LED's Revisited

Hello all,

Just wanted to come back with a review.

We spent 3 nights aboard our boat in the Homer, AK harbor last week with the bulb pictured above installed in one of the lights above the stove.

We were VERY happy with the light. We couldn't tell a difference in the brightness between the old filament bulb and the new LED. The color of the light is VERY different. The old bulb puts out a very yellowy light while the LED is very white.

Best of all, less than 1/3 of the power consumption. I've ordered more. I even ordered one of the 54 LED bulbs to put in the head. (slightly lower wattage)

Just wanted everyone to know that there is a good option available that doesn't require ripping out all your old lighting fixtures.
 
I've been looking for a plug-in replacement for our anchor light. No joy, yet. Our anchor light is actually two lights, one facing forward, one aft. They are the bulbs that have the points on either end instead of the bayonet. I had a tough time finding a replacement bulb when the aft one went out.
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If you replace your anchor light or running lights make sure the replacement is USCG approved. If you install a light that is not up to specs as far as distance visibility goes you could be putting yourself at risk.
 
Dr. LED makes a direct replacement for the anchor light bulb called the GE90Star. I bought one at Fisheries Supply and it seems to work great, but is a little pricey at $45. Dr. LED claims it meets USCG regulations and I have no reason to doubt this as it looks just as bright, perhaps brighter, than the standard bulb. Here's a picture of the GE90Star installed and operating:

IMG_0270.jpg
 
I'm just going to post this as another stupid, somewhat related, rube goldberg lighting idea.

Almost a year ago, I bought 4 inexpensive Harbor Freight auto on-off solar powered garden lights and put them out on the rear deck at the house. They normally run about $5.99 but are often on sale for less. The dang things turn on at dusk and they auto turn off at dawn, yes still on, and they had a nice ambience on the deck.

They are by no means very bright (your not going to read a book by them), but a couple of them low in the cockpit of my CD and one in the mid cabin make it very comfortable to walk around.
We take them camping as well and stake them outside the tents or you can bring one at night into the grandkids tent because the bears and lions are afraid of them (yah right).

They weigh almost nothing, water resistant plastic, fit nicely in a Scotty or Fish-on rod holder base, are enough light to watch a sturgeon pole tip........and best of all, absolutely no drain on the house system should you fall asleep with them on. Pretty good longevity for $5. My old deck lights are not quite as bright as new ones, but are still working after almost a year never being turned off. That is, after over 300 free cycles.

Hey, what can I say, just hide them in a cabinet when you have guests on board your $100k boat (or blame Geo. Bush if you're of that persuasion).

Chris
 
We have one of these lights on each of the boats and use them almost every night. I noticed that many boats in the PNW were using them either as primary or suplimentary anchor lights (they are not bright enough to fulfill CG requirements)--but do show the boat up in a crowded cove. We also have used a red flashing LED light (like on bicycles) to "find" our boat in a crowded anchorage. These are small and seem to last forever on a small LR 44 battery.
 
I just got a pair of these and they installed fine in my cabin fixtures. They seem to offer similar brightness to the original 1003s. They produce a bluish cast instead of yellow. They are probably not as bright as those John S shared. They are cheaper though @ $17.32/pair shipped.

I'm also awaiting a pair of these to try in the Perko 1125 Mastlight. $5.33/pair shipped. I'll report back when I see how they work.

As to the Aqua Signal Nav Lights (Series 25), I'll probably leave them alone. 3@ $45 is too rich for my blood.
 
Good News,
The cheap little LEDs (see previous post above) work great in the Perko Mast Light(1125). Plenty bright!
They're a tiny bit longer than the originals and they only function when installed with the correct polarity. If you install them and they don't work simply flip them over(invert).
Only time will tell if they'll hold up under normal use.
 
