Krtopo 2x 27 LED Underwater Boat Lights Review: bright budget lights that get the job done

I’ve been running these Krtopo 2x 27 LED underwater boat lights on a small fishing boat that I also use for evening cruises. I wired them to a 12V setup on the transom, just below the waterline. I’m not an electrician, just a handy boat owner, so I approached these as a simple, low-budget upgrade to get more light behind the boat at night and see what’s going on in the water.

First impression: they’re brighter than I expected for something this cheap and this small. We’re talking 5.4W per light on paper, but in practice they throw a good, wide white beam that actually lights up the water, not just a tiny spot. The flood effect is real – you can see the beam spread out nicely behind the hull. On calm nights, baitfish definitely gather in the light cone, so for casual night fishing it’s pretty handy.

They’re sold as “underwater boat lights”, but realistically they’re more like surface-mount, IP68-rated, low-power floodlights that happen to be fine in or near the water. I also tried one quickly on a 24V supply on a trailer just to see if it handled the higher voltage, and it worked the same, so the 10–30V claim looks legit. No flicker, no weird noise, just on/off as expected.

Overall, my starting point is this: they’re not premium marine gear, but for the price and simplicity, they do what they say. If you expect high-end yacht lighting, you’ll be disappointed. If you just want more usable light around your boat or dock without spending a fortune, they’re already looking pretty solid. The rest of this review goes into the details: build, performance, durability so far, and whether they’re good value compared to other cheap LED options.

For the price point these usually sit at on Amazon, I’d say the value is pretty good. You’re getting two IP68-rated, stainless-front, multi-voltage LED lights that are genuinely bright enough for real use, not just decorative glow. Compared to some marine-branded underwater lights that cost three or four times more per unit, these are obviously in a different league, but they also cost a fraction of the price. If you’re on a budget or just want to experiment with underwater lighting without spending a lot, they make sense.

Where they really shine is on smaller boats, kayaks (if you’re handy with mounting), pontoons, or even fixed installations like docks and pontoons with a 12V or 24V supply. You can also repurpose them as engine bay lights, work lights on a trailer, or pool/pond edge lights, as other reviewers mentioned. That flexibility adds to the value. You’re not locked into just one use case. The low power draw also means you don’t need to upgrade your electrical system just to run them.

On the flip side, you can see where corners are cut: basic packaging, average included hardware, slightly rough finishing on the metal, and non-marine-grade wiring. If you factor in buying better screws, sealant, and proper connectors, the total cost creeps up a bit, but still stays well under “premium marine” territory. For serious offshore boats or people obsessed with perfect aesthetics, these might feel too cheap, both visually and in terms of brand confidence.

So my take: good value for casual and practical users, especially if you don’t mind doing a proper DIY install and adding a few euros/dollars in better hardware. If you expect top-tier longevity in harsh saltwater with zero maintenance, you’re better off investing in higher-end gear. But for what they cost, and what they deliver in real light output, they’re hard to complain about too much.

The design is pretty straightforward: a plastic (ABS) body that sits against the hull or surface, a stainless steel 316 front cover, and a clear polycarbonate lens over the LED array. It’s a surface-mount light, so you just drill a small hole for the cable and screw the body down. No big cutouts or recesses needed, which is good if you’re adding these to an older boat or a dock where you don’t want to do major surgery.

The light pattern comes from a convex lens setup, which spreads the beam out into a flood rather than a tight spot. In practice, that means you get a wide patch of illuminated water rather than a bright dot. On my transom, each light covers a nice arc behind the boat, and with two of them spaced apart, the whole rear area is well lit. You’re not going to light up half the lake, but for close-range visibility and attracting fish, it’s enough. The LEDs sit behind a secondary optical lens, which is probably why they punch above what the wattage suggests.

On the downside, the metal frame edges are a bit sharp out of the box. One of the other reviewers mentioned this too, and I noticed the same. Once installed, you don’t really touch it, so it’s more of a minor finishing detail than a safety issue, but it does remind you these are budget lights. Also, the metal cover on mine didn’t sit perfectly flush in the middle; there’s a slight gap. The gasket and sealant take care of the waterproofing, but cosmetically it’s not perfect. On a workboat or fishing rig, I don’t care. On a showy yacht, it would look a bit cheap.

From a usability angle, the design is idiot-proof: two wires, no polarity confusion (red/black), and no extra electronics hanging off the back. The low profile means you’re less likely to kick them or snag lines on them. So overall, the design is practical and basic. A bit rough around the edges if you look closely, but once mounted and lit up, the function outweighs the cosmetic flaws for me.

Material-wise, you’re getting a mix of ABS plastic, polycarbonate, and 316 stainless steel. For this price range, that’s actually decent on paper. 316 stainless is standard for marine use because it handles saltwater better than cheaper grades, and having that on the visible front cover is a plus. The back body being ABS is pretty normal; it keeps the cost and weight down. The lens is polycarbonate, which is tough and impact-resistant. I’ve knocked one with a paddle and it didn’t crack or scratch badly.

In the hand, the lights don’t feel heavy or “premium”, but they also don’t feel like cheap toy plastic. The housing is fully potted (filled) inside, so the electronics are encapsulated. That’s important for waterproofing and vibration resistance. On my boat, there’s a fair bit of hull slap and engine vibration, and so far there’s been no flickering or intermittent contact. The IP68 rating seems believable based on how they’re sealed. I’ve had them fully submerged for hours at slow speed and at rest with no issues yet.

