First, go to the www.docklights.com website.Browse the dock light categories and decide on the location or placement of the dock light.  Ask yourself, where are your dock light(s) going to be mounted:

• a.Top/surface of your dock pilings?
• b.Side of your pilings?
• c.Flush to the deck or on the deck itself?
• 2)Once you have decided on the mounting location of your dock lights, take a look at docklights.com and look at their respective categories such as piling and surface mount lights
• 3)Look at the dock light choices and see if you want a more outward array of light or more downward array. Some of the dock lights have copper hoods/shield to direct light array downward, while some dock lights have the Fresnel (Lighthouse style) lens’. The Fresnel lens directs light 360 degrees out and you only have to use minimal wattage to achieve a bright light.
• 4)What material do you want your dock light made of?There are many heavy duty choices such as:
• a.Bronze
• b.Brass
• c.Copper
• d.Aluminum
• e.Stainless Steel

• 5)Each dock light material has some advantages and disadvantages.Here is a general definition and description of the differences of Bronze and Brass:
• By definition Brass is an alloy of Copper and Zinc (and usually lead). Bronze is an alloy of Copper and Tin. This may not appear that important a difference but it really is. First: Bronze is much stronger and more corrosion resistant than brass.
• 6)Stay away from the “cast aluminum” or “bronze finish” or brass “finish” lights.“Finish” is the key term to watch out for. That tends to mean the light is cheap or a plated steel material.Steel will rust anywhere the salt water.Go with solid brass or solid marine bronze for anywhere near the salt water.
• 7)Careful mounting the lights on dissimilar metals.So if you mounted a bronze dock light on a copper piling top, make sure you have a buffer of a neoprene gasket or silicone in between the dock lights and piling cap.
• 8)Choose your ideal bulb.Incandescent bulbs give that vintage look, but come with a higher power usage and heat up more.A LED or compact fluorescent bulb used less energy and runs cooler.
• 9)Dock lights also recommends a dimmer circuit to fine tune your dock lights.Sometimes you only need a little light during the dark hours for your ambiance.
• 10)Docklights.com encourages you to call us @ 561-436-2439 or email us @ Steve@docklights.com and ask questions.We want to help you pick the correct light for your application.We look forward to talking with you and helping you with your nautical lighting project.