I bought Dr LED's for my running lights and anchor light (all expensive) and report somewhat contrary to earlier reports: 1) The red and green running lights (festoons) are a good fit and appear as bright as the original incandescents. 2) The anchor light (GE90) is probably brighter than the original incandescent but is not dimensionally the same. The bulb base is longer (in the vertical direction as the bulb sits in the anchor light fixture attached to the boat) and thus the light source is higher than the center (top to bottom) of the fresnel lens. When moving the lens up and down it is obvious that the light source is intended to be at the level of the center of the lens. The light works and is bright without modification but is not performing at its best. Also,it is a tight fit and a plastic cap/reflector that is part of the led unit contacts the top of the lens when the lens is screwed into the base. These two factors make the bulb unacceptable "as is" to me but the high quality of the bulb merits trying to correct this. Cgale and I are working on a simple solution using a hardware-store-available pvc plumbing adapter to raise the lens and resolve the issue. I will report on our results.

Jay
 
I wanted to compare the 36 element LED I purchased with the 63 element LED that John S reviewed so I ordered one to see how they stack up.
I can report that the 63 is much brighter and produces a true white light without any blue cast.
I went ahead and ordered a second for the v-berth.
The 63s I ordered are from the same supplier as John S. In fact, I'm certain that they're the same exact bulb. However, the one's I ordered are an 1156 BA15S ( single contact) as opposed to an 1142 BA15D ( double contact)
They're a bit cheaper !
 
I too did the marine beam nav light,red and green replacement,and they fit perfect as ordered in my stock Aqua signal lights.My reason for the replacement was a little different than others.As I was cleaning the contact bases to add some anti corrosion elec goo,I noticed how very hot the old bulbs were getting, and decided it might prematurely age the plastic lenses and also the rubber gaskets.not a cheap swap but def an easy one.and peace of mind.
 
So far I have found a plug n play replacement for every bulb on the boat,I recommend superbrightleds.com and the marine beams for the colored nav lights :smiled
 
Please I have spent months on this driving back to the lake taking measurements ordering bulbs and driving.

I have a tanzer 22 and the navigate lights will accept a GE90 bulb and NOTHING longer. the actual bulb length is 1.350" NOT 1.44"

How does DR LED claim he has an exactl replacemnet.
I will not fit in my boat at all.

thankyou
ps i have asked beammarine for the dimensins of there smallest bulb I can t believe they dont have it on website.
 
We used an outfit called Sailor's Solutions for our LED lights. We reused the standard fixtures that our boat came with. I'm sure they were not the cheapest but they did not cause any VHF radio interference like some of the cheaper LEDS that are reported to cause. We ordered a bayonet socket adapter 3.59 and a Sen10w for 39.00 dollars which is made in the USA. soft white. We did not want a light that looked like something they use for intense interrogation situations. Some lights can look kind of harsh. www.sailorssolutions.com if you want to check them out. Ours have held up fine for the past four years.
D.D.
 
Last year I converted the boat to 100% Marinebeam LED lights, including Davis Megalight and Nav lights (but used an Attwood LED anchor light for total potting/waterproof) and LED cockpit lights. I am sensitive to 'harsh' lights...I hate the new xenon headlights on cars in my eyes. Marinebeam has an unbeatable 30 day money back return, 2 year warranty, very responsive customer service and obviously deeply believe in and support their product. Yes, they are more expensive, but I'm a Buy Quality The First Time And You Won't Be Disappointed guy.

http://store.marinebeam.com/red-white-dome-light.html

These are push once, RED, push twice WHITE simple plug in Perko conversions. Eileen says the all red 'looks like a New Amsterdam bordello', but to my knowledge she has never worked in one, or even visited one, so I don't think she knows. I think it looks very nautical. I put 18-LED white in the V-berth and it's very bright and they run very cool. Which reminds me, I need to replace those 30 amp fuses with 2 amp.

In warm white mode, they look just like regular lights until you look closely at the lens. The cards can be adjusted a bit to put light where you want it. The Nav lights are way brighter than the 10w Perko bulbs and not sensitive to trailering pothole bumps.

