Trojan Boat Forum

I'm thinking about replacing the halogen bulbs in dome lights with LED bulbs. I will only do this if the replacement bulbs are at least as bright as the halogen bulbs.

The fixtures are obsolete, miniature wedge bulbs. I'm not sure if they're T5 or T10. I've looked at marinebeam.com, Defender, doctorled.com, and others, and it's not clear what the best or most economical approach is.

I'd also like to replace the two 31mm festoon bulbs (8 watts each) in the anchor light. Marinebeam's choices seem more complicated, but less expensive (http://store.marinebeam.com/perko-31mm- ... light.html).
Then there are companies like LEDwholesalers where the choices are even more extensive. And there I see festoon bulbs at a fraction of the marine prices. Is there really a difference?

So...what do I buy for the least amount of $$? These babies are still pretty pricey. I like http://www.ledtrailerlights.com/rv/RV-T10-wedge-252.htm they are trialor bulbs and listed for RV's but keep showing up in the marine world as well.

I would be careful changing bulbs in running or anchor lights. The fixtures are certified with the original bulbs and changing them may/probably will render the certification void. Then in case of an accident, you may have greater liability just by having non certified navigation lights. In the case of the steaming/anchor light, I would recommend replacing the fixture with a certified LED fixture. The prices have really dropped recently. The interior lights are no problem as long as the replacement bulb works.

Not all LEDs are created equal. Though they have been dropping in price, beware of really cheap prices; they're cheap LEDs. Compare outputs, loads, voltage tolerances, and life expectancy. To ensure ample lighting inside, get the high output LEDs and make sure they are all the same shade of white; there are differences. I'm with Dave on nav lights. You must be careful with any nav light including the anchor; it must conform to the "2 mile visibility" or whatever applies in your duristiction. Though many claim to suit "marine" use, they don't comply with this simple but critical requirenent.

I find too, for interior lights, that color ranges a lot with LED bulbs. The best "warm white" color I've found so far is http://www.sourceled.com/

We've replaced all our interior incandescent bulbs in the dome ceiling fixtures with compatible LED bulbs and love them. They're the same brightness and color is great.

I hate the bluey or greeny color that happens with most LED bulbs.

i agree, last year I was taking the dome off of my anchor light around 2 am so I could have better light on the little boat. Police came up and explained why I needed the dome and he understood why I was doing it. I was under a bridge against the rocks at an island but he was very clear about it. I bought new lights for the boat and havent toyed with the anchor light since.

Some usefully LED-lights maybe: http://glamox.com/gmo/products/series-65
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Greetings - Heiner