LED Anchor Light

[Dreamer]

I finally installed the LED Anchor lights and last night at dusk, photographed them. They are brightest from directly in front or astern of the lamp. The brightness from 90 degrees to the boat drops off some but is plenty bright IMHO. The low current draw is the best part.

I got them from www.marinebeam.com Jeff Field was very helpful. These replace the Festoon style bulbs, Pointed ends, 31mm long. Part # FS-31-04WW.

[Aurelia]

You are really working away Roger! I like a guy who isn't afraid to use destructive/creative power tools but I think that whole you cut for water storage would not work out well in our 25. When I first saw our LED anchor light from a distance next to another boat with a standard light, it made me wonder how the old standard was good enough.

I just added some newer LEDs in the cabin and LEDs are improving quickly as a category as well.

Greg

[journey on]

Love LED anchor lights. Turn them on and have some peace of mind that the battery's not taking a beating.

Boris

[JamesTXSD]

Hi Roger,

That light looks good. A question for you: is your fixture the 2-bulb type (one facing forward, one rearward)? If so, you simply replaced the (2) festoon bulbs?

Seems to me that eliminating those incandescent anchor lights would go a long ways for battery use conservation, even more so than the cabin lights. Of course, replacing all would help, but the cabin lights aren't generally on for... how long do your nights last up there this time of year... like about 16 hours?

Best wishes,
Jim

[Dreamer]

Jim,

This time of year, about 10 hours of really low angle Sun! Summer in the Broughtons, it gets dark about 11:00pm they tell me. I'm long gone by then.

I'm sure you have the same anchor light. It's a Perko 1100 series and has 2 festoon bulbs.

Sorry to see you're suffering in the cold. I'm sure it will warm up soon enough.

All the best,
Roger

[JamesTXSD]

Thanks, Roger!

"Cold" is relative. The Rio Grande Valley is in for some cold the next few days. Cold, as in: going to get below freezing in the valley, probably not here at the coast. Our low will come Thursday night, when it's supposed to be in the low to mid 30s.

We were in the grocery store today - the place was packed. Seems that people are stocking up, because of "the winter storm." Now, I lived in the Black Hills, where we could get 5 FEET of snow overnight, temps below zero, and wind out of the north at a gazillion miles per hour. BUT, we knew that was going to happen once in a while... they don't know what to do with freezing temps here. Seriously, most people have water pipes that enter their homes above the ground. The Valley is well-known for citrus... you can expect orange juice and grapefruit juice to be more expensive next season... especially if you are fond of Ruby Red grapefruit.

We see this kind of cold once every 4 or 5 years, but it generally doesn't last for more than a few hours... the weather weasels are predicting below freezing inland for over 24 hours.

On the bright side, Wild Blue is tied to the dock, and we are cozy in the house... this is my first day off the boat since we put her back in. Nice to have options. And to bring this back on topic, it will be nice to have LED anchor bulbs!

Best wishes,
Jim

[DaveS]

[thataway]

My Tom Cat did not come with the radar arch, and has a single double contact bulb, with the anchor light all of the way aft on the cabin house.

I suspect that the deminished light at 90 degrees is due to the two bulbs. In my unit, the single led bulb has a slightly spiral arrangement so that all of the sectors are covered. I assume that your boat does not have a separate stern light on the cabin house aft. (I didn't see one in the photos).

[JamesTXSD]

Hi Roger,

My thanks again for your find and sharing on these bulbs. Others that I've looked at were in the $30+ price range, these were only $10 each. The part # you listed has changed; it is now...

http://store.marinebeam.com/311ledfebu.html

according to Jeff. 31mm (1 1/4") 4-LED festoon bulb, warm white.

I'm looking forward to getting and installing these.

Best wishes,
Jim

[journey on]

Jim,

Those bulbs you show aren't anchor lights, they're sold for replacing incandescent festoons in small courtesy lights. The ones sold for anchor lights have more LEDs: Navigation LED . They sell for $30 ea., as you mention, and even at that price are a great bargain. You can turn them on as the sun goes down and sleep till noon without worrying about the amp hours.

I'm not sure for what you ordered them, but this blog is on anchor lights.

And, Bob they have the kind of bulbs we use, too. for $35, which is a lot less that I paid (a couple of years ago.)

Boris

[dave]

My anchor light is right in frint of my radar dome and the same height. It couldn't be seen from the stern. I had it replaced with a taller LED.

[Dreamer]

Boris,

You are right. The bulbs are not listed as anchor lamps. But, they are 31 mm in length, not 42mm. They are bright and low drain. They are the only ones that fit in the Perko 1100 series lamp. When was your anchor light last inspected by "authorities" ? It is certainly a personal choice to use these.

Roger

[Grumpy]

Roger,

I'm not anchoring near you. The dog will think it's morning and demand to go potty

M

[localboy]

We've got this on our radar arch. I'm going to purchase one from Marinebeam, take a before & after pic and post it here.

http://store.marinebeam.com/aqsise25fe.html

On a side note, it's funny how it's "approaching" spring and everyone is getting antsy, starting projects, making repairs/changes.

[Doryman]