FYI - LED Nav. Light Conversion-gctid356491

[trimjb]

http://www.ocean-news.com/newsletter/1664--retrofitting-incandescent-nav-lamps-with-led-bulbs-is-unsafe-and-illegal-

[Mocoondo]

I see nobody was willing to sign their name to that article.

[CaptTom]

The last line of the article says it all: "The simple solution for owners wishing to upgrade to LED navigation lights is to replace the entire light assembly with a certified product. This ensures their navigation lights are safe, and legal."

I did that, and will never go back. Replacing just the bulb with an LED doesn't address the real problem of corrosion and loose connections from normal bouncing around.

My lights are bright, draw a lot less power, and are sealed to last at least the life of the boat. Some of the best money I ever spent. And they're even cheaper now.

[Guest]

Replacing just the bulb with an LED doesn't address the real problem of corrosion and loose connections from normal bouncing around.

Yup, anything less is kinda dumb. The true LED units are fully sealed, and each has three LEDs so a failure won't leave you with no lighting. Cheap too, I think $55 for the pair of nav lights with stainless covers.

[Guest]

Hi Carlos,

Are you referring to your bow port (Red) and starborad lights (green) ? I have an all around light that is bright and sealed on top of my arch. Show me a picture of the ones you have if they are for the bow I need to replace a lens cover on the starboard side.

Thanks,

Steve

[JimMc]

I would like to replace my forward Nav lights , currently Perko 0253, but so far have no LEDs with the same foot print. The boat has a raised mount for the nav lights and it's virtually the same shape and size as the light.

I did try LED Nav lights from Innovative lighting but found them weak and dim compared to the original Perko's with a regular lamp.

[MidnightSun]

JimMc wrote:
I would like to replace my forward Nav lights , currently Perko 0253, but so far have no LEDs with the same foot print. The boat has a raised mount for the nav lights and it's virtually the same shape and size as the light.

I did try LED Nav lights from Innovative lighting but found them weak and dim compared to the original Perko's with a regular lamp.

I installed Attwood led nav lights and am very pleased. The output is great and I really like the little dot on the top. This lights up slightly which can be seen from the cockpit showing that are actually on or in other words, an indicator light. Don't know if they fit your footprint but worth a look. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Attwood-Red-...#ht_527wt_1156

[Guest]

JimMc wrote:
I would like to replace my forward Nav lights , currently Perko 0253, but so far have no LEDs with the same foot print. The boat has a raised mount for the nav lights and it's virtually the same shape and size as the light.

I did try LED Nav lights from Innovative lighting but found them weak and dim compared to the original Perko's with a regular lamp.

Jim, I went the route MidnightSun did and replaced my bow navigation lights with Attwod products. They look much better and perform better. Was an easy replacement.

[MidnightSun]

Just a note on the Attwood lights. There are 2 versions which look identical, 1nm and 2nm visibility. Obviously the 2nm are a little more but IMHO the best choice.

[JimMc]

I love the BOC.

Thank you Hans and Randy. The Attwoods look like a near perfect fit.

Now to resell the Admiral. Oh Debbie :drama

[Guest]

I love it. Lets take a poll.... How many boats have been boarded by USCG to make certain they had the right kind of bulb in their fixture?

This sounds like a lot of bunk. I haven't replaced my Nav lights with LED bulbs, but have replaced all the cockpit lighting with LED bulbs (no new fixtures). They work perfectly.

I was considering replacing the the anchor light bulb with an LED. According to this, I should not do it because it would violate the requirements (like anyone is going to know) or it may not work properly (so if it does manfunction I'll put the old one back in)

Talk about over-legislating!

[Guest]

Are you referring to your bow port (Red) and starborad lights (green) ? I have an all around light that is bright and sealed on top of my arch. Show me a picture of the ones you have if they are for the bow I need to replace a lens cover on the starboard side.

Yes, see below. I don't have pics, but see the link to the product.

I would like to replace my forward Nav lights , currently Perko 0253, but so far have no LEDs with the same foot print.

The ones I used aren't exactly right, but fit on that raised portion just fine. From two feet away you'd never notice. I had to drill two new holes and join the wires to the existing ones. That was the hardest part actually, getting to the wires in the anchor locker. I should have taken my Bilge Monkey(TM) to the marina that day.

http://www.wholesalemarine.com/p/I-L-552-1200-7/Stainless+Steel+Deck+Mount+LED+Navigation+Lights.html

I haven't replaced my Nav lights with LED bulbs, but have replaced all the cockpit lighting with LED bulbs (no new fixtures). They work perfectly.

Quick poll...how many of those cockpit lights are critical to navigation safety? How many of them are exposed to direct sun and rain, not to mention salt splash if you're in the ocean?

I think the anchor light is the least problematic to replace with a really well-designed LED. Though at least one person in my marina used an LED cluster for the anchor light which has dark bands between LEDs, so at certain angles there is very little light seen. That's definitely stupid to use.

[captharv]

I thought it was a good article. Brings up a POTENTIAL problem..

While the CG is not going to run around "testing" lights (I doubt they have the expertise or time while on patrol), the problem is: in case of a collision.

If you get into one, and the other guy says "theres something wrong with his lights. I did not see him until I was on top of him..."

You can bet your bippy that his attorney will have them tested.

Seriously, the navrules require 2 mile mast and 1 mile side lights (

[MidnightSun]

[QUOTE]captharv wrote:
I thought it was a good article. Brings up a POTENTIAL problem..

While the CG is not going to run around "testing" lights (I doubt they have the expertise or time while on patrol), the problem is: in case of a collision.

If you get into one, and the other guy says "theres something wrong with his lights. I did not see him until I was on top of him..."

You can bet your bippy that his attorney will have them tested.

Seriously, the navrules require 2 mile mast and 1 mile side lights (

[Mocoondo]

I see no problem in changing incandescent bulbs to LED so long as a good quality LED lamp is used. I changed all mine out a long time ago and don't regret it for a second.

As to the threat of collision ... A marine collision is an extremely rare event. Chances are, nobody on this forum has ever even been involved in a collision on the water where people were injured. Not saying that it couldn't happen because it can. If it does, you can bet there will be other more substantial factors involved (such as alcohol) than a wrong lightbulb present in a fixture.

If you compare color temperature as well as candlepower of the bulb, and each are equal or better than the lamp you are replacing, then I see no reason why that would not be appropriate.