Navigation Lights

[Mike Goodwin]

Depends on the lens , some older ( like most of mine ) yes ,you must go manual. All but a few of the older lenses will work with it too!

[ebb]

If I understand these posts correctly: 2 mile, maybe even three mile led lights are here already.
Orca Green Marine can set you up with a tricolor with various options for between $240 to $370 for a tricolor/anchor with a photo sensor to turn it on and off and strobe. And if I recall, it's no taller than a can of 8oz pineapple slices. [a little taller]
Stecktronics have more reasonably priced light inserts for existing AquaSignal fixtures.
svhotwire carries led replacements for incandescent 15mm bayonet bulbs. And the Sea Sense line of dome lights, strips and recessed lights.
Haven't compared any prices. Here's a young business attempting to do it all for you.

Led's are available for almost everything on deck and below. The people I ran into at the boatshow are
www.svhotwire.com
They were so new they didn't have a brochure.

If you already have a plain ole anchor light on the mast top, an outfit called GreenRay (Deep Creek) makes an led 'bulb' they call a light-engine you can retro for a mere $495. For cryinoutloud!

Somewhere I saw an even flatter (pineapple can sized) tricolor light out of sweden or denmark. led's is the only way to go. If anyone establishes a relationship with svhotwire let us know, ok?

[Tony G]

LEDs are expensive, there's no doubt about that. But there is the trade off of being energy efficient, and, we all know how expensive energy is. As new, improved products hit the market I'll seriously think about 'outside' lights. Yes, there are a couple of approved masthead lights out there, but, until the public demands the products and pays for the R&D the market won't grow to include the product we want.

Anyway, that's enough of my blab for one night. Found these guys somewhere./www.superbrightleds.com/

[Sprite]

Mike,

So you go with the Red and Green for the Side Lights.

For anyone what is the best way to get the socket out any particular tool.

John

[commanderpete]

Punch out the plastic bottom of the socket. You might be able to pry some of the old brass socket out of the bronze housing, but its probably fused in there. Have to grind it out.

I found some grinding attachments at the Dollar Store to use in a drill.

Or else they might have a dremel attachment of the right size, maybe something like this

[Sprite]

Commander Pete

Fortunately I have the tool which you attached.

To everyone, I have found that if you go to Perko or West Marine for LEDs you will pay top dollar speaking in hundreds for the unit. and forty to seventy for special bayonet bulbs. 8 dollars at superbright. and guys I got it from Boat Works.

John

I thought we were trying to keep things on the cheap!!!!

[Hull376]

Gang, I've been absent from posting. Sorry.

I replaced the bulbs in my Running Lights with double contact bayonett LED bulbs purchased online from www.Superbrightleds.com (see previous posts) I have the original Bronze / Chrome hardware that is pictured way up in the front of this thread. Some tips for those of you contemplating this:

I found that although the Superbright LED #1142 wide angle bulbs fit just fine within the glass colored lenses, they could not be depressed quite far enough into the socket bases to allow me to twist them and lock them in place. So, I had to buy new bulb base inserts, remove the old ones, and install the new ones inserted slightly farther into the fittings. The old bases were soldered into place too low in the sleeve-- ok for a GE-90 bulb, but the collar on the 1142 LEDs bottomed out too soon when pushing them in.

I found that the easiest way to get the old bulb base sockets out of the fitting was to soften the solder, heat up the fitting on the gas range (please hold with pliers or something) until toasty, then put the fitting on the vice and hit the edge of the bulb socket from the inside with a flat blade screwdriver (move around the bulb base edge from the inside). All other methods I tried just wasted time. The stern light was fused together and it still parted fairly easily after the heat treat. Heat is the ultimate. I polished the inside of the fittings after taking the old bases out to make it easy to insert the new ones and allow me to adjust them. And BTW, the old silicone gooped on these fittings was still soft. That stuff will outlast any dinosaur fossil.

I used a little Gorilla glue to hold the new bases in place at the right position (Double contact bases don't need electrical contact from the base itself). Make sure that when the bulb is inserted that you can still put the lens cap in place all the way until it seats with the gasket, that you can still depress the bulb and twist it into place, and that you can still access the two set screws in the bulb base that hold the wires in place.

These lights are very bright and cost $6-$9 depending on the type. Worth it if you need to conserve power and do a lot of sailing at night. Otherwise, buy a subscription to a good sailing magazine and stick with the GE-90s for a buck apiece.