Lights

[NCheaven]

What wattage LED bulbs should I buy to replace the festoon
1) cockpit bulbs,
2) running lights,
3) anchor light, etc.?

The old LED ones aren't marked. Had one go bad, planning to replace all of them - all at least 4 years old. What I read says that LED tech improvements for longevity over the last 5, 10, etc. years have been fantastic, might as well put on close to "lifetime" bulbs in critical use locations.

 

[localboy]

I used these for anchor & running lights.
https://store.marinebeam.com/30-led-42mm-cone-end-festoon-mini-max-fs-42-30c/

They also have various ones for cockpit depending on your size/needs.

 

[NCheaven]

Thank you....

...for the link. The one I'm replacing right now is a 31mm festoon size, and I'll look for a similar wattage to yours in that size.

 

[rwidman]

For your running lights, it's critical that you use LEDs that are made and sold for the purpose of being running lights on a boat. Unlike incandescent bulbs, you cannot just put a red or green filter in front of an LED and expect to see that color.

I don't remember the company, but I bought a pair (red and green) of LED lamps that fit my running light sockets (I have the same boat as you) and they have worked well.

For the anchor light, just get the brightest LED lamp that will fit your fixture. Without knowing your fixture, I have to warn you that you need a lamp with a 360 degree illumination.

I ended up replacing the fixtures in my cabin with fixtures meant for trailers. They use flat LED panels that connect with two pins. I couldn't find anything that worked well with the original fixtures and the automotive sockets.

 

[NCheaven]

Thank you!

Good to know. I saw that Dr. LED or something like that claims to be USCG approved, and sells to other armed forces. Pricey, but has the colored running lights. There may be others.