Your dock shouldn't disappear at sunset
Half the year in Tampa, it's dark by 6:30. That means half your dock's potential life happens after sunset — the evening walk to check the boat, the night fishing session, the docktail hour with the lights reflecting on the water. An unlit dock after dark is a tripping hazard you avoid. A well-lit dock is the best room of the house.
Dock lighting does three jobs at once: safety (see where you're walking), function (fish at night, work on the boat, find the cleat), and pure waterfront magic (a lit dock on dark water is gorgeous). We design lighting plans that cover all three without turning your backyard into a stadium.
What we install
Deck and path lighting is the foundation: low-profile LED fixtures that wash the deck in warm light without glare. We light stairs, transitions, and the gangway — everywhere a misstep happens. Piling cap lights are the classic dock look: a soft glow atop each piling that outlines the dock from the water and looks fantastic from the house. Under-roof lighting for covered docks turns the roof into a ceiling of light for evening use.
Underwater lights are the showpiece. Green underwater LEDs draw baitfish by the hundreds, and the bait draws snook, tarpon, and trout — night fishing under your own lights is genuinely thrilling. Even if you never pick up a rod, watching the bait ball swirl under green light is better than television. We mount them properly below the waterline, sealed and serviceable.
We also do the practical electrical: GFCI-protected circuits, marine-rated conduit and boxes, timers and photocells so lights run dusk-to-dawn automatically, and smart controls if you want phone control. Everything is installed to code for wet marine environments — dock electrical done wrong is dangerous, so we do it right.
Solar versus wired
People ask about solar dock lights a lot, and here's the honest answer: solar piling-cap lights are fine for accent glow, but they're dim, inconsistent, and the batteries die. If you want real, reliable light — enough to walk safely and fish by — you want wired low-voltage or line-voltage LED. It's more work up front (trenching conduit, proper circuits) and infinitely better every night after.
That said, we install solar where it makes sense: remote pilings where running wire costs more than the light is worth, or temporary accent lighting. We'll tell you which is which on your dock rather than selling you whatever's easiest to install.
Designing the plan
Good dock lighting is designed, not just installed. We think in layers: safety lighting where you walk, task lighting where you work (cleaning station, boat area), and accent lighting for the look (piling caps, underwater). We keep light warm-toned — harsh white LEDs make a dock feel like a parking lot. We aim fixtures to avoid glare into the house and the neighbors' windows, because nobody wants a feud over floodlights.
We also think about wildlife and regulations. Sea turtles nest on our beaches, and bright white lights disorient hatchlings — in turtle-nesting areas there are real rules about lighting color and shielding. We design compliant plans where they apply. It's the right thing and it's the law.
Our process
We visit after dark if we can — seeing your dock's actual night conditions beats any daytime guess. We map the dock, mark fixture locations, and plan the circuits. You get a written estimate with the fixture list and what each layer of light does. Installation usually takes one to three days depending on scope and whether we're trenching new conduit. Then we come back after dark, walk it with you, aim everything, set the timers, and make sure the underwater lights are drawing bait before we leave.
Every project is different — contact us for a free written estimate.
Call (301) 679-9193 or send the form for a free on-site estimate.