LED light bulbs

[SoOkay]

Thinking of replacing interior and maybe running & nav lights with LED's.

My current light bulbs have clearly stamped on the packaging "meets or exceeds USCG & ABYC."

Can't seem to find the same claim for LED bulbs. Any concrete info on this would be appreciated. It would seem foolish in the end if I created a liability for myself and installed what could be a legally "inferior" or "substandard" item just to gain battery time.

Thanks
Harry

Ps-any new boats coming w/LED's?

[hellosailor]

Harry, from the little that I think I might know, light bulbs don't meet or exceed any USCG or ABYC specs that mean anything real important.

The USCG wants a commercially sold "navigation light" to be tested and meet requirements for color spectrum, angular visibility, and brightness, and that certification is granted only for an entire fixture, complete with specificed light in place.

Replace that light with anything else--even a first order fresnel assembly from a lightbouse--and it is still now UNCERTIFIED.

Liability? Only if you are caught. The bottom most switch on our switch panel, below all the nav lights and such, says "SCUTTLE CHARGES" and I just smile and say "Don't press that one."

For the casual customer to make a guess as to whether any LED light, with a different illumination pattern, different brightness, etc., would work in a given fixture...you know the line from Dirty Harry? "Do ya feel lucky today, punk? Do ya? Huh? "

You'd have to install it, back off 3 miles to see how it compares, then make a decision about it.

[SoOkay]

Yeah, I actually thought about testing it, just didn't want to swim 3 miles & back

[Waymar83]

SoOK,

Not sure if you've seen this thread.

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...me-warmth.html

Your question remains valid. Especially for Nav Lights. For interior lights, has anyone checked with their insurance company (in case of an electrical fire)?

[sailaway21]

There are some approved nav lts making their way to market. I would say the question is one of cost and mounting options. IMHO, the cost is still wildly unreasonable for the energy saved. The cost is bound to come down a lot more. For example, all you need to do is stop by your local West Marine. You can outfit your trailer with led lights for under $80. Figure $250-600 for your sailboat.

If you've bought a flat screen TV in the past year, you know you're glad you did not buy it a year before. And the prices are falling further. LEDs on boats are really still in their early stages, with alot more development work to be done, and a lot more variety to become available. If you have to have them, understand you will be paying a price that may seem ridiculously high in a few years, and you are still getting, from most manufacturers, their first generation effort.

[sailingdog]

The cost of LED lighting can be reasonable, if you are away from shore power for long periods of time. They can reduce the energy usage of your boat and extend the period of time between running the engine to re-charge the batteries. If you consider the reduced fuel requirements, reduced wear and tear on the engine, it might be worthwhile to switch over to LED-based lights.

[DeepFrz]

Lopolight Navigation lights LED based info@lopolight.dk tel: +45 3248 5030

[ebs001]

DeepFrz. Im a little concerned that they test these lights to 100+ metres. That's awefuuly pesimistic for a sailboater.
I have read that some of the "green" lights are too blue and do not meet the CG standard. Just something to be aware of.

[DeepFrz]

Im a little concerned that they test these lights to 100+ metres. That's awefuuly pesimistic for a sailboater.

ebs001, what?

As for color, the red and green are actually very red and green. The white used to be quite bluish, but the technology is advancing and white is now much whiter. The range of white ranges from cool to warm.

Many people using LED nav lights have expressed satisfaction with them although some cheaper models were subject to water intrusion, as are many regular nav. lights. Also, earlier models were subject to damage from high charging voltage.

[DeepFrz]

Orca Green also have LED nav lights that are CG approved. And here is another link.

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