Mahe 36: Lighting and LEDs

[Cotemar]

Vayacondios,

You will want to go back to the MKB53 Martin post
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f136/lighting-and-leds-38757-2.html#post371324

He found a good supplier Marine LED Solutions Australia (www.marineled.com.au)

You can just push them in without any modifications at all.
I bent my extensions over to the .800 inch dimension as shown, so they will sit deeper inside enabling the reflector to work.

No modification to the task light. Just open and push the LED all the way in and re-install the task lense per these instructions.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f136/lighting-and-leds-38757.html#post336504

It may be possible to just change the anchor light to and LED, but no one has done it yet that I know of. If you try it let use know.

We do not use our anchor light. We have 6 solar lights that we modified to go on the stanchions. No power required and they also light up the deck for safe walking.

Mark

[Scott730]

Mark
We have done the same thing. We use standard solar lights that we have wire tied to the lifeline stanions. We have learned that in heavy trafficed areas, an additional LED rechargable lantern hanging off the boom really helps.
The only problem with the solar lights is you need to turn them off for night cruising, otherwise you loss your night vision. Also, the rechargable batteries don't last thru the night, so we replaced them with standard batteries, they don't recharge but they last the night and don't have to be replaced for months.

Scott

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

Hi all,
Finally I have mounted the Aquasignal 3colour/anchor LED masthead light, which I bought last autumn. I was strongly stimulated to do so, since the 3colour light worked intermittently when we came back from London last week in a 1.5 day sail. Bad contact probably.
We expect quite some night sailing this summer. Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Ireland, England, France, Belgium and back. (we have a good heating)

Mounting was less straightforward than I thought. Especially since I had to go up the mast.
First, I needed to borrow a bosun's chair with a shorter strap then my own, otherwise I was too low to look over the top of the mast. And you need to use the boom lift (with the mainsail halyard as back-up), otherwise you are too low...
Then it turned out that the original Aquasignal is not of the quick one-hand release version as in a previous post (the movie). So the total unit, with the lower socket part, had to be exchanged.
Next: one of the screws was so tight, that I needed my full power. It broke off. This required a saw and file to remove the part sticking out.
Furthermore the new light has a slightly larger diameter than the original. It will touch a big nut on the top of the mast. This means 3 new holes for the screws, or filing off a little bit of the new light's side. I did the latter.
The electrical connection, and securing of the cable, was a piece of cake. I used pegs to prevent the cable from falling down the mast.
Next I could drill a hole next to the broken-off screw because the Aqua Signal light has slotted holes. Just enough space.
Final mounting of the light in the socket is indeed very simple. The only simple thing basically.

I was up in the mast around 2 1/2 hours, with Marin acting as operating nurse to put tools and parts in the bucket. I always attach a line to the bosun's chair, to lift a bucket.
I was quite unlucky that one of the 3 screws was so tight. You may be luckier. Maybe wait until the mast needs to be taken off anyhow.......

If you seldom sail at night, and mainly use the anchor light, it is simpler and cheaper to exchange only the 10W anchor light bulb with a suitable LED version. There are many that will do the job.

Jef

[Cotemar]

Jef,

Would it be possible to take some pictures of your old mast light and post the model #.
Some of the Mahe’s had wanted to just change the bulbs to LED’s, but have no idea what the bulbs look like to get LED replacements.

Thanks,
Mark

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

Mark,
I'll do so. After I get the light from our boat...... Will take a week or so.
Jef

[vayacondios]

We just replaced the 25 watt anchor light bulb with a a LED bulb, took 5 minutes.

