LED Stern Light

[Hudsonian]

I plan on upgrading to an LED stern light on my 30' sloop. The choices seem to be an Aqua Signal 32502 with a SS cover 32532 or an Atwood. Unfortunately my local chandleries don't stock them so I will be making the purchase sight unseen. Do you have any firsthand observations on these choices? I have an Aqua Signal steaming/decklight which has been satisfactory but not as corrosion resitant as my Perko running lights.

[killarney_sailor]

If your current fixture is in decent shape could you not just swap the bulb for an LED replacement? I think that Aqua Signal is better quality than Atwood overall.

[trisstan87]

I believe that vessels under 40' are allowed by maritime law to have a single light flashing red, green, and white on or near the top of the mast.
So a stern light seems to be not at all required, though if your reasons are for cosmetic purposes disregard this reply.

[sailingdog]

The LED replacement bulbs are mostly NOT USCG CERTIFIED in any fixture. As such, you could be in serious trouble if you get into an accident.

Trisstan—

It depends on what the boat is doing. If the boat is under power, it would require a stern light, a steaming light and red and green sidelights. If it is under sail, it requires a stern light and red and green sidelights.

On smaller boats under sail, the sidelights and sternlight can be replaced by a tricolor—which are a solid red, green and white light in a single fixture at the mast top.

On smaller boats under power, the stern light and steaming light can be combined as a single all-around white light, but the sidelights are STILL REQUIRED.

You really should read up on what the COLREGS require. NONE allow a boat to have flashing RED, GREEN and WHITE lights AFAIK.

[trisstan87]

I am sorry, let me edit my post.
"A sailboat less than 20 meters in length, while underway under sails alone (SD), may show a tri-color light at or near the top of its mast. This combines the sidelights and the sternlight; no other navigation lights are shown. This light must not be used under power, whether sails are hoisted or not."
So yes SD I had forgotten about the 'under power' part. The book also goes on to say: "A set of conventional lights would be needed for use when the boat was under mechanical power."
Sailboats less than 23 ft long should carry normal sidelights and sternlight.
I don't know what AFAIK means but from what I am reading unless I am reading it wrong it DOES allow for the green/red/white light, though the "flashing" part is not mentioned.
Thanks for the correction.

[Plumbean]

The current issue of Sail Magazine has an article on this subject. Might be worth your read. Among other take aways, if you have a tricolor at the masthead, it may not make sense to go with LEDs for the regular running lights. The thinking being that since you would only be using these while under power and presumably charging your batteries, the added efficiency is not as much of a draw (ahem), and the additional cost of LEDs is significant.

[Sabreman]

We replaced the Anchor Light 2 years ago and the stern light this year. The light that we purchased was excellent and the same brand (can't recall which) as the masthead light. Both are very well constructed, bright, and reliable (as you would expect from a diode). We've used the stern light on several occasions this year including the overnight MD Governor's Cup. I recommend this light as an excellent choice.

New LED transom mount stern light 03201: eBay Motors (item 200399228255 end time Sep-22-10 13:35:20 PDT)

[dhays]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

The LED replacement bulbs are mostly NOT USCG CERTIFIED in any fixture. As such, you could be in serious trouble if you get into an accident.

The LED replacement bulbs that I just put on Legacy have been certified. Take a look at this link.

However, that is a relatively recent press release, only 6 months ago.

[dhays]

Originally Posted by trisstan87

I don't know what AFAIK means...

As Far As I Know

[sailingdog]

ARE YOU SURE DHAYS???

DR. LED has a long track record of obsfucating what lights/fixtures are actually USCG certified and does not mention that most of theirs are NOT CERTIFIED.

Their website makes it very difficult to determine what, if any light/fixture combinations are actually USCG certified and purposely worded to make it sound like all their lights are USCG certified, when in fact, most are not. Please note, the USCG certification is for a specific bulb in a specific fixture, not for bulbs alone.

If you read the press release you linked to CLOSELY, you'd realize that their bulbs are only USCG certified in the AquaSignal Series 40 ANCHOR, GREEN SIDELIGHT and RED SIDELIGHT fixtures. If you're using them for the sternlight or steaming light, or in any fixture other than one of these three Aquasignal Series 40 fixtures, they are not USCG certified.

Here is the text I am referring to from the Dr. LED press release, with comments:

Dr. LEDTM Introduces its 1W High-Flux 2nm Certified After-Market LED Replacement Bulbs for Aqua Signal series 40 Anchor, Port, and Starboard Lights.

This describes what was certified—AQUASIGNAL SERIES 40 Anchor, Port and Starboard sidelights—not the steaming light, not the stern light, not the bicolor—but Dr. LED doesn't mention that little fact anywher in the press release.

The New and Only 2nm Certified After-Market LED Replacement Bulbs for Aqua Signal and Other Navigation Lights from Dr. LED Reduces Power Drain for Boats.

They don't mention that the bulbs are NOT CERTIFIED FOR ANY FIXTURES OTHER THAN THE AQ Series 40s... and certainly seem to imply that they're certified for use in other navigation lights.

Seattle, Washington, 25th February 2010 – Dr. LED today announced that it’s White Polar Star 40TM, Red Polar Star 40TM, and Green Polar Star 40TM after-market replacement LED light bulbs for the Aqua Signal series 40 navigation lights have been certified by a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) accepted independent laboratory as compliant with the USCG COLREG 1972 (International Maritime Organization, “IMO”) standards and verified to be in conformance with the navigation light regulations of ABYC A-16. These are the only after-market navigation replacement light bulbs that have received such certifications.

The only three products that DR. LED sells that are USCG-certified are the

White Polar Star 40 but only for use in an AQ series 40 anchor light fixture;
Red Polar Star 40 but only for use in an AQ series 40 Port sidelight fixture; and
Green Polar Star 40 but only for use in an AQ series 40 Starboard light fixture.

They do not ever state that the bulbs are NOT USCG CERTIFIED in any other usage—even though they clearly offer bulbs for use in Hella, Perko and other AquaSignal fixtures.

If you look at the two pages that mention the Marine LED Replacement Navigation bulb products—the cross reference guide and the product page—they do not specify which product/fixture combinations meet USCG certifications ANYWHERE.

Also, my experience is that DR. LED does not stand behind their products the way a reputable manufacturer would.

Between the two issues mentioned above, I would not buy or use Dr. LED products. I prefer to do business with a more ethical and honest manufacturer that stands behind their products. YMMV.

Originally Posted by dhays

The LED replacement bulbs that I just put on Legacy have been certified. Take a look at this link.

However, that is a relatively recent press release, only 6 months ago.