posted 06-29-2012 06:27 AM ET (US)            

--the navigation lamp was certified as conforming with the Coast Guard regulations with the original incandescent lightbulb as the light source, and changing to an LED light source will change the light emitted. The lamp will no longer be compliant because it is no longer in its original form;

--many of the replacement LED lightbulbs include reflectors or an arrangement of the LED's to concentrate the light in one direction. They are typically designed for automotive replacement applications where the light is directed axially and in one direction. In general you could say that navigation lamps tend to use an incandescent light bulb like an 1156 which emits light in a fairly even radial distribution. The LED lightbulbs generally seem to be more specialized and tend to emit light only in certain directions;

--the underlying rationale for use of LED replacement lightbulbs must be either their lower cost or their lower electrical consumption. Let's look at both:

The price of LED replacement lightbulbs for a typical 1156 incandescent lightbulb seems to be all over the map. Some no-brand LED replacement lightbulbs are $4 and some boutique models are $75. An 1156 incandescent lightbulb is probably about $2. The only way an LED can reach lower cost is through longer durability. Unless you go boating every night, the lifespan of an incandescent lightbulb in a navigation lamp is probably about twenty years or more. The lifespan of an LED replacement is not as well known, particularly the cheaper ones. Any electrical surges on the power to the LED could cause failure. Incandescent lightbulbs may actually be more resilient to little surges in voltage, as might occur during engine starting on a boat.

posted 06-29-2012 06:45 AM ET (US)            

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

Vendor:
http://www.amazon.com/Attwood-1-Mile-Mount-Navigation-Stainless/dp/ B001O0DIA4/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1311787525& tag=attwoodmarine-20&sr=1-2

posted 07-01-2012 08:42 AM ET (US)            

Problem I find is in Florida boats under 26' MUST have the "sidelights" mounted at the very front of boat.

posted 07-01-2012 12:22 PM ET (US)            

quote:

---

mounting a side light on each side of my console

---

posted 07-01-2012 05:41 PM ET (US)            

I was going to remove the original light fixtures and replace them as the thread suggests the OP is interested in.

Instead of doing that and after some inspection of the old light fixtures, I realized the condition of the bases would make them almost valueless for resale. So I would stay stock while upgrading to a new style lamp, an LED lamp.

I used an epoxy product to strengthen the bases for use.

I looked and looked on the net, (since this is what I have patience for) and found many lamps for $20 to $30 dollars, then found the same lamps on Amazon for $4.99 each.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006V4WNWM/ref=ox_ya_os_product

I ordered two.

The bases (the male and metal part of the lamp) are exactly the same size and style as the stock forward navigation lamps on my 1987 Outrage. (note) The aft lamp and the 360 degree lamps are not this style)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41hGla0f3pL._SS400_.jpg

However the lamps pictured above are to tall to fit into the 1987 Boston Whaler Outrage fixture as received.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6959761852_350567e9c8_b.jpg

So my idea was to experiment and see if i could make these inexpensive lamps work. I removed the 3 small LED's from the top of the lamps, filed smooth the connections, being very careful to examine the electrical connection pads and ensure no arching or possibility or trouble existed. With a Dremel tool and a small sanding disc the top disc can be smoothed quite well and then covered with quality electrical tape. Carefully trimming the edges around the disc.

The lamps were exactly the right height, or maybe a smidgen to tall still. It depends on your feelings. I found them to be exceptionally well suited for the fixtures. The tops of the lamps are against the fixture (marinium) cover. They are a little depressed into the connection socket and yet operate perfectly.

posted 07-04-2012 01:01 PM ET (US)            

The way I understand it is this is because the white light from an LED is produced much differently than the white light from an incandecent bulb. The incandecent bulb produces the full sprectum of colors and blended together they appear white. A red lens filters all the colors but red and allows the red light to pass through. A white LED is actually a blue LED shining through yellow phosopher to make it appear white. As a result, a white LED produces very little light in the red and green wavelengths. Passing this light through a red or green lens will tend to filter out most of the light.

posted 07-05-2012 04:53 AM ET (US)            

It would be best to color match the LEDs to the lens. The
colored lens will filter out all the light of other colors,
so you are just wasting photons. Also, monochrome LEDs
tend to be cheaper than white LEDs.

posted 07-05-2012 05:24 PM ET (US)            

As Jim points out, it is probably a tough sell in economic terms, unless you save a few bucks by using smaller wire if you are replacing anyway. But they are cool (literally & figuratively), and I can leave LED lights on for extended periods without worrying as much about battery drain.

posted 07-06-2012 09:20 PM ET (US)            

The white light produced by high power LEDs is actually the emission from the phosphor in the "lens" that encapsulates the LED junction. The LED emits blue or untra-violet light which energizes the phosphor that actually emits the white light. An LED junction emits quite pure monochromatic light however the phosphor has a spectral distribution which, while not uniform or complete, enables a colored filter to pass its color component.

The design life of most LEDs is 50,000 hours based upon maintaining the junction temperature within specified limits. Typically junction temperatures are specified to be 125 to 150 deg C, pretty hot. A normal end of life failure would be when the light output drops to 50% of the initial specified. At 50% reduction most people could see a difference.

The design of an LED fixture is very much a thermal design problem. While you may initially have a nice bright light by placing an LED replacement bulb in a random incandescent fixture you can plan on a much reduced life if the LED junctions are optimized.

Modern LED fixtures are designed with either constant current or constant voltage LED drivers. No one is using current limiting resistors in a modern fixture because of their power loss and additional thermal load. LED junctions are very sensitive to short duration over voltage conditions and they do not tolerate reverse voltage at all. Since marine electrical systems have a pretty wide voltage range this is detrimental to LED junctions which would be directly exposed to these variations without a intermediate driver.

posted 07-07-2012 08:34 AM ET (US)            

The current limiting circuitry may be another story.

posted 07-07-2012 10:10 AM ET (US)            

Samsung 2323 LED (typical for TV backlighting)
If = Forward Current = .065 amps
Vf = Forward Voltage Drop = 3 Volts
Vr = Reverse Blocking Voltage = 1 Volt

Generic 1N4004 Diode (typical for rectification of AC Line)
If = 1.0 Amp
Vf = 1 Volt
Vr = 400 Volts

If you were to use the Samsung 2323 LED in a simple series circuit for a 12 Volt DC power source you would connect 3 of them In series with a resistor. The reverse blocking ability of this configuration would only be 3 Volts. You can see the problem. While they are a diode they really offer no protection for a reverse polarity connection. It would be typical to connect a power diode with reverse polarity in parallel with the LED string to protect against a miswired connection.

Another concern I have with these cheap LED bulb replacements is that they will have questionable quality. In super high quantity this Samsung part would sell for about .25/ea. The bulb replacement GusGus purchased for $5 each has at least 15 LEDs, 5 or 6 metal clad Circuit boards, mechanical fixings, electrical interconnects plus a bulb base. There is no conformal coating that is obvious. You get what you pay for so I will repeat, keep the spares handy because when you need it most it may not light. Keeping a few incandescent bulbs as a back up may also be cheap insurance.

posted 07-07-2012 12:46 PM ET (US)            

Good info. I plan on carrying along the incandescent originals as spares.

posted 07-11-2012 12:14 PM ET (US)            

Gus went a different route and made a more custom setup, spending less for the devices themselves but with more modifications required. He seems to be happy with the result too.

If you want to go for the direct replacement, find your bulb type and do an internet search for that in an LED form. Defender is where I got mine, but many places carry them.

As Davej14 suggested, carry spares of some type until you accumulate a bit more history on the LED devices.

You probably don't want to do this to save money...