Is the light bulb in the mast, the same type as in the navigational lights. I'm replacing the nav lights with LED's & want to do the same with the mast light.
Light bulb in mast - C27 - "1975"
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LED's?
Where have you found sailboat legal LED's? The only legal LED for sailing that I know of is a masthead tri-colour that goes for big $$$ All the LED side lights and stern lights that I've seen are rated for power boats up to 12M, but not sailboats.
Where have you found sailboat legal LED's? The only legal LED for sailing that I know of is a masthead tri-colour that goes for big $$$ All the LED side lights and stern lights that I've seen are rated for power boats up to 12M, but not sailboats.
LED lights
If the light bulbs are the same as the automotive ones with the two little pins sticking out, there are now bulbs to replace them, but they are not cheap. Some one told me you can get them at Princes Auto for $16 and I saw some "clear" ones for $29 at the Boat Centre in Horseshoe Bay.
If the light bulbs are the same as the automotive ones with the two little pins sticking out, there are now bulbs to replace them, but they are not cheap. Some one told me you can get them at Princes Auto for $16 and I saw some "clear" ones for $29 at the Boat Centre in Horseshoe Bay.
No can do ...
Running lights are certified as units. The bulb and lens combination have to meet the specifications. Putting a LED bulb behind a lens that was designed for an incandescent bulb is not a certified combination. LED's are focused, there is a specific angle that they are viewable from. Incandescent bulbs radiate light over a much wider angle. Thus a lens that is designed for an incandescent bulb cannot do it's job with an LED unless the LED bulb (cluster of LED's) match the light radiation properties of the bulb they replace. Perko, for example, has a great looking set of LED sidelights that meet the requirements for power boats under 12M, as long as they have a 10" long separation plate extending forward. They do not meet COLREGS when mounted without the plate. They are $60+ for the pair. It's not just a matter of matching base types and swapping LED units in to replace the incandescents. I wish it were that simple. If I could find COLREGS legal sailboat lights for a reasonable price I could sell a boat load. AFAIK they just don't exist yet. Orca Green has a Certified Tri-Colour for $369, the Side Lights and Stern Light are $169 EACH and not available until Sept 2006. No mention that the Side Lights and Stern Light are Certified. Link below
Running lights are certified as units. The bulb and lens combination have to meet the specifications. Putting a LED bulb behind a lens that was designed for an incandescent bulb is not a certified combination. LED's are focused, there is a specific angle that they are viewable from. Incandescent bulbs radiate light over a much wider angle. Thus a lens that is designed for an incandescent bulb cannot do it's job with an LED unless the LED bulb (cluster of LED's) match the light radiation properties of the bulb they replace. Perko, for example, has a great looking set of LED sidelights that meet the requirements for power boats under 12M, as long as they have a 10" long separation plate extending forward. They do not meet COLREGS when mounted without the plate. They are $60+ for the pair. It's not just a matter of matching base types and swapping LED units in to replace the incandescents. I wish it were that simple. If I could find COLREGS legal sailboat lights for a reasonable price I could sell a boat load. AFAIK they just don't exist yet. Orca Green has a Certified Tri-Colour for $369, the Side Lights and Stern Light are $169 EACH and not available until Sept 2006. No mention that the Side Lights and Stern Light are Certified. Link below
Yes can do 8
Boat LED bulbs work very well, use less current, last longer, are more reliable than filament bulbs and these are brighter than equivalent rated filament bulbs. Try: http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/
Boat LED bulbs work very well, use less current, last longer, are more reliable than filament bulbs and these are brighter than equivalent rated filament bulbs. Try: http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/
Good luck
Just because a bulb and an LED cluster replacement will fit into the same socket is not good enough. Replacing the the bulbs in your running lights with anything other than the bulb it was certified with is taking a risk. Am I the only one that keeps the certification papers for my lights on board? When you purchase a running light, there is a certificate that states what the assembly is approved for. This certificate is supposed to be kept with the the boat's papers. The bayonets and socket in a running light is designed to hold the filament of the bulb in the correct orientation to the lens so the light functions as designed. If you change the bulb to an LED type, who's to say that the light pattern has not changed? Look at the light pattern of the LED "bulb" on the links that Ken provided. It is an array of beams, not light radiating evenly from a filament. This may be all well and good for pleasure marine, however commercial marine takes this stuff very seriously. The fact is that lamp assemblies that use reflectors and or Fresnel lenses are designed around a certain bulb. Changing the bulb to another type alters the lamp's characteristics. If the lamp assembly is not certified for the use you install it for, it should not be on the boat. But it is your boat, do what you want.
