Flashlight mount

After my last round of adventure (aka poor planning) with elk hunting I realized I need a mount of some sort for a flashlight that I can put on my kayak.  Paddling a river at night in a major rain storm with lots of wind sucks monkey balls no matter how you cut it.  But the light from the headlamp was only slightly better than useless.  Without the rain it probably would have been fine, but the sparklies made it very hard to see where I was going. Seems like having a light mounted down low (well below the eyes) would eliminate at least some of the problem.

So, what says the hive mind about the best way to mount a flashlight?  And what light would y'all recommend?

This looks like a start in the right direction, but I'm wondering if it's got enough power and durability for my needs.  The website for that company is one of the worst I've seen in a while, and they don't list basic things like lumens for the light.  Plus, several places, they describe it as being able to operate in rain, snow, etc to 1000' below sea level.  Soooo, I'm OK if it rains on me while kayaking the Dead Sea?  Obviously they mean it's submersible to 1000' depth, but if they can't get that right on the website I wonder about their competence in manufacturing. 

The RAM suction cup mount looks promising though.

ETA: Just for clarification purposes, I'm far less worried about other people seeing me (I'm usually the last dumbass still out there), so "navigation lights" like this are not what I need.  I need something that illuminates the river and lets me see obstructions, the bank of the river, direction I'm going, etc.

Mount some spot lights using Ram bases, Scotty or Gear Trac.

Check out mountain bike lights, used for night trail riding.

Why do I keep imagining a picatinny rail on your kayak?

-Allen

Check out mountain bike lights, used for night trail riding.

Any of those that can survive a dunking in or splashing from brackish water?

Why do I keep imagining a picatinny rail on your kayak?

-Allen

   That would be cool. 

Mount some spot lights using Ram bases, Scotty or Gear Trac.

Like Jammer suugested, go with some small LED lights. Here is a small 12 watt one that would work well.

http://www.amazon.com/TurnRaise-Offroad-Headlight-Motorcycle-Motorbike/dp/B015OHXRWG/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1454424987&sr=8-24&keywords=12watt+led+off+road+lights

Check out mountain bike lights, used for night trail riding.

Any of those that can survive a dunking in or splashing from brackish water?

I think if you use a search for ones that have IP67 or IP68 rating will get you there.
You will have to wire them up to a battery of course and hard mount it, otherwise you might prefer flashlight style such as a Mag-lite or this: http://www.amazon.com/Armytek-Barracuda-Range-Search-Lumens/dp/B00IFUWGZE/ for more lumens an put a float on it and call it good.
Would definitely do a base mount as suggested and avoid suction mount.

After my last round of adventure (aka poor planning) with elk hunting I realized I need a mount of some sort for a flashlight that I can put on my kayak.  Paddling a river at night in a major rain storm with lots of wind sucks monkey balls no matter how you cut it.  But the light from the headlamp was only slightly better than useless.  Without the rain it probably would have been fine, but the sparklies made it very hard to see where I was going. Seems like having a light mounted down low (well below the eyes) would eliminate at least some of the problem.

So, what says the hive mind about the best way to mount a flashlight?  And what light would y'all recommend?

This looks like a start in the right direction, but I'm wondering if it's got enough power and durability for my needs.  The website for that company is one of the worst I've seen in a while, and they don't list basic things like lumens for the light.  Plus, several places, they describe it as being able to operate in rain, snow, etc to 1000' below sea level.  Soooo, I'm OK if it rains on me while kayaking the Dead Sea?  Obviously they mean it's submersible to 1000' depth, but if they can't get that right on the website I wonder about their competence in manufacturing. 

The RAM suction cup mount looks promising though.

ETA: Just for clarification purposes, I'm far less worried about other people seeing me (I'm usually the last dumbass still out there), so "navigation lights" like this are not what I need.  I need something that illuminates the river and lets me see obstructions, the bank of the river, direction I'm going, etc.

It looks like the flashlight they use for the mount in your link is a Tektrite Trek 4 and according to Amazon is listed at only 30 Lumens.
http://www.amazon.com/Tektite-Trek-LEDs-Flashlight/dp/B00012ADCW/

LED EVERYTHING!!!!!! 

I picked up one of these Coast Headlamps last year at the Pacific Northwest Sportsmens show on sale for $50.  Hands-down the best and brightest headlamp I've ever owned.
I use it all the time on my kayak and works like a champ.
https://coastportland.com/product/hl8/

You will need to mount it rather high so it reaches farther out and can be directed slightly down. A low mounted light will show you things above the waterline but not so much at the surface, particularly if there is any chop, and will necessarily be pointing slightly up, giving you a shorter horizon.

I'd think harder about a more powerful headlamp, above a billed cap to keep the near drizzle dazzle from blinding you.

This, in addition to a visipole or similar to let others see you.

Or, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YC8DYQ?psc=1.

You will need to mount it rather high so it reaches farther out and can be directed slightly down. A low mounted light will show you things above the waterline but not so much at the surface, particularly if there is any chop, and will necessarily be pointing slightly up, giving you a shorter horizon.

I'd think harder about a more powerful headlamp, above a billed cap to keep the near drizzle dazzle from blinding you.

This, in addition to a visipole or similar to let others see you.

Or, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YC8DYQ?psc=1.

There is a limit to how bright is useful in those crappy conditions.  Think about like turning your brights on while driving in fog.  Sometimes, past a certain point, more light actually means you see less.  One of the other guys had a headlamp similar to Jammer's.  Didn't help him see much if any better than me.  Even with the wind I don't recall much chop.  Best solution though is somthing that can be raised or lowered to find that sweet spot of maximum visibility for whatever the given conditions are.  A RAM mount on a longer arm would accomplish that.

This is my favorite flashlight, it's super cheap, claims to be waterproof, is very bright, has an adjustable beam, and has 2-3 different brightnesses. I've got 4-5 of them between the house and the car. I'd imagine if you got a go pro type of stick mounted to the side of the kayak with a tactical flashlight mount you could put a pretty good beam either close or far down the river depending on the need. They do use either a 18650 battery or AAAs, they perform best with the 18650. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ODWG5YG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Kayalu is a respected company.  Don't know if that light is the solution, but the company is solid.

It would seem to me that you want the light to be to the side and not directly inline with you.  If you have it so it's in front of you and off to the side of your line of sight, the glare wouldn't be directed back at you.

Mount it on PVC and put it in a rod holder so it's off to the side.  Or something less kludged-together than that.