New Combination Steaming Deck light

Alan · Jan 20, 2011

I have the series 25 on my boat. 20W is plenty of light. I'm not reading a novel or doing brain surgery, it's for dealing with anchoring gear and headsails. Consider just what you need the light for.

...just my 2 cents.

Stu Jackson · Jan 20, 2011

I agree.

Bob Poff · Jan 21, 2011

Another Series 25 here.

Remember the more light you expose your eyes to, the more night vision you temporarily lose.

It takes longer for your body to make visual purple (which gives you low light sensitivity) than it does to destroy it.

Scott T-Bird · Jan 21, 2011

I chose the Hella 8505 when I replaced lamps for my Kenyon mast. I am also happy with it. I find that there just isn't that much need for a deck light and I soon realized that even a quick use of it while underway destroys night vision substantially for several minutes until your eyes readjust. 20 Watts is plenty of light for any task when anchoring or mooring.

oldboat · Jan 23, 2011

on my old columbia 45 i had the one like your last picture. it always worked great. lit up the entire foredeck. no glare in your eyes. great for sail handling at night.

Ron20324 · Jan 23, 2011

Blitz said:
Im not certain why they don't have a bottom lens on the foredeck light. It seems that if it got wet or dirty, the bulb would burn out prematurely.Any thoughts on either?

I had never used the boat at night, so only had the deck light on to test that it worked. Nonetheless, it burned out in only 3 years of non-use. No lens makes it easier to change the bulb, if for no other reason.

Roger Long · Jan 23, 2011

How about this one?

http://www.dedicatedmarinesupplies.com/products/Masthead-2nm-w{47}-Integrated-Decklight.html

LOL

Roger Long · Jan 23, 2011

Blitz said:
A bit pricy Roger. Also, don't see the need for an LED for a steaming light since the engine is of running. But pretty cool.

$900 plus bucks. That's why the LOL.

I didn't see the need for an LED steaming light either until my bulb burned out three days into last season and I avoided night motoring all summer.

I'm looking for an LED steaming light at a reasonable price but they are hard to find. The Aqua Signal combination shown above is just retrofitted with an LED bulb. Not having spring contacts to corrode and weaken is another plus for LED's in my book so I'd like to find a hardwired light like my other navigation lights.

I like that combination unit though and may have to go with it if something else doesn't turn up by spring.

Bill Roosa · Jan 23, 2011

LEDs for steaming lights

Well if you have one of those electric motors it could reduce your electrical consumption so you can get a boat length further down the bay before the motor dies

I could not resist.

Bill Roosa · Jan 23, 2011

As good an engineer as you are Roger I'd have thought you would have already designed one. The LEDs have pretty well defined light angles and "hiding them" from the wrong angles would just be moving them into a hole or behind a wall. Pretty basic stuff.

Roger Long · Jan 23, 2011

Bill Roosa said:
As good an engineer as you are Roger I'd have thought you would have already designed one.

I could design it but I couldn't afford to get it USCG certified.

BTW I've emailed Aqua Signal to ask about their combination units. They are shown for sale elsewhere on the web with LED "bulb' in them but it doesn't say they are Aqua Signal. If Aqua Signal sells an LED version, I can't find it on their web site. Leads me to think they are not certified.

There have been previous threads about the inadvisability if sticking LED "bulbs" into certified fixtures. In line with the current lawsuit threads, think of the hay some smart ass's lawyer would make after his client Tboned you on the portside in the dark if your steaming light wasn't certified.

dscribner · Jan 23, 2011

Let me ask you guys (and girls?) this.

Last year I yanked all the wiring out of my mast. It was all aged anyway. I put a white masthead light on the top of the mast (go figure) (ref Capt'ns Log) and wired just that. Before that I had a streaming light on the front of the mast with a deck light just below it. Right now, the deck light is non functional. When I get around to wiring that, should it come on at the same time as the masthead light? I don't like that because it is my anchor light and most of the time, that's all I want on. Does this make sense?

Also, before I snaked the wire through the mast, I got 3/4" foam backer rod, cut it into short chunks then strung it on the wire like marshmallows on a string. The wire is now completely silent at night. My lovely bride likes that. With my snoring, what does it matter?

`Marc · Jan 23, 2011

Aqua Signal only sells their festoon bulbs and the like their LED lamps come from Dr. LED. I have the series 25 for all my navigational lighting with the LED lamps in them. One night last summer a buddy of mine was about three miles away and he said he could find me because my anhor light outshone everyone elses. Marc

Roger Long · Jan 24, 2011

As previously reported, I emailed Aqua Signal to inquire whether their combination steaming / deck light was USCG approved with an LED bulb. Their email came back with this at the bottom

Be aware, any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited.

so I can't tell you their response. However, I can confirm that no USCG approved LED version of this fixture is available.

I suspect that $880 of the price of this fixture:

http://www.dedicatedmarinesupplies.com/products/Masthead-2nm-w{47}-Integrated-Decklight.html

is for the cost of USCG approval.

Isn't this a great country?

jfmid · Jan 24, 2011

dscribner said:
Let me ask you guys (and girls?) this.

Last year I yanked all the wiring out of my mast. It was all aged anyway. I put a white masthead light on the top of the mast (go figure) (ref Capt'ns Log) and wired just that. Before that I had a streaming light on the front of the mast with a deck light just below it. Right now, the deck light is non functional. When I get around to wiring that, should it come on at the same time as the masthead light? I don't like that because it is my anchor light and most of the time, that's all I want on. Does this make sense?

Also, before I snaked the wire through the mast, I got 3/4" foam backer rod, cut it into short chunks then strung it on the wire like marshmallows on a string. The wire is now completely silent at night. My lovely bride likes that. With my snoring, what does it matter?

From what I have been able to figure out you do not want your anchor light on at the same time your steaming light is on when motoring at night. Both lights on would suggest that your vessel is over 50 meters in length.
The confusion seems to begin when the question of motor or sail is used at night. Under sail alone (sailboats less than 20 meters) you need only display red and green forward with white aft. (I'm not listing degrees visible and such)
For Motor at night whether in a sailboat or powerboat you must show a white forward and aft (all around or some combo that makes up 360 deg) in addition to red and green. There is a distinction based upon size of vessel under power at night. I'm not going there with this either.
I was advised that a mid mast steaming light is sometimes more likely to be seen than an anchor light when underway and the logic of this made sense to me. Especially in a crowded anchorage where people might not be looking up but rather looking straight out a light at the top of a tall mast might get missed.
So I am doing exactly what you are doing now (my mast is down and apart) and replacing my anchorage light with an LED visible for 3 nm and putting a combo light on the mid mast for steaming / deck illumination. All will be independently controlled so that I dont confuse others and am in compliance and as safe as possible.

Here is a link that shows graphically the requirements but I would verify with the USCG regs to be sure.
http://www.boatingbasicsonline.com/content/general/4_2_b.php

Check out Maine Sails post on crimping tests. Good info if your doing this yourself.

dscribner · Jan 25, 2011

jfmid said:
From what I have been able to figure out you do not want your anchor light on at the same time your steaming light is on when motoring at night.

I guess I'm not as clear as I thought I was. Maybe there IS something to what my wife says!

No, I'd just like to light the anchor light and the deck light separately. I have the standard red/green bow lights and white stern lights. I just wasn't sure how it's "suppose" to be done. The wiring I pulled out was a MESS so I couldn't follow it.

New Combination Steaming Deck light

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