The details of the bulb we used are:

LED Replacement Navigation Bulb
Samallen Wholesale - Boat Accessories | Marine Products | Marine Equipment | Stainless Steel Wire Rope | Wire Rope | VDO marine instruments | Mooring Equipment | VDO marine | Canopy Fittings | Boat Canopy Fittings | Marine Water Pumps
CW DC10-30V (that's a little sticker on the outside)
Part No. 70948
I believe the manufacturer is JAW
FROM THE PACKAGE
"With the Bay15D Replacement bulb you can replace your 25 Watt glowing bulb in your navigation lights. The bulb is waterproof as almost all of the navigation lights with glowing bulbs always leek a little. The replacemnt bulb contains 50 very right LED's, just consumes 3.5watt and the expected lifetime is over 50,000 hours. The Bay 15D Replacement Bulb is the way to change your normal navigation lights into LED navigation lights. The light has a built-in diode bridge so it doesn't matter which way you have plugged the positive and negative pool to your navigation light fixtures"

BELIEVE it or NOT!!! I took a photo of the bulb and after install the bulb, it wasn't on the camera!
The bulb has offset pins on the sides, the same as the orginal bulb.
This was easy to change, and now we are only using 3.5watts as opposed to 25.

Rozzie

[DeepFrz]

We just replaced the 25 watt anchor light bulb with a a LED bulb, took 5 minutes.

And how many sailors?

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

The original anchor light is 10 Watt.
The original 3-colour light is 25 Watt. (you need more watts here due to light loss by the red & green filters)
To replace the anchor light (which also serves as under-engine masthead light) you could use a weaker LED, e.g. 1.5 - 2 Watt.
Jef

[SailFastTri]

In my last boat I used the Doctor LED Polar Star 40 to replace just the anchor light bulb in a Hella tri/anchor fixture. It was visually brighter than the incandescent bulb it replaced, and brighter than surrounding boats. Dr. LED 2nm Visibility 15mm Bayonet Base After-Market LED Replacement Bulbs for Navigation Lights.

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

Hi all, as Mark asked some pictures of the original light.
Rgds,
Jef

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

Original 3 colour light:
There are no marks on it. It is 25 W, bajonet BAY15d standard with offset bajonet pins

Original anchor light:
Brand Radium, 12V 10W, type D1303.

Here are the replacement bulbs by Hella which is a quality German company:
Welcome to the Hella marine Online Product Catalogue - Hella marine
Both the 10 and 25 W.
In our Mahe nr 88 there is an FP-supplied blue case with some replacement stuff, including these lights.
Jef

[IceMan]

Just for your information, another good LED site is:
Besthongkong - Eastern LED Source Shop: Loose LED, High Power LED, Car Auto LED, LED Light Bulbs, LED Strips, LED Flashlight, LED Module
I really like their flexable, waterproof LED string lights. They come in various lengths and colours. I prefer the bright white over the warm white. To much yellow for me in the warms. I also like the 9xHPSMD's. They come either with the G4 assembly or prewired so you can wire them yourselves. They only draw 1.9 watts for a 9 led chip.
If you get a wild hair and have a great idea, they will make it for you.
Just for Moderator information, I am not a salesman and have no affiliation or monetary remuneration from this company. They are just someone who makes a quality product that I like.
WD

[Toys_with_time]

Originally Posted by Jef & Marin, Netherlands

Mark,
I have already ordered the tricolour/anchor light and the power-saving solenoid for the autopilot's hydraulic cylinder. .
Thanks
Jef

Jef
I've read about the Ecopilot relay and apparently it makes a big difference to power draw. Do you know where can I source it in Europe as the price I was quoted was a lot more than 100 Euros so put me off.

Assume fitting is reasonable straighforward?
TwT

[redmirage]

I took the time and money to replace most of my lights with LEDS, one lightning strike and they are all gone! Everthing with reqular bulbs still worked. Not sure the LEDS were worth it.

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

Hi TwT (I nearly misspelled that one!)
If I remember correctly I purchased it from Europrop Federal in the Netherlands, I can't check since we are away from home sailing until end of October.
I got 10 % off the regular price since I had at that moment a 1-man company.
Europrop Federal have since then gone bankrupt, but have re-started business.
Why don't you just give them a phone call?

A lot more expensive is not justified; there is maybe for 5 dollars worth of electronics in it. If it were more expensive than 100 euro's I'd design one myself, easily said for me as electronics guy. Would cost me a few days to design and build. But for 100 euros I did not want to do a few day's work.

Fitting is not difficult after some study. Take care because the wires fit in just, the 3 wires have all to be cut to the correct individual length.
Rds
Jef