Just because a bulb and an LED cluster replacement will fit into the same socket is not good enough. Replacing the the bulbs in your running lights with anything other than the bulb it was certified with is taking a risk. Am I the only one that keeps the certification papers for my lights on board? When you purchase a running light, there is a certificate that states what the assembly is approved for. This certificate is supposed to be kept with the the boat's papers. The bayonets and socket in a running light is designed to hold the filament of the bulb in the correct orientation to the lens so the light functions as designed. If you change the bulb to an LED type, who's to say that the light pattern has not changed? Look at the light pattern of the LED "bulb" on the links that Ken provided. It is an array of beams, not light radiating evenly from a filament. This may be all well and good for pleasure marine, however commercial marine takes this stuff very seriously. The fact is that lamp assemblies that use reflectors and or Fresnel lenses are designed around a certain bulb. Changing the bulb to another type alters the lamp's characteristics. If the lamp assembly is not certified for the use you install it for, it should not be on the boat. But it is your boat, do what you want.
Moody, here is one of the lights from the link
Moody, here is a copy and paste of the link below. There are two problems with a light bulb, any light bulb that could be of concern. First, the bulb isn't bright enough to allow the navigational light being seen far enough away. Secondly, the light is too directional thus the navigational light isn't illuminated sufficiently all way around. Here is a copy and paste I was talking about: Ultra Bright White Led Replacment Bulb - 382 Custom Enhanced Led Bulbs Its special because it has 18 Hyper Bright Wide Angle Non fading Japanese leds pointing at the front and 6 to the sides to reflect the light to your reflectors making the angle much wider - Hyper White 24 -LED 12VDC replacement bulb 15mm Single Contact Bayonet Base Power Consumption TBA Brightness Rating - MCD TBA The Size of the Bulb Head is 26mm and should fit most housings.
Moody, here is a copy and paste of the link below. There are two problems with a light bulb, any light bulb that could be of concern. First, the bulb isn't bright enough to allow the navigational light being seen far enough away. Secondly, the light is too directional thus the navigational light isn't illuminated sufficiently all way around. Here is a copy and paste I was talking about: Ultra Bright White Led Replacment Bulb - 382 Custom Enhanced Led Bulbs Its special because it has 18 Hyper Bright Wide Angle Non fading Japanese leds pointing at the front and 6 to the sides to reflect the light to your reflectors making the angle much wider - Hyper White 24 -LED 12VDC replacement bulb 15mm Single Contact Bayonet Base Power Consumption TBA Brightness Rating - MCD TBA The Size of the Bulb Head is 26mm and should fit most housings.
Anchor light ….
I have assembled, but not yet installed an LED cluster of 5 LED’s inside a flashlight reflector that will fit inside my clear anchor light cover. Having the flashlight reflector under the LED’s, make the anchor light very bright. I bought the LED’s at the bicycle section of Wal-Mart for 6 bucks. I looks like there’d be a savings in battery power. My question: Is that legal/compliant? Later, eh! Ferg
I have assembled, but not yet installed an LED cluster of 5 LED’s inside a flashlight reflector that will fit inside my clear anchor light cover. Having the flashlight reflector under the LED’s, make the anchor light very bright. I bought the LED’s at the bicycle section of Wal-Mart for 6 bucks. I looks like there’d be a savings in battery power. My question: Is that legal/compliant? Later, eh! Ferg
The question is
whether the lights you're using meet the requirements of the rules for electrical nav lights in 33 CFR 84. That's what's required. There are different legal visibility requirement in 33CFR 84 for "powerboats" vs. "sailboats", as sailboats when heeled will not display the lights at the same angle as a powerboat steaming flat will, so the rules require a sailboat meet the minimums over a wider range of angle than powerboats, and that's where the Perko and other LED nav lights have a problem. With the more highly directional characteristics of LEDs, the LED lights meet the visibility required when the boat is flat, but not when heeled, so they're OK for powerboats but not sailboats. I use the Perko LED running lights, since almost invariably my night time travel is under power. If I am sailing at night, I'm aware that I'm not meeting the technical legal visibility requirements, and make allowances for that by keeping an eye out and presuming I may not be seen from all angles. But the Perko LEDs are many times brighter and visble from a much greater distance than my old incandescents, and use 1/10 the power. For practical purposes, it's only an issue in the event of a collision.
whether the lights you're using meet the requirements of the rules for electrical nav lights in 33 CFR 84. That's what's required. There are different legal visibility requirement in 33CFR 84 for "powerboats" vs. "sailboats", as sailboats when heeled will not display the lights at the same angle as a powerboat steaming flat will, so the rules require a sailboat meet the minimums over a wider range of angle than powerboats, and that's where the Perko and other LED nav lights have a problem. With the more highly directional characteristics of LEDs, the LED lights meet the visibility required when the boat is flat, but not when heeled, so they're OK for powerboats but not sailboats. I use the Perko LED running lights, since almost invariably my night time travel is under power. If I am sailing at night, I'm aware that I'm not meeting the technical legal visibility requirements, and make allowances for that by keeping an eye out and presuming I may not be seen from all angles. But the Perko LEDs are many times brighter and visble from a much greater distance than my old incandescents, and use 1/10 the power. For practical purposes, it's only an issue in the event of a collision.
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