LED lighting

[knotflying]

Just a heads up to those looking to order LED lights for your R-27. I ordered some bulbs for the sconce lights, overhead cabin and the anchor light. I used the numbers on one of the threads, but it seems my bases are somewhat different. So if you are ordering bulbs from Marine Beam check to make sure you are ordering the correct bases for your boat. I spoke to Jeff at Marine beam and he was more than happy to swap out the bulbs, great guy, and we Ranger people get a discount if you tell him you are a Ranger Tug owner.
Mike

 

[JerryE]

Hey Mike,
As you likely know (since you refer to Marine Beam) there is much on this forum about changing out the bulbs. I've found the numbers confusing at Marine Beam. Denny-O made a science of this (cf. http://www.tugnuts.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1541) in previous posts. We got almost all the bulbs figured out except for the wedge base lamps used in our cockpits. Denny-O had discussed this with Jeff at Marine Beam, but when I contacted Jeff to buy some he had forgotten which of his bulbs he advised Denny-O to use. Of course, Denny-O did not have to buy them since he just when on to hand-make his own bulbs...Amazing!

You could be a hero if you pried apart one of the cockpit light fixtures and sent it to Jeff so he could create bulbs that the rest of us could buy. My boat is still far away so I can't get to it for this project.

PS. Many have asked about the quality of the LED vs incandescent bulbs before buying these expensive LEDs. Its impossible to describe the difference which is in the eye of the beholder, anyway. I was in West Marine yesterday and darned if they don't stock all kinds of festoon and other LED replacement bulbs with pretty good charts of what they replace. Consider matching up cabin bulbs with LEDs from West Marine and trying them out. West Marine seems willing to accept returns on anything, so it would be an easy way to see if the light is warm enough for your personal tastes. For my money I found LEDs great in the bathroom and cave, but not so great for the dining area lights.

 

[knotflying]

Yep, I used the numbers in that post and they were incorrect for my boat. As an example The number in the post for the anchor light was for dimpled ends and mine has cone ends. So either I read something wrong or the contacts change as production progresses at Ranger. I guess I should have examined the bulbs in my boat before I ordered them. As soon as I get a chance I will be working on the cockpit lights, but it won't be for about two weeks, lots of things to do that seem to be getting into the way of fun and boating! As far as color of the lighting goes, you are correct, they may not be as nice as the standard incandecent, but no light works with a dead battery. And life is all about trading off one thing for another.

 

[Levitation]

Yes, I have dimpled ends on my mast light and side marker lights...
And I saw a post where the wall sconce were a different base from mine, also... Obviously the factory is inconsistent...
Best thing is to have a bulb from each of your lamps in hand when you call Jeff at MarineBeam...

Don't give up on the LED lighting... Lighting is the major draw on the house batteries... My measured ratio of current draw with all lamps turned on was 6 to 1 in favor of the LED... Changing to LED lamps is the equivalent of adding 10 more batteries to your house set...

Jeff could, if he stirred himself around, simply order a single cockpit receptacle from Andrew... For those few bucks he would have another product to market... I guess he does not feel the need...

 

[knotflying]

Perhaps the R-27 is different than the R-25, but I would think lighting fixtures and bulbs would be consistent between models.

 

[SlackwaterJack]

bulbs are entirely dependant upon the whim of the fixture manufacturer and they'll change specs as often as they change bulb suppliers. Its not unusal to find different bulbs in the same bin of fixtures at West Marine.
When I was rebuilding an old Albin 25 a few years back I bought a set of new running lites and found different bulbs in the port and starboard fixtures.

 

[Levitation]

Here is my Email to Jeff tonite right after getting off the phone with Andrew, which Jeff could have done... :roll:

http://www.itc-marine.com/courtesy.html

Jeff, this is the light fixture (top one, oval, 80495) that is used on the R25 - and I suspect the R27...
The R29 uses a different fixture...
Anyway, people on the TUGNUTS.COM owners group have been asking me for an LED lamp # for that fixture...
denny / k8do
hemlock, Mi 48626

So, maybe I am half a hero?

 

[JerryE]

Denny-O: You is the man! I've emailed itc asking for the model number and base type of the 4.2 watt bulb that comes with these courtesy light fixtures. I'll report when I find out more. Then Jeff could duplicate the thing.

BTW, a red lens is available which might be kind of cool. I wish an amber lens was, as the lights are a tad bright for romantic ambience as I sit on the deck eating my chocolate donuts with beer in the evenings... I fear LEDs might entirely destroy my appetite for the finer things in life with their garish light.