Mahe 36: Lighting and LEDs

[pirategirl]

good info on LED lighting, I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a reasonable priced supplier for lights as we would like to change all the old lights in our Douglas 32 to LED, we are in Canada, so if anyone knows of a dealer here that would be great.

[Cotemar]

pirategirl,

Here are two LED supplers that I have used with good prices. They will ship anywhere.

G4 : Led Strips Hero-ledstore.com

www.LEDwholesalers.com

Mark

[senormechanico]

I have had very good luck with oznium.com products and also sailorssolutions.com

[lstyles]

Has anyone found a LED that will fit the task lights without modification? I saw Mark's post about the task lights but it looks like he has to solder on some extensions to get it to fit. I don't own a solderer and would prefer to just be able to buy something that works. Is there anything out there like this?
thanks,
Lori

[Cotemar]

Lori,

I did not solder anything. What you see is what the manufacturer soldered on.
I just removed the white plastic so they would sit deep inside the reflector.

[lstyles]

Thanks Mark! I guess I misunderstood your post. I can remove the plastic without any problem. I purchased the other LEDs you recommended for the tri-color, anchor light and settee lighting. They all have worked great. I want to get these changed out too.
Lori

[lstyles]

Hi Mark!
I clicked your link and it is no longer available. I couldn't really find anything else on their site like it except this:
www.LEDwholesalers.com - Dome Light T10 194 wedge Base 12V 6 5050 SMD LED
Will this work also?
thanks,
Lori

[Cotemar]

Lori,

That is the same LED I am using. Yes order those.
Here is another company I have purchased LEDs from also.
G4 LED Replacement Bulb Globes Lamps Halogen Light Bulbs Lighting

[rgary]

RE: Factory Nav Lights not adhering to USCG Regs

Perhaps I shouldn't open this can of worms but ...
When I had my pre-purchase survey done on our 2009 Mahe, one of the items noted was that the boat did not have Nav lights that were in full compliance with USCG requirements.

Specifically the port/starboard lights are not supposed to be above 1m height from the main deck (of course they are on the mast). Additionally there is no stern light.

I found it odd that a boat ordered new by the initial owner for delivery to the US did not automatically come with proper nav lights.

In anticipation of one day being stopped by the USCG for a random visit, I've purchased a pair of Aqua Signal port and starboard LED lamps to mount on top of each bow. Have not yet installed them - not wild about drilling holes in the boat if not necessary. The stern light will be easier to mount, either on a stanchion or off the bimini.

Is the surveyor off base? Anyone else come across this issue?

Rgary

[MKB53]

I understood that the rules were pretty consistent internationally. To the best of my knowledge the requirements vary based on the size of the yacht and at 11 M a masthead tri light is legal. 12m and up require deck level lights.

That said I have fitted deck level lights as they are more visible in city harbour scenarios and they can be fixed without going up the mast!

[roverhi]

Think the issue is the lights under power. The steaming light may need to be higher than the running lights. If that is the case, the masthead tricolor would only be legal while under sail. Wasn't able to find a definitive answer to that in the short time I was googling it.

[Nicholson58]

Rules & enforcement should cut you a lot of slack. There is a lot of forgiveness regarding the layout of the deck and pulpit. We have both masthead tri-color and rail mount LED lights. There is a switch to select deck or masthead since you may only operate one set at a time. This lets us operate low lights in harbor and high lights off shore + installed spare in case one fails. If you read the USCG rules it wants the lights visible & generally in the optimum locations unless etc. As noted, you may or may not be required to have deck level lights based on length or possibly country. Sometimes, do what's best despite the book.

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by rgary

RE: Factory Nav Lights not adhering to USCG RegsSpecifically the port/starboard lights are not supposed to be above 1m height from the main deck (of course they are on the mast). Additionally there is no stern light.

I'd like to know where this comes from? There is nothing in the USCG regs or COLREGS that says anything about one meter from deck:

Navigation Rules Online

There are several annexes to COLREGS that end up at:

The colored Sidelights, green on the starboard side and red to port, should be installed above the deck level and clear of any combings.

The masthead or all-round light must be installed at least one meter / 3.3 ft above the sidelights.

The masthead or all-round white light, and the white stern light must be located as close as practically possible to the vessel's fore and aft centreline.

The only "one meter" requirement is the steaming light be above the sidelights. Ask the surveyor for chapter and verse.

[Nicholson58]

I should have paid closer attention to the OP. My opinion, the surveyor is nuts. Happens often. Our last survey by a mostly stinkboat type: we keep the wheel below while at the dock - more room in the cockpit. This was written up as "must securely install wheel and torque the nut to manufacturer's specifications. Our rudder is carbon fiber and syntactic foam - also new. It set off the moisture meter. I explained the issue & materials. never the less - noted wet rudder. Stuff I figured to be problem - not so. Dumb stuff rose to the top. As noted by Dsanduril - the guy is off base. The only key item is they need to be visible and not confused with other lights. I had a discussion with the underwriter. He noted and passed on the dumb items. Seems he owns a sailboat.

I still think adding back-up deck level lights in addition to a mast tri-color is good sense.

[Nicholson58]

here are a few of my favorite LED suppliers. I recommend reading the Tech stuff and LEDs for dummies on any of the sites. The best LED bulbs for marine use where lowest power is paramount is PWM (pulse width modulated) The PWM will not bother your radio if it is around 30 KHz. I have replaced all ICs with LEDs from these guys. Look for about 3500K rated bulbs for cabin lights and higher ratings for deck and spot lights. We have more than adequate interior lights and with ALL 60 dome lights we draw only 0.4 amps at 24 VDC. The Marine Beam spreader lights are 4 X the lumens at 1/5 the power use of the 4.5" sealed beams we replaced. They also have replacement festoons for the tiny flourescent fixtures. Our fixtures were all 2-light units but only one LED replacemnt sufficed. All Aqua-Signal bulbs are also replaced and we are quite satisfied. I also bought a few specialized BIBI lights but I am sorry to hear the political situation in FIJI has forced them to flee the country. (according to their site).

Pricing on these PWM replacements has gone down a lot and you can often negotiate a package deal at a boat show.

Marinebeam Replacement LED bulbs for your existing boat fixtures on deck and above deck but cabin lights too.

800 lumen spreder lights - like daylight.



Marine Lighting - Boat Lights - Yacht Lights - Imtra most of my cabin lights.




I have a set of deck level Nav lights from Welcome to MISEA Group: LED Lighting and Safety Products - Home They are nice lights but I consider them a bit fragile. Make sure they are well shielded from sheets & sails etc. an they will be OK. Boat show special saved a bundle on these. Now handled by WM so may not be any wiggle room.