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LED Lighting Conversion
- Midnightsun
- CYO Supporter
- Posts: 2838
- Joined: March 27th, 2016, 2:27 pm
- Vessel Info: The Midnight Sun
2007 41CMY
Volvo D6-370's - Location: Montreal, Canada
- Has thanked: 254 times
- Been thanked: 1095 times
LED Lighting Conversion
Early on LED lights were cool white only, some like it but I find it too white with almost a blue tint to it, the early versions of warm white were rather green in effect and looked ok but a little odd. Point is both did not do well in light color in comparison to halogen which is just right IMHO.
Fast forward 8-10 years and many alternatives have hit the market. My favorite is the silicone encased type I always try to purchase the dimmable type as even if you do not have a dimmer you may want to add one somewhere down the road. Do not assume they are dimmable, read what you are buying and make sure the description says dimmable. To be able to dim LED you do need to have a PWM (pulse wave modulation) dimmer that is. Sounds fancy but can be had for a few dollars on eBay.
You do not need to purchase LED bulbs at the Marine store and pay $15 each. The can be had for more like 75 cents each which is on the expensive side since I just bought a pack of 50 @ 66 cents each delivered to Canada. Most are available in 3 or 6 watt. 3 is more than enough IMHO. https://www.ebay.com/itm/G4-Led-Bulb-Di ... 2749.l2649
Most common bulb type on boats is by far the G4, bi pin 12v style. Usually found in the overhead lighting as in the link above. There are also others such as festoon but one needs to be careful are there are quite a few lengths out there so measure yours before you order anything.
Courtesy lights tend to be mostly T10 also referred to as 168 or 194. Problem here is finding the right color and brightness. The ones I have now are quite nice but I tend to experiment so Just bought 20 of these to try out. Unfortunately by the time I get them it may not be until spring before I can report back. https://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-T10-194- ... SwImRYSShU
Would love to hear about your experimentation and results.
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- CYO Supporter
- Posts: 5803
- Joined: July 10th, 2015, 9:58 pm
- Vessel Info: 1989 Carver 3807 Aft Cabin
- Location: Ontario, Canada
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Re: LED Lighting Conversion
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- Deck Hand
- Posts: 93
- Joined: August 27th, 2016, 12:28 pm
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Re: LED Lighting Conversion
Like you the next step is the external courtesy/deck lights. I haven't started to research (because I'm waiting for cooler weather) them but I'll be looking for something Blue in color and certainly not as bright as my internal lights - though I hadn't even thought about dimables (Bright at the dock/on the hook, dim when underway sounds nice). It looks like there are Contura dimmer switch you can put in your dash to replace the standard on/off rocker switches. Has anyone ever used these?
Another LED lighting thing I'd like to research is replacing my current halogen running lights with LED bulbs. Because of the COLREG implications, I'm gonna go slow on this one - though I'm guessing someone out here has already done the research.
- g36
- Admiral
- Posts: 1940
- Joined: April 7th, 2014, 6:07 pm
- Vessel Info: 1997 Carver 405
- Location: Soddy Daisy TN.
- Has thanked: 7 times
- Been thanked: 587 times
Re: LED Lighting Conversion
Crusader xli
The Black Pearl
Soddy Daisy Tn.
- Midnightsun
- CYO Supporter
- Posts: 2838
- Joined: March 27th, 2016, 2:27 pm
- Vessel Info: The Midnight Sun
2007 41CMY
Volvo D6-370's - Location: Montreal, Canada
- Has thanked: 254 times
- Been thanked: 1095 times
Re: LED Lighting Conversion
g36 wrote:Source of the post Ive switched mine also but i believe one important thing to keep in mind with leds is to realize some 12vdc bulbs do not have a tolerance for voltage swings. Some 12vdc bulbs will not work or they will burn out instantly in a environment that has voltage swings such as a boat or car voltages which can be 11-15dc. So I would recommend to review the operating range for whatever led you consider before purchase.
You are probably correct however I do believe this was a while ago. I have literally tried dozens of different types all from China at ridiculously low cost, never lost one yet. Oddly enough the only few I have ever lost were at home on a regulated power supply which never wanders off of 12v, go figure.
