LED Bulbs

[Blackacre]

I upgraded most of my interior lights with LED bulbs. It was very easy once I knew what to order and actually cheeper then the old incandescent lights. Heres the info; enjoy...

Festoon LED Bulbs: 31MM, 39MM, 42MM
Simply search on google for suppliers of "Festoon LED bulbs". My boat uses the 3 different sizes listed above. I counted all the sizes and ordered in bulk. The lumens rating are different for each supplier so if you need extremely bright bulbs then that should be a focus. All LED bulbs need to be installed directionally so if they don't work after installing, remove and rotate. Make sure you buy the correct voltage i.e.12V, 24v, etc..

I replaced all my nav lights and mast lights as well. If anyone knows how to describe the bulbs below (belong to reading lights) in the picture I plan on replacing it as well.

 

[Blackacre]

I believe the other bulbs are considered LED Single Contact Bayonet Bulbs. Common model numbers include 1156 & 1141.

 

[justsomeguy]

Here's your conversion finder.

http://shop.macgregorowners.com/cu/detail-led.php?54143/LED Conversion Finder

 

[Benny17441]

Please explain what you actually meant by "cheaper than the old incandescent lights". If that is not a typo please point me to the right vendor.

 

[Blackacre]

Please explain what you actually meant by "cheaper than the old incandescent lights". If that is not a typo please point me to the right vendor.

Sure thing, the new LED bulbs only cost around $1+ each vs the old incandescent bulbs @ WM cost $5. The LED's also last much longer so depending how you look at it the cost is significantly cheeper to upgrade to LED. Hence, I created this post to let people know. You don't need to replace the entire light fixture in order to upgrade to LED, just replace the bulbs.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...0.Xled+festoon.TRS0&_nkw=led+festoon&_sacat=0

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/ancor-marine--festoon-bulb-12v-10w-sold-in-pairs--175203

 

[kloudie1]

Quick note.. Blackacre.. I had a problem fitting the LED units into the "Eyeball" fixtures. seems that the neck of the fixture was just a smidgen small. I removed the fixtures and brought 'em home and, using a wooden mandrel, "massaged" the neck slightly larger so the bulbs would fit. I did the work a few years ago and really like the LEDs ..

 

[Capt jgw]

I've read in other posts here from Mainsail and others, that there may be problems with the cheap LED's regarding radio interference and tolerance of charging voltages. Main recommends Marinebeam bulbs which cost about $25.00 each. For the difference in price, though, it's probably worth the chance to try the cheap ones and throw them away of they don't work. I bought a ten pack of interior bulbs last year for about $2.50 each and so far they've been great. No interference and so far they've held up. I also replaced all the nav light bulbs this winter but haven't powered them up yet so we'll see. These bulbs are made for cars, which usually charge at around 14.2 volts, so I can't see how running them at 14.6 in the boat can make much difference. Interference would be another matter.

 

[Blackacre]

The "eyeball" fixtures common on my Hunter H34 use 1383 Incandescent Bulbs. The base is called BA15S.

Origanal Bulbs:
Wattage: 20W, 20 Watt Watts
Amperage: 1.5A 1.5 Amps
Voltage: 13V, 13 Volt Volts
Base: BA15s Single Contact Bayonet Base
Glass: R12, R-12, Top Frosted, Bottom Reflectorized Flood
Filament: CC-8/C-6/C-8
Average Life: 300 Hours
Color Temperature: 2900°K
Maximum Overall Length: MOL 2.63"/66.8mm
Maximum Overall Diameter: MOD 1.55"/39.4mm
Alternate Part Number: 40258, 13830, 19W, 19.5W, 27150, 20R12-13V, 27389, 01177A, CEC-1383, CEC1383, HALO 1383, R11-1/2 12 - 16 V 20 CP

 

[justsomeguy]

Well, BA15S denotes a single contact on the base, and I think a set of symmetrical side-pins, as opposed to an indexed set.

 

[steveinusa]

Great tip... Thanks

 

[Benny17441]

Thanks, found the vendor in Amazon where I have a Prime membership and get two days free shipping. Ordering some right now to test on the quality.

 

[Blackacre]

Heres the LED bulbs for the "eyeball" fixtures on Amazon. about $5 each when you buy in bulk (free ship). They are more rare and difficult to find therefore more expensive.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JVU2X8W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Blackacre]

I also have two of those old GE90 bulbs in the V-Berth. I found replacement LED bulbs on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301372380964

 

[Blackacre]

Update: All the light bulbs I recommended arrived and have been installed. I can confirm they all work and are much brighter then the OEM bulbs.

 

[ice breaker]

Any RMI issues? I had put an LED taxi light into my cessna and every time the light was turned on the com radio would show someone transmitting. Not good.

I have not tried the bulb on the boat yet.

 

[wufibugs]

As I recall from a previous thread, there is a polarity issue if the bayonette bulbs are put in backwards.
In the fixtures Hunter installed on my H31, the incandescent bulbs were a hazard because they run hot and the heat is emitted 360 degrees. The wiring that ran above the bulbs were in various states of char and I had to rewire. The LEDs run cooler and can be bought with the light emitting diodes on one side only.