Dear Friends, I have a 1988 Catalina 27. All of the lighting is old. Where can I get the right replacement LED's and are they now available for the anchor lights?
Best,
SB
Best,
SB
Changing to LEDs
- Thread starter Stephen E. Baker
- Start date
You can start here: http://shop.sailboatowners.com/cat.php?11572/Lighting
Theoretically, if you want to change nav lights, you ought to change out the whole fixture, and Hella and Aquasignal were the 2 I knew were USCG compliant.
As for anchor lights, there are many who prefer one lower than the masthead, which can be more visible to local powerboats. There is a wired cigarette socket LED hanging light with photocell from Marinebeam.com which is good for this, but right now they are having website issues due to a provider changeover. Should be resolved later tonight or tomorrow.
Theoretically, if you want to change nav lights, you ought to change out the whole fixture, and Hella and Aquasignal were the 2 I knew were USCG compliant.
As for anchor lights, there are many who prefer one lower than the masthead, which can be more visible to local powerboats. There is a wired cigarette socket LED hanging light with photocell from Marinebeam.com which is good for this, but right now they are having website issues due to a provider changeover. Should be resolved later tonight or tomorrow.
Agree on SBO - there is a table on the store page that has cross reference info on LED bulbs, but darned if I can find the link
And TOTALLY agree on mast head anchor lights- IN my opinion, worst place to put one- the guys in power boats ain't looking up. Hang it 6-7 feet above deck level.. I'm not worried about ships seeing my anchor light- I don't anchor where ships run
And TOTALLY agree on mast head anchor lights- IN my opinion, worst place to put one- the guys in power boats ain't looking up. Hang it 6-7 feet above deck level.. I'm not worried about ships seeing my anchor light- I don't anchor where ships run
Yah, it is somewhat buried. I have it bookmarked for just such occasions.
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/cu/detail-led.php
I also agree that for your nav lights you should change the whole fixture. I tried it the other way and spent $45+ on each bulb for the red & green lights, but salt water intrusion destroyed them within a year.
The new LED fixtures are not only water tight, but have heat syncs built in to displace the heat which a fixture for an incandescent bulb will not have. My nav lights are 4+ years old and spend a good deal of their time underwater on channel crossings. Poor things must think Skipping Stone is part submarine. They always work, unlike incandescent ones, which is really nice. I absolutely HATED turning on the incandescent nav lights (Aqua Signal by the way), only to find one or more NF when I needed them.
The new LED fixtures are not only water tight, but have heat syncs built in to displace the heat which a fixture for an incandescent bulb will not have. My nav lights are 4+ years old and spend a good deal of their time underwater on channel crossings. Poor things must think Skipping Stone is part submarine. They always work, unlike incandescent ones, which is really nice. I absolutely HATED turning on the incandescent nav lights (Aqua Signal by the way), only to find one or more NF when I needed them.
Yep. I bought one on Ebay for 8 bucks and found the ends pointed rather than dimpled so there it sat on my dresser for a year. Then one day, I decide to try to modify it. The lightest tap with a hammer caused the ends to invert creating PERFECT dimples. Go figure.
Jacktar, is this the right one? http://cruisingsolutions.com/product/navigation-light-44-mm-dimple-end-festoon-fs44d-30p/ Says it works for Aquasignal 25 series...
I have been using this one for 5 years now in a bi-color bow light and a stern light:
http://shop.ledwholesalers.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=43_45&product_id=73
Just make sure that you get the warm white color if using in a bi-color light. I know it is not "certified" for replacement in the Aquasignal 25, but it is actually brighter and renders the red/green as well as the original incandescent bulb.. uses tons less power..
As Capta says, make sure the fixture is sealed around the lens and the wire entry.. the 25 has a small opening in the bottom of the lens. Make sure that is open.
http://shop.ledwholesalers.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=43_45&product_id=73
Just make sure that you get the warm white color if using in a bi-color light. I know it is not "certified" for replacement in the Aquasignal 25, but it is actually brighter and renders the red/green as well as the original incandescent bulb.. uses tons less power..
As Capta says, make sure the fixture is sealed around the lens and the wire entry.. the 25 has a small opening in the bottom of the lens. Make sure that is open.
I have similar. And I agree with Kloudie, it has to be warm white, otherwise the whiter (blue-er) light of a typical LED will make the red look too orange, and the green look too blue.
Others feel you must have a red/green LED light under the bicolor lens in order to get the right colors. I think that is wrong, because the warm white LED is designed to look more like the yellower color of an incandescent bulb that you are replacing.