- Midnightsun
- CYO Supporter
- Posts: 2838
- Joined: March 27th, 2016, 2:27 pm
- Vessel Info: The Midnight Sun
2007 41CMY
Volvo D6-370's - Location: Montreal, Canada
- Has thanked: 254 times
- Been thanked: 1095 times
Re: LED Lighting Conversion
PJHoffnet wrote:Source of the post We've also replaced all the interior lights with LEDs (CBConcept Dimmable 320 Lumens Warm White 3000K). We really likes the added brightness.
Like you the next step is the external courtesy/deck lights. I haven't started to research (because I'm waiting for cooler weather) them but I'll be looking for something Blue in color and certainly not as bright as my internal lights - though I hadn't even thought about dimables (Bright at the dock/on the hook, dim when underway sounds nice). It looks like there are Contura dimmer switch you can put in your dash to replace the standard on/off rocker switches. Has anyone ever used these?
Another LED lighting thing I'd like to research is replacing my current halogen running lights with LED bulbs. Because of the COLREG implications, I'm gonna go slow on this one - though I'm guessing someone out here has already done the research.
The chances of nav lighting being inspected due to a crash at night are rather slim to say the least but yes I guess it could happen, just like getting hit by lightning. That being said I did swap out the anchor light with the appropriate festoon in my case. I just looked for the brightest one I could find and determined all is good. Never bothered with the red and green nav lights as they are really rarely used and if they are used you are almost sure to be running the engine(s) so no power draw to think of. That being said, depending on the bulb style, some of them out there today will put a halogen to shame in terms of light output. pretty sure there is nothing wrong with being too bright.
- g36
- Admiral
- Posts: 1940
- Joined: April 7th, 2014, 6:07 pm
- Vessel Info: 1997 Carver 405
- Location: Soddy Daisy TN.
- Has thanked: 7 times
- Been thanked: 587 times
Re: LED Lighting Conversion
Crusader xli
The Black Pearl
Soddy Daisy Tn.
- Midnightsun
- CYO Supporter
- Posts: 2838
- Joined: March 27th, 2016, 2:27 pm
- Vessel Info: The Midnight Sun
2007 41CMY
Volvo D6-370's - Location: Montreal, Canada
- Has thanked: 254 times
- Been thanked: 1095 times
Re: LED Lighting Conversion
The Carling LD series happens to be used on big rigs so yes they can be had. Experimented with this dimmer switch for the overhead cockpit lights in the hard top. These normally are always way to bright and dimming would be a great option. I did convert those to LED and gave it a whirl. Worked wonderfully. A bit spendy but pops right into place after removing the existing switch. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Carling-Techno ... 2749.l2649
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- Deck Hand
- Posts: 93
- Joined: August 27th, 2016, 12:28 pm
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Re: LED Lighting Conversion
Midnightsun wrote:Source of the post Here is a little secret I have kept. My boat happens to have Carling rocker switches like most boats do however mine are not standard size. They are slightly bigger than your normal everyday rocker you find almost everywhere. They are the LD series from Carling therefor replacements are not easy to find but thanks to Great Lakes Skipper they have quite a few.
The Carling LD series happens to be used on big rigs so yes they can be had. Experimented with this dimmer switch for the overhead cockpit lights in the hard top. These normally are always way to bright and dimming would be a great option. I did convert those to LED and gave it a whirl. Worked wonderfully. A bit spendy but pops right into place after removing the existing switch. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Carling-Techno ... 2749.l2649
Those are some big boys. Did you have to modify the dash, or do they fit in the standard footprint? Bit pricey, but sure like the dimmable aspect.
- Midnightsun
- CYO Supporter
- Posts: 2838
- Joined: March 27th, 2016, 2:27 pm
- Vessel Info: The Midnight Sun
2007 41CMY
Volvo D6-370's - Location: Montreal, Canada
- Has thanked: 254 times
- Been thanked: 1095 times
Re: LED Lighting Conversion
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