Interior Lighting

[Crash]

My 1979 C&C has pretty much the original marine light fixtures, 2-2-lamp fluorescent strip in the main area and traditional bulb fixtures everywhere else. Light levels in the cabin is just a hair above what you get while camping I have to admit so I started looking at all the "pricey" fixtures on market and started wondering what everyone else is upgrading to. I like the LED's but I'm not about to sell my first born...yet. Then again LED's don't give off that much light either and yes I am concerned about how much energy it takes to run lights.

Neil, "ndutton" has shots of the interior of his Catalina 30 and it looks great! Anyone have any experience with LED rope lights? Maybe I should invest in a small portable gas generator and just light up the interior anyway I like??

Any thoughts??

Crash

[hanleyclifford]

lighting on Kalina

I agree those are nice lights on Neil's boat. I especially like the treatment in the galley. Maybe Neil will give us the spec on those lights.

[ndutton]

Thanks for noticing

Thanks to all for the kind comments.

In the same post where you saw the lighting there’s an ‘as bought’ picture that shows one of the factory installed camper style fluorescent lights. I tell ya, they were horrible.

Lighting is a big part of what I do for a living. Kalina’s lighting is halogen. There’s nothing like halogen for high drama and attractive color temperature. It's not an accident that every art gallery in the world uses halogen lights. The picture you referenced was taken at night, no lighting other than the cabin lights. I turned them on and snapped the pic.

But the look comes at a price, that being high power consumption. My lights are 10 watts each or a shade under 1 amp current draw. By comparison, having all 10 burning simultaneously dwarfs the power consumption of the refrigeration.

LED’s consume far less power for the same amount of light. Unfortunately, LED’s aren’t manufactured in sufficient quantities for their price to be reasonable. Maybe someday but not today. When the day comes, I can’t say I’ll change over. Hang the consumption, I like my lights the way they are. Everything’s a compromise and this is another reason for a 100 amp alternator and 5 batteries.

If there’s interest, I can recommend a reasonably priced and readily available halogen fixture.

[hanleyclifford]

Neil - I agree with the "hang the consumption" approach. Good lighting is good for the eyes. I've got a Balmar 712 (110 amps) and I don't mind using it. Can you give us a website where we can look at those fixtures? Hanley

[ndutton]

Here ya go

http://www.elcolighting.com/products/1226

These come in a variety of finishes. They're unswitched but a micro toggle could be easily added to the surface mounting housing. I also recommend replacing the included 20 watt lamp with a 10 watt.

These fixtures run consistently in the $10.00 range.

[Dave Neptune]

Lights

Niel, I too went to halogen throughout the boat accept for the galley. In the galley I still have the flouresent fixture as it casts less shadow and is easier to "see" into the ice box. When I converted from the incadesent bulbs I actually lowered my all lights on draw by about 40% and increased my light output.
I still don't like any of the led set-ups for "seeing" as they are extremely bright but the light is hard to see details in. I do a lot of commuting on a bicycle and went to a high end (expensive) lithium led light which could be seen for miles, but I couldn't see what was on the asphalt at all. There was light just not much vision. I used it a few times and then got some new nicads for my halogen light that burns for about 2 hours and I don't hit glass or rocks as I can see them with the halogen. LED is coming and the quality of visable light is getting better it's just not there yet.

Dave Neptune

[Crash]

Neil,

Your interior cabin pictures (that are posted on another thread) looks as if the fixtures are track-like lights or stationary wall mounted fixtures. I went to the website you suggested and although surface mounted, they don't seem directional. Not that it matters mind yah...I like what you've done just thought the light would have less glare if directed downward? Do you experience any glare?

$10 range!!?? (Nice find Neil! )

Thanks,
Crash

[ndutton]

Here are a couple of pics that may shed some light on the situation.







The fixtures I referenced aren't the same as mine because I can't find them anymore. They're very close though, essentially fixed hockey pucks, non-directional and non-aimable. I fabricated fiberglass channels to mount the lights and conceal the wires.

[jeffgerritsen]

I've switched to LED lights...

I've gone the LED route and have been very pleased with the results both in lighting and color temperature. I have five one foot LED strips and the cabin is light up quite nicely. They cost $20 for each foot length. When I travel back to Anacortes for the engine removal I'll snap a picture of the lighting for comparison.



Here are the links to the LED's I used:

http://columbiamarineexchange.com/led.htm These are all of the LED's

http://columbiamarineexchange.com/Flex%20Strip.jpg Here is the LED I used.

Jeff.

[sastanley]

I really like Neil's set up, but that type of work is a ways off for me.

I've put LED bulbs into most of the fixtures that were in the boat. The fixtures are the $30-ish SS ones with mostly festoon bulbs...the one over the galley was a 15mm bayonet & I was able to find warm white bulbs for all but one of the fixtures. I've found that you really need the 'high power' LEDs as the little $3 bulbs are simply not bright enough.

I have one florescent fixture left in the middle of the cabin that I want to replace, although except for being ugly I guess it burns less juice than an incandescent bulb.

[ArtJ]

I seem to remember reading that Led bulbs cannot be replaced for incadescent
bulbs where the lens is completely enclosed. I assume that applies to all
exterior lights and some interior light fixtures.

[ndutton]

I seem to remember reading that Led bulbs cannot be replaced for incandescent bulbs where the lens is completely enclosed.

Never heard that before Art, would be great if you could recall where you read it. Similar is the caution with halogen lamps. Due to high UV output of the naked bulb they need to be filtered. Many MR16 lamps currently come with a UV filter integral with the glass reflector/shade.

[ArtJ]

Neil
I believe it was in a recent issue of Practical Sailor

[ndutton]

Thanks Art, I'll go lookin'.

[ArtJ]

I believe it was in a issue dealing with Led lights in the past several months.