Interior lighting

[Jim]

As our boat is some 28 years old this October, she was fitted out with interior cabin lights that use the older style festoon bulbs which were a regular feature in cars at that time.

As they eat well into the leasure battery, I was thinking of replacing them all with LED versions to reduce current draw, extend life etc etc

Has anyone tried them and what was the impression?

Jim

[quo vadis]

Try these fast delivery and very bright

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300664298394? ... 1497.l2648

[mbird]

I'm going to be replacing all our cabin lighting with LED's Jim. They are the G4 type, though, not festoon. I know a lot of people who are very happy with LED, but also a few who don't find them bright enough. I suppose the only way to really tell is to get one and try it out for yourself. I know Brian Wards and Norfolk Marine both sell them, but they are pricy. I'm waiting for a couple of samples off eBay from Hong Kong for hys tover £1 each, as opposed to £15 in the aforementioned establishements. I want to see what the difference is though, before I buy a batch.

[mbird]

Try these fast delivery and very bright

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300664298394? ... 1497.l2648

Just note they are Pure white, not warm white, and so will give quite a harsh blue tinted light. I prefer the warm white myself, as it's closer to the sort of light you get from a normal bulb.

[quo vadis]

Try These Mark these are warm white

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120843651144? ... 1497.l2648

[ZimbiIV]

I have just bought 3 flourescent square lights from ebay (£10 each) to replace our old tungsten lights. Don't like leds cos I find then hard to read by.

Paul

[Guest DAYTONA-BILL]

Regarding costs of things like lights, has anybody tried caravan/camping shops, as the 12v stuff they sell is usually less than half the price of people like Norfolk marine. Back in the mid 90s, i bought 2 flourescent lights (16w each) for around £25.00 the pair. I saw the identical lights in a local chandlers a few weeks later for £29.95, and that was EACH. I also bought a cheap camping kettle about 3 years ago for £7.95 from a shop in one of our local caravan sales down here, and the same kettle in a local chandler was over £20.

[Jim]

Maplins sell what I presume is the blue light version for about £6.99 but I haven't seen a warm white version on their website

[smitch6]

we've had LED's for a while now and have 2 types on our boat

the 1st are round metal ones with a switch with about 12 leds these are ok but not very bright at all

you couldn't read a book and we had 7 in our forward cabin 10' x 11' (lounge and galley)

so what i did was i went to wickes and got some of them directional spotlights that use the 12v transformer, which you throw away

they come in a pack of 6 for about £20 i think

and then changed the bulbs for LED ones off flebay they have about 40 LEDS in them

and they are great i wish i'd of done the whole boat in them

when i re-done the interior roof of the wheelhouse i put 6 in on 2 switches thankfully

i only ever need to have 1 switched on and annoyingly i could of got away with 3 in total or maybe 4

i sit in my wheelhouse all the time on the pc etc and these lights are really bright

hope that helps

[Jim]

Thanks Steve

It's all helpful information as I want to get it right first time. We're on our way up to Horning today and one thing I want to check is exactly how much current the existing festoons draw. There are only four on the whole boat plus two spotlights (bulb type) in the cabin. The flourescent fitting on the radar arch is okay although it does interefere with the TV (whining noise) not that we watch TV very much when on board!

Jim

[C.Ricko]

as has already been said there are lots of different types of LED light bulbs, also look at the tech drawings to see how the light is spread and how bright it is at various distances from the unit

[Hylander]

If you go to the Bounty Boats web site (you dont have to have a Bounty) there is a discussion on there about replacing lights. Labcraft I am sure is the company we purchased from. They are brillient in every respect. (No pun intended) So fed up , what with failing eyesight (old age) and flaming glow worms for light and these are very good, and they dont zap your battery. Now we have got it sorted.

[Hylander]

The lights we purchased are

Trilite - Labcraft Trilite KL16 Flourescent 12v from Midsummer Energy.

Paladine have sent you a pm.

[diesel falcon]

Hi Jim,

just done the le grand crew this weekend,the falcon flat lights were easy, ive gone for the blue ish light in these ,they look very good as used the original opacke lens,the small spots are a different matter, havn,t found an led solution for those yet, as they are baynet fitting lamps, if you find any could you let me know??

[Jim]

Will do Trev!

[mjt]

I have just bought 3 fluorescent square lights from ebay (£10 each) to replace our old tungsten lights

I can vouch for these. When we bought our old boat it had already had the original lights replaced with the old-style Labcraft striplights with the cheap plastic flexible diffusers. They were all knackered so I replaced them with squarelights. These are really well designed and look so much better than linear striplights. They use a standard 16 Watt 2D lamp and include a pre-heat which helps to prevent the lamp ends from blackening and is claimed to extend its life considerably. They are very efficient, the claimed consumption is 1.3 Amps at 12V, and so bright we generally only need one on in the area where we're sitting to read comfortably. The only downside is that, at 42.5mm, they are a bit deeper than a striplight so, being 6' 2", I tend to bump my head on them (although I'd do that with any lamp). LED lamps would undoubtedly be even more efficient but I personally think they still have some way to go in terms of price/performance.

[Guest]

I'm a firm fan of LEDs now.

Thanks to ebay, existing light fittings can be converted from bulbs very cheaply.

I used "led panels" which cost £1.79 each (plus combined post). They are warm white, are rated at 3 watts and give out 190 lumens of light.

Two, with the included festoon adapters can easily convert an old fashioned twin 21w festoon bulb light fitting to led lighting. The result is the same warm white illumination, brighter, and using 6 watts instead of 42 watts.

Before LEDs came on the scene I did use the 12v fluorescents, but led is even more energy efficient, longer lasting, and can't interfere with the radio.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... OC:GB:1123

[pks1702]

Thanks Strowy; I am sure others will find this useful.

[Antares_9]

Indeed Perry, me for one, but I do like my 50w halogens as they warm up the wheelhouse as well as lighting it.

[diesel falcon]

Exactly what i ve just done except i used round led,s in smaller light fittings

Indeed Perry, me for one, but I do like my 50w halogens as they warm up the wheelhouse as well as lighting it.

well an extra vent in the eberplutterer should do the trick!!

[Antares_9]

Exactly what i ve just done except i used round led,s in smaller light fittings

How dare you, Ebo on my ship, never.