Best LED Deck Light?

[velero]

I would like to install 2 additional deck lights on my spreaders and like the LEDs so I dont have to rewire since the wattage for all 3 lights will be less than the single one that I have now. But a little concerned about brightness. What LED deck light do you have and why do you like/dislike?

V49

[eherlihy]

Look here:Panbo: The Marine Electronics Weblog: OceanLED & Lumitec, better spreader lights

[MarkofSeaLife]

I am just changing my deck light fitting - ripped the old one out and bought the new... now just need to rewire

I have stayed ewith the Halogen bulbs because the deck lights are only on for a few minutes when so foredeck problem occurs. I normally have NO lights on at all, and NO torches when I do deck-work because you get used to it and its better to not need lights I just did a circumnavigation so its over a bit of experience.

If its a long offshore race boat you need lots of deck lights for spinnaker changes etc.

If you want deck lights to look pretty at anchor then you need LED. The do not work as well as Halogen but boy they don't draw no juice .

By the way, some folks (me!) have the combined steaming light /deck light. The steaming light, obviously, can be halogen too as its only on when the engine is on!

[velero]

I found a few but not sure how to compare them. Lumens or color temperature?

[eherlihy]

Originally Posted by MarkofSeaLife

If you want deck lights to look pretty at anchor then you need LED. The do not work as well as Halogen but boy they don't draw no juice .

In addition to lower power requirements, enabling the owner to use smaller gauge wire, the other advantage of LED lighting over incandescent (including Halogen) is that when properly wired and mounted, LEDs have a much longer lifespan (50K+ hours). The longer lifespan is the only reason that I can fathom for replacing an incandescent steaming light with an LED.

[hellosailor]

Velero, the color temperature refers to the color of the light. Literally, blue-white, white-white, yellow-white, cool-white...the same way that fluorescent bulbs come in all kinds of "white".

What you really need to look at is LUMENS, that's the brightness of the bulb. And not just lumens but the dispersion of the light. For instance, if one LED is rated 1000 Lumens with a ten degree pattern, and the next one is rated the same 1000 Lumens but a 20 degree pattern...the second bulb is covering four times as much area with that same brightness.

A bright LED with a wide pattern is going to be expensive.

[fallard]

When you are selecting an LED for color, somewhere around 2700 degrees is the color temperature of an incandescent. The higher the color temperature, the more "blue' it will appear.

If you are changing out incandescents for LEDs, using the same socket, hang on to the old bulbs. Should you have a lightning strike or even a near strike, you are likely to lose the LEDs. This goes for lights inside the cabin as well as any attached to your mast.

[noelex77]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

For instance, if one LED is rated 1000 Lumens with a ten degree pattern, and the next one is rated the same 1000 Lumens but a 20 degree pattern...the second bulb is covering four times as much area with that same brightness.

No lumens is the total amount of light put out by a luminare integrated over a sphere or (360 degrees if you like).
2 LEDs putting out 800 lumens will emit the same amount of light.
One fitting can produce a brighter spot than another by concentrating the light with say a reflector, but the sidespill will decrease and the total output will be unchanged.

Relying on specifications is not a good way to judge LED products from different manufacturers as the values quoted are often calculated (or made up ) in different ways.
If you can find the type of led or leds used this is often the best way to compare products, but many manufacturers only list the most basic information.

[eherlihy]

Originally Posted by fallard

... Should you have a lightning strike or even a near strike, you are likely to lose the LEDs. This goes for lights inside the cabin as well as any attached to your mast.

And THAT is the best reason that I know of NOT to go with LED lights.

I believe that MaineSail has had some recent experience with lightning. With all the LED lighting that he has, it would be interesting to hear what was damaged.

[eherlihy]

My post above got me wondering about what was damaged on Maine's vessel by the lightning strike... If you are interested, you can read about it here. (Sorry about the link to another forum.)

Short story;

Four GPS devices, radar, AP, wind, depth speed, stereo, Bora Caframo fan, Matrix 2100 VHF/AIS, TV, 13 Sensibulbs, all LED nav lights, Link Pro battery monitor, DC volt meter, DC amp meter, tachometer, oil pressure, fuel gauge, pure sine wave inverter, compass light etc. etc. on and on...

- Maine Sail