The screws included are usable, but I wouldn’t rely on them long-term in a saltwater environment. They don’t look like high-grade stainless, and I prefer to use my own known 316 or A4 stainless screws with a dab of marine sealant. Same with the cable: it works, but it’s not tinned marine cable. If you’re in freshwater and on a budget, you’ll probably be fine. For salty conditions, I’d at least make sure your splices and connections are done with proper heat-shrink and mounted out of direct spray.

Overall, I’d call the materials good enough for casual marine use, as long as you install them properly and don’t expect them to behave like high-end branded underwater lights that cost five times more. They feel more solid than some generic eBay LEDs I’ve tried, but they’re still clearly in the budget category. If you treat them as such and give them a decent installation, they should hold up reasonably well.

I’ve had these installed for a few weeks with several night outings, both in freshwater and one short trip in brackish/salty conditions. So far, no leaks, no corrosion spots, no fogging behind the lens. The IP68 claim holds up for now: they’ve been fully submerged at idle and low speeds, and partly submerged while on plane, and there’s no sign of moisture inside the housing.

The stainless front plate still looks clean, no rust marks yet. That said, it’s early days. Cheaper stainless can start to show tea staining after a season, so I’ll need a few months to really judge. If you’re in saltwater, I’d rinse them with fresh water after trips, just as a habit. The ABS body hasn’t cracked or warped, and the gasket is still doing its job. I used sealant around the edges as well, so water is more likely to get in through a bad screw hole than the light body itself.

Vibration-wise, they’ve handled the usual abuse from a small outboard and choppy water. No loose parts, no rattling. The potting inside means the electronics aren’t bouncing around. The cable strain relief at the back isn’t industrial-grade, but if you secure the wire properly and don’t leave it hanging, it should be fine. One thing to note: these are surface-mount, so if you smash them into a dock or trailer, they’re not protected by a recess. Treat them like any other external fitting and don’t ram them into things.

Realistically, at this price, I don’t expect them to last forever. But compared to other cheap LED lights I’ve tried that fogged up or died within a month, these feel more robust. If they last a couple of seasons of regular use, I’d call that a win for the cost. If you want something that will live on a big saltwater boat year-round with zero maintenance, you should probably spend more. For casual and seasonal use, the durability so far is reassuring, with no early failure signs.

This is where these lights actually surprised me a bit. For 5.4W per light and 27 LEDs each, the brightness is pretty solid. On my 12V system, one light on its own gives a clear white pool of light behind the boat. With both on, the area behind the transom is well lit out to several meters in clear water. You’re not getting stadium-level brightness, but for docking, loading gear, or casual night fishing, there’s plenty of usable light.

The beam pattern is wide, not narrow. That convex lens and secondary optics do their job. Instead of a tight spot, you get a broad, even spread. In shallow water (1–2 meters), the light bounces off the bottom and you can see fish movement quite easily. I’ve used them anchored up at night, and baitfish definitely hang around in the illuminated area. If you’re expecting them to pull fish from half a mile away, you’ll be disappointed, but as an attractor and visibility aid close to the boat, they work well.

Heat-wise, they stay relatively cool compared to old halogen-style underwater lights I’ve seen. Even when I ran them out of the water for about 30 minutes while testing on the trailer, they were warm to the touch but not burning hot. That’s good both for longevity and safety. Power draw is low enough that I didn’t notice any serious battery hit during a whole evening session; my small 12V setup handled them easily along with other nav lights.

In rougher conditions, spray and splashing didn’t cause any flicker or water ingress. They came on every time, no delay, no dimming. On 24V, they behave the same – brightness looks about the same to the eye, which is what you’d expect from a proper driver circuit. Overall, I’d rate performance as better than I expected for the price. Not pro-level, but definitely functional and bright enough for most small-boat or dock applications.

Out of the box, you get two lights, a couple of gaskets, and basic fixings. That’s it. No fancy manual, no extra connectors, nothing extra. The packaging is plain and functional: cardboard box, lights in plastic sleeves, and a very short bit of instructions that basically tells you red to positive, black to negative, and to seal the mounting surface. Honestly, that’s enough for most people who’ve ever wired a 12V accessory.

Each unit is fairly compact. You’re not getting big, chunky housings like some heavy-duty marine brands. These are more like slim surface-mount pods with a metal face plate and a plastic body. The 27 LEDs are visible behind the clear polycarbonate lens, but once installed you don’t really notice them individually, it just looks like one bright bar of light. The cable length is decent – enough to reach a junction block or a nearby power run without needing an immediate extension, but if your wiring is far away, you’ll still be splicing extra wire.

From a user perspective, the product is straightforward: two white underwater/surface lights, multi-voltage (10–30V), IP68 rated, supposedly equivalent to around 50W of old-school bulb power while only drawing around 5.4W each. No modes, no color options, no fancy controller. They turn on, they turn off, that’s it. I kind of like that: less to break, less to fiddle with in the dark.

If you’re expecting a full installation kit with marine-grade tinned wire, heat-shrink connectors, and a step-by-step mounting template, you’ll be disappointed. This is more of a “here are the lights, you figure out the rest” type of product. For the price bracket, that’s fair. Just be ready to bring your own sealant, decent stainless screws, and basic wiring bits. It feels like a no-frills kit focused on the lights themselves, which is okay as long as you know that going in.