I'm a big fan of Marinebeam now after a poster rec'd them whose experience I respect led me to them. If you try them and don't think they give spectacular service and support, let us all know.
Cheers!
John
 
gulfcoast john":1t8tmour said:
I put 18-LED white in the V-berth and it's very bright and they run very cool. Which reminds me, I need to replace those 30 amp fuses with 2 amp.
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I have a question about this. I also replaced a bunch of my lights with Marine Beam LED's. One of the things I converted was the nav lights. Yes, they are only LED bulbs vs. "potted" LED's, but I wanted to use the stock fixture.

Anyway, I thought about changing the fuse, but then I didn't for two reasons. I would like to know if my reasoning is correct.

1) Fuses are to protect the wire (as I understand it?). I didn't reduce the size of the wire, so the fuse that was there should still protect the wire... right?

2) I saved my regular old bulbs for spares. If I were to put those in and had smaller fuses, the fuses would likely blow, which would be a bummer. So as long as I have the fixtures that could take a "regular" bulb, I figured I'd keep the regular-sized fuses (also maybe a "next owner" could get caught by this too).

Always seeking to improve my understanding of wiring/electrical.

Sunbeam
 
I think the LED flat panels give the most light and the least $$$. I found these off Amazon for pennies. You do have to splice in the 2 prong plug that comes with the light, not a big deal. If you get the polarity wrong the plugs are reversible. Had to use 3M exterior double stick tape to hold them in place, found that leaving them on for hours created enough heat that the adhesive on the lights would release.
Have not had one fail, don't think I spent more than $30 for 8 of them so I would have a couple spares.


DSCN0371.jpg


DSCN0367.jpg

LED on the right for comparison.
 
Sunbeam":qta0hwm1 said:
gulfcoast john":qta0hwm1 said:
I put 18-LED white in the V-berth and it's very bright and they run very cool. Which reminds me, I need to replace those 30 amp fuses with 2 amp.
Click to expand...

I have a question about this. I also replaced a bunch of my lights with Marine Beam LED's. One of the things I converted was the nav lights. Yes, they are only LED bulbs vs. "potted" LED's, but I wanted to use the stock fixture.

Anyway, I thought about changing the fuse, but then I didn't for two reasons. I would like to know if my reasoning is correct.

1) Fuses are to protect the wire (as I understand it?). I didn't reduce the size of the wire, so the fuse that was there should still protect the wire... right?

2) I saved my regular old bulbs for spares. If I were to put those in and had smaller fuses, the fuses would likely blow, which would be a bummer. So as long as I have the fixtures that could take a "regular" bulb, I figured I'd keep the regular-sized fuses (also maybe a "next owner" could get caught by this too).

Always seeking to improve my understanding of wiring/electrical.

Sunbeam
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Sunbeam, fuses are also there to protect the whole boat (think fire! :cry )

Charlie
 
Captains Cat":2aidh3p5 said:
Sunbeam, fuses are also there to protect the whole boat (think fire! :cry )

Charlie
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I totally don't get what you mean (unless you're joking, but then I don't get that either :oops:). I mean, for example, I have a fuse on my main helm feed wire. They way I sized it was to first figure out what size wire I needed for the items the wire would be supplying over the round trip distance, then, once I knew the size of the wire, I sized the fuse to protect that wire. The "protection" is ultimately against heat/fire, as I understand it. But it doesn't protect the whole boat, only that one wire. Hence each wire has its own fuse (over-current protection). I don't see any way a fuse on a given wire can do more than protect that wire (the items at the other end have their own fuses to protect them - much smaller size typically).

So my thinking on the nav lights was: They are regular fixtures and can take regular bulbs (whether it is me putting in spares or a subsequent owner putting in regular bulbs). Hence I should leave the size wiring (and the fuse to protect that wire) that would support the draw of regular bulbs. Since the wire is (still) larger, the larger fuse will still protect it just the same as it always has -- the LED's drawing less will not hurt anything. If I downsized the wire, I would have to downsize the fuse (but then I could no longer use regular bulbs as they would draw too much for the wire/fuse). So unless one is trying to get really crafty with weight reduction, I don't see why one would downsize the wire/fuse leading to the nav lights (as long as they are regular fixtures that can still take regular bulbs, not dedicated LED fixtures).

Maybe I am wrong but I don't understand your answer.
 
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