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Interior Lighting

6K views 29 replies 12 participants last post by  bushrat 
#1 ·
I am going to upgrade the electrical in our boat, everything from the panel to the lights and all the wire. I am wondering if anyone has seen interior cabin lights the can be switched from a white light to a red light for at night. I wanted to do LED to save on power and for the overall brightness. Any help?

Scott
 
#3 ·
I saw an LED dome light that did exactly that on a 3-position switch at West Marine last weekend. It was like this one, but I thought it was a 16 LED unit (8 white+8 red).

From WestMarine.com...

Description WM Model# MFG Part# Price
8-LED (4-White, 4-Red) 9265950 51150 $19.99

(No link in honor of my still-low post count)
 
#4 ·
I have these installed on my boat. Not quite as bright as the incandescent one I replaced, but a lot lower energy wise.

 
#5 · (Edited)
I bought two LED lights from Fisheries Supply in Seattle, that switch from Red to White. Kind of expensive but I really like them. I have a 27 foot boat and two of them light up the cabin fairly good.
 
#9 ·
You can buy the regular fixture and change the light bulbs with led bulbs... I find it rather inexpensive instead of buying the whole setup... Another positive to this is you can change the LED light bulb if you need to...
 
#11 ·
A lot of the replacement LED bulbs leave a lot to be desired in terms of light output and color. :) YMMV.
 
#10 ·
Hmm...that's a thought. I've got a burnt out bulb, and the bulb would be a lot easier than the entire fixture. Of course, the globes on my dome lights are pretty badly yellowed, too, at which point the whole thing starts to sound like more work than I'm interested in during peak sailing season...
 
#14 ·
Check out

Home

I have seen them in operation and like them. Seems a good company.
If you are handy, you can make those box fixtures in your garage... A simple teak box with some plastic light cover... Then simple cable soldering...
 
#13 ·
Change the bulbs with LED bulbs, bleach the plastic covers, and enjoy the season... Off season you can deal with the whole changing the fixture project when the stuff is cheaper... ;)
 
#15 ·
If you are handy, you can make those box fixtures in your garage... A simple teak box with some plastic light cover... Then simple cable soldering...
A simple teak cost could end up costing you $40.00 or more, just for the wood alone.
 
#16 ·
Merttan-
You could make up a box light--but Alpenglow are one of the few outfits that make lights which don't create radio interference. You won't be able to buy ballasts and electronics of the same quality at your local lighting or hardware store. That's what made their reputation.
 
#18 ·
It depends on the type of bulb, but most can be reversed. This applies to the double contact bayonet type, the halogen replacement type and the festoon type bulbs.
 
#19 ·
It's worth checking first. Mine are the single contact 1141 auto bulbs. My replacement led ones don't work without a polarity reversal. I was thinking of just pulling the breaker and making the switch there. I have a cabin light dedicated breaker. Should be an easy mod. I was hoping for plug and go...rats!
 
#20 ·
Just remember, that reverses the polarity for every light fixture....which you may not want to do.
 
#21 ·
Also visit Lighting places, Home Depot's etc... most of their lighting if uses halogen or led, can easily be retro-fitted to a DC system quite easily. Usually the only change is the bulb. I have a selection of them I have been testing out, mainly because I hate the marine decor look to stuff you find in chandelieries. Sometimes, you also have to be a bit creative with mounting as well - but point is you are not really limited, and 12-30 bucks at Home Depot, a <$10 LED bulb, and a few hours to make it fit... can sometimes be even more a reward...
 
#22 ·
Bushrat-
" I was thinking of just pulling the breaker and making the switch there."
You'd be laying a landmine for yourself. At some future date, you or someone else will assume that breaker, like all the other breakers, is in a positive line. ZZZT! in a shower of sparks wondering "Gee, how'd that happen?!" you'd remember it was the line you reversed.

Nah, this is not the place to make shortcuts. Unless those wiring runs were made with zip cord, they should be color coded for polarity, better to find the mistake and fix it.
 
#24 ·
Also, if the light fixture shorts to a different ground, power would continue to feed it and probably burn your boat down to the waterline. :)
 
#23 ·
Is it me or no one recycles anything anymore... Teak accesories at discount marine stores have many recyclable surfaces... Buy a couple for 10bucks...
How much of a radio disturbance 0.1 amps is going to be comparing to 1-2 amp range standard light bulbs?
It doesn't have to be all teak btw, a decent solid wood from homedepot is like 10 bucks and enought to make 10 fittings... Good staining, some urethane, all set...
But of course, getting creative is something and buying and installing is another... They both have their ups and downs...
At least don't stop people creating alternative solutions for the problems on hand...
 
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