posted 04-01-2010 06:27 PM ET (US)        

However, if I'm going to have to remove the lamp, repair it and reinstall it I'd just as soon replace the entire lamp with an LED lamp. The boat is a 1999 16 Dauntless and I would like to find a like piece part replacement. The lamp is a Perko and frankly I've had to replace the bulbs more often than I care to remember.

Has Perko started marketing LED navigation lamps? I'll try a google but my old PDF Perko Catalog has no LED lamps.

Another brand would work but I sure would like to use the existing screw holes if you know of any LED fixture that would fit.

posted 04-02-2010 12:56 PM ET (US)            

Isn't the BW light a proprietary lens used just for them?

posted 04-02-2010 02:41 PM ET (US)            

After using Google and looking around I've found that Perko only offers their Cat No. 0619 Series Bi-Color lights. They look like a nice light but are three to four times larger than my original Perko. The light is about four inches long by three inches wide and tear drop shaped.

Attwood also has an LED one mile light Cat No. 35207 and two mile light No. 352407.

I plan to find the Attwood lights' dimensions this evening.

It looks almost certain that in order to preserve the original appearance of my Dauntless the only LED option is to replace the OEM incandescent bulb and socket with an LED bulb.

I'm torn by the decision because the original Perko light's lenses are so flimsy and prone to damage. I guess I can always just order a half dozen lens sets and replace them as they fail. I also need to find a way to waterproof the lenses as they are prone to leakage and subsequent bulb and or socket failure. You''d think an old quality company like Perko could do a better job. Or, perhaps it's my work methods that need improvement.

Butch

posted 04-02-2010 04:10 PM ET (US)            

By the way, I got my Attwood light on Amazon.com for less than half the price West Marine wanted.

posted 04-02-2010 06:28 PM ET (US)            

Great news. Please provide the dimensions.

Thanks,

posted 04-03-2010 09:22 AM ET (US)            

http://www.attwoodmarine.com/store/product/3520

Details of the constructions and installation are shown in

http://www.attwoodmarine.com/userfiles/store/product/files/1059/ 69425-a-led-sidelight-install.pdf

I don't see any drawings with dimensions.

posted 04-03-2010 03:33 PM ET (US)            

Here's the Perko combined sidelight which is original equipment on my 2002 Dauntless 180: http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t329/kalbus/Bow%20Light/PerkoLight. jpg . This is a round fixture, and the base has a diameter of approximately 2-7/16 inches. If you look closely, you can see that the green half of lens is cracked. I often have a problem with corrosion the ends of the festoon light bulb in the Perko fixture. When I removed the fixture today, the wires leading into it were wet.

Next is a photo of the Attwood combined sidelight next to the Perko combined sidelight: http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t329/kalbus/Bow%20Light/Side-By-Side. jpg As you can see, the Attwood light is about the same general size as the Perko light. The Attwood light, however, is not circular - it is oblong. The base of the Attwood light measures approximately 3 inches from front to back, and approximately 2-5/16 inches from side to side. Here's a picture of the Perko light sitting on top of the "gasket" that came with the Attwood light, which shows the difference in the footprint of each light: http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t329/kalbus/Bow%20Light/Footprint.jpg .

What doesn't show in the pictures above is the fact that Boston Whaler did not do a very good job mounting the Perko light fixture. It was rotated off-center, with the green half facing more forward than it should have been. I had never really noticed this before. However, when I started to install the Attwood fixture, this caused a problem. When I lined the Attwood fixture up on the centerline of the bow, it would not quite cover all three of the holes left from the Perko fixture. I ended up filling the three holes left from the Perko fixture with 3M 4200 (I will have them properly filled at a later date), and did the best I could to cover them with the Attwood fixture while keeping it properly centered. Only the slightest portion of one of the old holes was not covered.

posted 04-04-2010 10:38 AM ET (US)            

I noticed that the lens on your Perko was cracked almost exactly like mine. From the Attwood photographs it appears that the lenses are better protected by being slightly set back from the front of the fixture.

The Perko fixture on your 18 looks identical to the one on my 16. I believe mine is mounted properly ie. square to the fore - aft line so no extra effort will be required.

I agree with Jim that the Atwood LED fixture will be popular with site members. If not identical with the original it certainly is close.

Jim, is the fixture replacement worth a reference article? If so, I would be happy to take photographs of the process when I change mine. It'll be about two weeks from now.

posted 04-05-2010 08:38 AM ET (US)            

I bought the Atwood fixture and took it home to take apart and try to figure out if I could use "the guts" of it to replace the insides to my bow light/chock light fixture on my 1972 21 outrage smoothsides. (I had the socket rot out on the incandescent bulb.

Long story short, even if you just removed the led bulb set up, it is too big to fit in the little dome of the bowlight/chock fixture.

posted 04-06-2010 09:09 AM ET (US)            

Do you have the BW design team phone number? I did a search and apparently the CW design team has either not completed it or posted it.

Lol

posted 04-10-2010 01:31 PM ET (US)            

Still I prefer to support my local bricks and mortar store within reason.

The light goes on next week.

posted 04-26-2010 08:33 AM ET (US)            

thanks for the input. Long story short, I replaced the incandscent set up with the LED set up from the perko light and it came out awsome.

I maintained the appropriate angle between the LEDs as well as made sure that heating was not an issue.

To be quite frank, the LED is far more visible than my repro stainless incandescant set up ever was. I observed the new set up from all the appropriate angles from the boat and it is dead on. I actually wonder if the old set up was legitimately CG approved.

Not a job for the sqeamish, but a solutely worth it.

posted 04-26-2010 10:09 AM ET (US)            

It was so simple and straight forward that I am embarrassed to have offered to write an article with photographs documenting the procedure. :=(

It was windy so I had to use a propane torch to heat the Ancor heat-to-seal butt connectors. I also learned that the recommended 7/32" drill bit to drill the holes for #10 screws was too small for use with fiberglass. Beware gel coat cracking when installing the mounting screws.

If you undertake this project I recommend you mark a longish center line mark where you will mount the new light. Then use the new mounting gasket to mark the required screw holes. By having the center line mark in place aligning the gasket to mark the screw holes is facilitated.

My only criticism of the Atwood lamp is that the base could be more robust and a third mounting screw forward would make for a more secure mounting. Also, I'm unsure that the mounting gasket is the best solution for preventing water entry. I may later dispense with the gasket in favor of some Boat Life caulk.

Thanks, Kevin.

Butch