing with 120 volts of shock potential. Around water, that’s everything.
2. It saves energy.
LEDs barely sip power. You can light an entire dock and seawall off a small transformer.
3. It lasts longer.
Low-voltage gear is sealed, rugged, and made to handle humidity. When it’s done right, you’ll get a decade or more before you need replacements.
4. It looks cleaner.
Small fixtures, hidden wires, smooth lighting — you can highlight railings, walkways, and pilings without big boxes or conduit everywhere.
Naples is beautiful — but it’s tough on electrical work. The salt eats everything. The humidity never lets up. The sun cracks plastic faster than you’d believe.
Even the best materials can fail if you don’t plan for those conditions. We see it all the time:
Stainless screws rusting after a year because they weren’t marine-grade.
Fixtures that look good in catalogs but fog up the first rainy season.
Regular wire that turns black inside conduit from salt creep.
That’s why every lighting job we do near the water starts with the same mindset — build it like it’s going on a boat, not a house.
Everyone’s got their taste, but these are the lighting types that stand up and look great year after year.
If you want subtle, this is it. We mount waterproof LED strips under dock caps or benches so the light spills down — soft, warm, no glare. It gives the dock that “resort glow” without being bright or harsh.
We only use IP68-rated strips, meaning fully sealed for underwater use. They sit inside aluminum tracks, which help protect against impact and UV. At night, that light hits the water and reflects just enough — calm, even, and natural.
Classic and practical. Mounted right on top of the pilings, they make it easy to see edges and tie-ups. We stick to low-profile LED caps — no big domes, no glare — just clean, downward light.
Good piling lights are made from powder-coated aluminum or marine-grade stainless steel. We’ve seen cheaper ones fail in six months, so we don’t cut corners there.
Trips and falls happen fast around docks. Step lights and recessed path fixtures fix that. We set them low and angled to show where to step — never in your eyes.
We go with sealed, corrosion-proof housings — same gear used on commercial marinas. You shouldn’t have to baby them every season.
If you’ve never seen a Naples canal lit from below, it’s something special. We mount sealed LED pods under the dock or lift beams. At night, they light up the water — sometimes you’ll see snook or mullet darting through the glow.
We only install 12V underwater LEDs rated for full submersion. Every wire is sealed in epoxy or heat-shrink, no shortcuts. It’s not just for looks either — underwater lights add security and visibility when docking late.
A little uplighting on a palm or a soft wash under a railing changes everything. It makes your dock part of the landscape, not just an add-on.
We like to mix uplights and undercaps for depth — something warm, natural, that complements the setting instead of flooding it.
The biggest difference between a nice-looking system and one that keeps working year after year is what’s behind the lights.
Here’s our standard on every Naples dock job:
Marine-Grade Wire.
Tinned copper conductors, sealed insulation, rated for wet use. No regular landscape wire.
Waterproof Transformer.
Installed inside a NEMA 4X weatherproof box with a photocell so it turns on at dusk automatically.
Heat-Shrink Connectors.
Every crimp gets sealed — no tape, no open joints. Once shrunk, they’re watertight.
GFCI Protection.
Even low-voltage transformers get fed from GFCI circuits. It’s non-negotiable.
Proper Mounting & Drip Loops.
Every wire drops below the box before it enters — so water drips off, not in.
We also coat every terminal with dielectric grease before tightening. It keeps salt and oxidation out — a small detail that adds years to the life of the system.
A while back, a homeowner off Vanderbilt Lagoon called us out. His dock lights were flickering, half of them out. When we opened the junction box, it looked like a rust experiment — corroded wire, water dripping out of the conduit.
He had regular 120V fixtures tied into outdoor wire, no sealing, no GFCI. It worked fine for the first two years, then started failing one light at a time.
We rewired the whole thing with a low-voltage LED setup — under-cap strips, small piling caps, and path lights. All fed from a single 150-watt transformer with automatic dusk-to-dawn control.
The difference was night and day. Literally. The dock glowed soft and even, not harsh. The homeowner texted a photo later that night: “Looks better than my pool lighting.”
That system’s still running perfectly three years later — no corrosion, no flicker, no maintenance calls.
We tell folks this before we start any lighting job:
Don’t overlight. Let the water stay dark; that’s what makes the light pop.
Aim low. Keep fixtures under eye level and pointed down.
Stay warm. 2700K to 3000K gives that cozy, coastal glow.
Keep it simple. Too many fixtures just create clutter.
Plan ahead. Leave extra capacity in the transformer for future lights — because you’ll want them later.
Lighting’s as much about restraint as it is about brightness.
Even marine-grade systems need a little love:
Rinse fixtures with fresh water now and then.
Check seals once a year.
Keep transformers off the ground and dry.
Don’t swap LEDs for cheap ones — they won’t last in salt air.
A quick 10-minute check twice a year is all it takes to keep everything glowing smoothly.
Dock lighting isn’t just about showing off your property — it’s about making the space safer, more enjoyable, and built to last through Naples weather.
Low-voltage lighting checks all those boxes. It’s safer around water, easier on energy, and gives you all the creative freedom in the world without the maintenance headaches of old-school high-voltage setups.
At Coharbor Electric, we build dock lighting systems that look great and hold up to salt, storms, and time. Every fixture, wire, and connection is chosen for the coast — not the catalog. Whether you want a simple walkway glow or full custom lighting with automation, we’ll design it to fit your dock, your budget, and the Naples waterfront lifestyle.
⚡ Call Coharbor Electric today to schedule a lighting consultation. We’ll help you turn your dock into the best seat on the water — beautiful, safe, and built to last.
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