Which Cabin lights?

[fursoc]

Hi, I am re-wiring all the cabin lights on my 20yr old catamaran. I haven’t lived on a boat yet, but I will be from next year, so I need a little help. The previous lights were 300mm long fluorescents which were pretty good, but pretty ugly. I’m considering changing them all to Hella strip lights which go red when you hit the right switch. They look more modern, but essentially the same.

Are there better solutions out there? Hidden led strips? Are round down lights better?

Is there anything you like/dislike about your cabin lights? Is there anything you would change?

Thanks!

[belizesailor]

So called "marine" fixtures are stoopid expensive for what they are and there is nothing "marine" about them except the price.

Unless cost is just not a significant concern for you, I would investigate fixtures from other markets, like the RV market...you can literally often find the same fixture/product dramatically less expensive.

Whatever you do, be sure you get self regulated bulbs. You can tell easily because the self regulated bulb specs will list a voltage operating range, not just a single number.

Ive had good luck with www.superbrightleds.com. Huge inventory and good prices, but you do need to know what you are buying.

[coopec43]

I've got all my cabin lights fused at the switchboard/chart table but I've ensured they aren't all on the same fuse for obvious reasons.

In addition I have LED "touch" battery powered lights for emergency. They are placed strategically at the Life Jacket locker, cabin stairway and engine "room".

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-LED-Li...8777:rk:1:pf:0

Clive

[fursoc]

Thanks Belizesailor, I’ll look into rv lights.

[fursoc]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I've got all my cabin lights fused at the switchboard/chart table but I've ensured they aren't all on the same fuse for obvious reasons.

Really? You have a fuse per light? I was thinking of having all lights coming off a bus which is fused at the switchboard.

I like the idea of battery backup too. I’ll look into those as well. Thanks!

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by fursoc

Really? You have a fuse per light? I was thinking of having all lights coming off a bus which is fused at the switchboard.

I like the idea of battery backup too. I’ll look into those as well. Thanks!

I think you misunderstand me. I have several light circuits - fore cabin lights, main cabin lights and aft cabin lights and each circuit is fused. (Actually on each light circuit I have 4/5 lights plus an oscillating fan) It would be sad if every light on the yacht went out because of a short circuit!



Clive

[fursoc]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I think you misunderstand me. I have several light circuits - fore cabin lights, main cabin lights and aft cabin lights and each circuit is fused.

Yes that makes sense. I’ll do something similar.

[fursoc]

Does anybody have any opinions on types of light fixtures on boats? Eg. round down lights, wall lights, strip lights, etc?

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by fursoc

Does anybody have any opinions on types of light fixtures on boats? Eg. round down lights, wall lights, strip lights, etc?

I bought mine on eBay but I have an assortment depending on their purpose. I went for plastic so they would not rust and I put a price limit of about $5 on each light except for the fancy (show) lights.

Obviously I went for lights that were most economical on power (LED)

Clive

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by fursoc

Does anybody have any opinions on types of light fixtures on boats? Eg. round down lights, wall lights, strip lights, etc?

I have a few opinions, but they reflect my taste...

I have a lot of options for lighting the cabin. I installed lights in recesses and corners, like behind bookshelves, to provide a cozy, diffused light. I also have round overhead lights over key areas like the galley, main table etc. I think that single bright lights to light the cabin (like a powerful overhead light) make the cabin cold an impersonal. Also, "mood lighting" around the cabin makes the space seem larger and certainly more cozy.

I was able to transform almost all of my existing fixtures to LED. An engineer friend "MacGyvered" LED strings in clever ways to fit in fixtures. The lighting is spectacular. I only use the "warm" LED lights that have a similar spectrum to incandescent bulbs. They are much more pleasant. The "white" LED lights have a cold light more fitting for a hospital than a boat.

[Matt Johnson]

The most important thing is to get "warm" LED lights..... nothing looks worse than wood interior of a boat lit by blueish LEDs.

We went with 12v aluminum recessed downlights that are made for display cabinets. What I like about them is that the lights are adjustable and allow you to aim where you want it. We have a single 1 watt light mounted about ever square meter in the overhead, but have a very light colored interior in our boat, so you may need more.

They are so cheap that I bought double what I needed to have back-ups, but in two years haven't had to replace any.

We bought something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FVRQVK4...540816053&sr=1

Matt

[Bill O]

The light choices depends on your usage, indirect (gen. lighting) or directed lighting (reading)

For indirect lighting, we have used the 3M adhesive backed led light strips with a dimmer inside diffuser light channels. The appearance is very clean and no big holes to cut. The LED lights strips can be purchased in various colors (one/multi), white color (warmth), intensities and waterproof/non-waterproof varieties.

For the direct lighting, you may want to live aboard for a while to find where to locate these particular lights. We use clip on individual LED book lights in our boat for reading. This allows one to have light where ever they want, w/o excessive light glare.

Re: the need for red lights, I found this article illuminating (pun intended).


Bill O.

[Dan GB]

I am doing an interior lighting overhaul on my cat and looking for ideas. Love the look what you have done there, Bill O. More please.
Anyone else feel inclined to share?

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by Dan GB

I am doing an interior lighting overhaul on my cat and looking for ideas. Love the look what you have done there, Bill O. More please.

Dan, did you need anything more specific?

We also have "up" lighting as indirect in the main cabin. Here we didn't use the channels because it was hidden behind wood trim and opted for higher intensity lights to illuminate a larger area. One difficulty with the tape lights is a curve. We were able to do this tight turn but needed to add silicone to hold the strip in place (in the near 90 degree curve) vs. just the adhesive backing. Can cut/wire them back together to make a turn also.

Soon we will be adding the same dimable high intensity light strips w/the channels in the main cabin as down "work" lights when we need more than just the indirect lights.


Bill O.

[Peregrine1983]

Figured I'd chime in here about color temperature here...

I find too often people don't understand color temperature, and so they make lighting decisions that make their boat interior (and often their home on land) look like a cheap takeout joint.

It doesn't have to be this way! You can save power and have nice, warm lighting.

The color of lighting is given in degrees Kelvin... normally abbreviated as "K" on the box. Sometimes you have to dig through specs online, but more manufacturers are stating it clearly on the box.

5600K - The color temperature of sunlight. It appears white and (if we've just been around warmer light, blue) to our eyes and is not a relaxing color. It feels very "bright" and clinical.

4000-5000K - Most fluorescent lights. Not quite as "bright" as 5600k, but nearly all fluorescents make skin tones green and sickly. Your standard lighting in an office.

3200K - The color of a nice, "soft white" incandescent light bulb. They now make modern, power saving LED's that are 3200K and mimic this light pretty closely. While the LED light isn't quite as "soft" as the light as a good old filament bulb, they look infinitely better than the 5600K LED's or 4000k-ish sickly fluorescents. You can buy 3200K flourescents and CFL's (compact fluorescents), but IMHO they also have a sickly, green hue.

1670K - For reference... this is the color of candle light. Warm, beautiful light. They make LED's that are close to this color temperature, but it's not quite the same.

Your best bet is to buy 3000-3200K LED fixtures. I have a mixture of 3200K halogen reading lamps and 3000-3200K led overheads in my cabin. It's a nice, cozy light and the LED's use very little juice.