Replace cockpit and cabin lights with LED?-gctid366363

[Guest]

I want to replace all the lighting on my boat with LED's. What kind of project am I getting myself into? For those of you who have done this, does it require changing out every fixture or just replacing the bulbs? Where did you purchase the parts needed to convert?

[706jim]

RMSLLC wrote:
I want to replace all the lighting on my boat with LED's. What kind of project am I getting myself into? For those of you who have done this, does it require changing out every fixture or just replacing the bulbs? Where did you purchase the parts needed to convert?

While I am unaware of the mechanics of changing the bulbs and/or fixtures, be sure you take a look at someone's boat who has done this swap.

To me, the lighting "spectrum" of LED's leaves something to be desired. I don't find them to be a "warm" light, although your opinion may differ.

[Machog]

I changed 90% of the lights out on my 4087, its simply a matter of swapping the bulbs out, just make sure you get the right part number. Mine are the simple 2 pin pull type. Use a tissue to pull old bulbs out and put new in any grease from your hands can cause premature failure.

You get two main choices with LED's, a white very bright bulb, (think BMW Audi headlight look) or a softer yellow, which is what I chose.

Had them in over a year with no failures. Got mine from Hero LED, China, no shipping or tax about $4.50 a bulb in quantity. Westmarine sells them, last I looked for about $18.00, might want t to try one to see if you like it.

Machog

[Guest]

Thanks for the info! My interior lights are the "2 pin" type also. However my cockpit "courtesy" lights are a standard automotive type interior bulb with a glass "tab" and metallic contacts on either side.

[Guest]

there's tons of that stuff on ebay. Just looked up this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-36MM-9-5050-SMD-LED-6423-6461-DE3425-DOME-LIGHTS-FESTOON-BULB-WHITE-DOOR-LAMP-/170814789730?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item27c55ad862#ht_4527wt_1150

someone can point you to some others. They come from china and in the package, you'll get the led panels, plus 2-3 differen plug ins you can use. I bought about 20 of them and think I paid about 3 bucks each. Sorry I can't find them at the moment.

[Guest]

oops..found it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300658921378?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_2191wt_979

Note that the socket on these isn't the standard 1156 single element one...its smaller. You'll need to poke around a bit to find the right ones.

good luck

[Guest]

http://www.cruisertips.com/index.php/faq/39-electrical-a-electronics/54-led-light-replacements-for-standard-bulbs

[Guest]

Sorry but I must disagree with the info in your post swampnut.

I have had a set ebay LED roll lighting in my fourwinns for over 5 years now, has not changed in color or dimmer then the time I installed it.

I had some left over from that project I installed in the 2452 and it works great.

I do say that the china LED stuff is hit of miss some of it does not work at all and the color spectrum from batch to batch is alway off.

[Guest]

I have just done a complete replacement of all incandescents in my '89 Avanti 2955.

I am very happy with the results.

I basically replaced the festoons and wedges with their counterparts.

Something like this from Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Z3JWM0/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

CURRENTLY $0.05 how could you go wrong?

I changed out all my cabin lighting, every gauge light, cockpit lighting etc.

I measured the bulbs current draw and found that I was taking a system capable of 14 Amp draw

and reducing it to 2.5 Amp draw.

In real terms, this meant that my 80Ah accessory battery would drain to 50% in 3 hours using incandescents

or 16 hours using LED.

Yes, there are definately color and brightness differences in the Festoon bulbs that I have purchased from different

sellers, but I like the cool light, and I like the longer battery run time.

The other consideration is that as I am about to put in a solar panel, I need less wattage for that

to recharge my night time lighting usage.

[Guest]

Here are the Festoons that I bought

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001XKMHGQ/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

[Guest]

Ok, so as I sent my last post I recalled some of the issues that I had.

Being an older boat, the fixtures are a bit brittle, and some of the wedges didn't fit so well.

That being said, it just required a little tinkering and patience. Both of which I am learning

about with this boating lark.

The festoon bulbs are more directional, so I placed two bulbs and angled them such

that they spread the light better. There are many options out there for more omnidirectional

versions, so shop around.

The wedge bulbs can be tricky, as the wires on the connector wedge may not make contact

inside the fixture and may need to be modified. For one fixture, I had to solder some extra

wire to the connector to ensure it made contact.

Don't forget LED's are diodes, so the polarity matters. One way you get light, the other you get

nothing. This can make it a little tricky determining if you have the bulb in the right way

or just a poor connection.

Also, if you are changing out the bulbs in Navigation lights, this may invalidate the USCG

certification for the light. They are certified visible to a certain distance. Probably better

to leave the incandescents there or buy new certified versions for Nav lights. Safety first.

[Guest]

I do say that the china LED stuff is hit of miss some of it does not work at all and the color spectrum from batch to batch is alway off.

That's my point. It's a crap-shoot. Pay for quality, or roll the dice.

You can disagree all you want, I'm posting measurements.

[Guest]

[img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/671421=26099-006.jpg[/img]

[img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/671421=26100-007.jpg[/img] http://www.oznium.com/Check out this website. I ordered my lights from them and these guys were great. I refered my dad to them and he loved there service. Get creative...... you are only limited by your imagination. The LEDs I got for my deck lights are a "warm light" color. Hooking up an LED incorrectly (polarity) will not hurt it, but, it does matter. There is some good info on that website. These poeple have cheap shipping and fast. I hate to sound like a salesperson for these people, but, it is rare to find good customer service these days. I attached a few pictures of my LED lights.

[img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/671421=26098-005.jpg[/img]