Fiber optic light assembly and mounting apparatus for boats

A fiber optic light assembly and mounting apparatus for a boat, comprising:

• a lighting unit having a housing and a light emitter, said light emitter disposed in said housing and connected to a power source;
• an elongated, side-emitting fiber optic cable comprised of a flexible, transparent optical tube having one or more strands of optic fibers disposed therein, said fiber optic cable having a proximal end, a distal end and an outside surface, said one or more strands of optical fibers suitable for transmitting light therein and emitting light through said optical tube, said proximal end of said fiber optic cable configured so that said optic fibers can receive light through said proximal end of said fiber optic cable, said proximal end of said fiber optic cable attached to said housing such that said optic fibers are in light communication with said light emitter;
• an elongated frame attached to said boat;
• said frame having a pair of opposing side members extending generally upwardly and inwardly from a base member to form a partially enclosed cavity on a front side of said frame;
• and
• a generally resilient bumper guard shaped and configured to be securely received in said partially enclosed cavity, said bumper guard having one or more cable guards protruding outwardly from said frame beyond said outside surface of said fiber optic cable, said one or more cable guards configured to securely receive said fiber optic cable.

A fiber optic light assembly and mounting apparatus for a boat, comprising:

• a lighting unit having a housing and a light emitter, said light emitter disposed in said housing and connected to a power source, said housing having a cable inlet on a wall of said housing;
• cooling means in said housing for cooling said light emitter;
• an elongated, side-emitting fiber optic cable comprised of a flexible, transparent optical tube having one or more strands of optic fibers disposed therein, said fiber optic cable having a proximal end, a distal end and an outside surface, said one or more strands of optical fibers suitable for transmitting light therein and emitting light through said optical tube, said proximal end of said fiber optic cable configured so that said optic fibers can receive light through said proximal end of said fiber optic cable, said proximal end of said fiber optic cable disposed in said housing through said cable inlet such that said optic fibers are in light communication with said light emitter;
• an elongated frame attached to said boat;
• said frame having a pair of opposing side members extending generally upwardly and inwardly from a base member to form a partially enclosed cavity on a front side of said frame, each of said side members having a distal end, said distal ends of said side members forming an opening into said cavity;
• and
• a generally resilient bumper guard shaped and configured to be securely received in said partially enclosed cavity through said opening, said bumper guard having a pair of cable guards protruding outwardly from said base member of said frame beyond said outside surface of said fiber optic cable, said cable guards configured to securely receive said fiber optic cable between said pair of cable guards.