Has anyone re-lamped their nav lights with LED bulbs? I am looking at those offered at the local auto store at half the price of listed at the big marine source. I may take a chance for my Pergo port /starboard/ stern lights, since I have a gift certificate to apply. I saw a warning that the torpedo type lamps are directional for installation as to matching polarity. I will have to think about how that is accomplished at the fixture.
Dumb, should have "searched" this topic first, thanks for the info.
Has anyone re-lamped their nav lights with LED bulbs?
Yes every incandescent lamp was replaced with automotive LED's usually from O'Reiliey's
I solderer every wire onto the contact points therefore avoiding the sockets.
Plus I added several other lamps ... always check for polarity before soldering the wires ...
Craig weis
I have read that you should not mix LED's with incandescents, all or none.............diff. voltage I guess.
In the course of researching this a few years ago, I discovered that nav lights are tested and receive their Coast Guard approvals based on the complete light being tested with its originally specified bulb. Replacing with any other type of lamp would technically void the certification, and thus you would not have Coast Guard approved lighting. Are LED bulbs certified to be the equivalent of the original OEM bulb, by the Coast Guard? At the time they weren't. I don't know about now. Would it ever matter? I doubt it. ...unless somehow there were an accident involved claiming somebody did not see your nav lights, because they were too dim or whatever. In my case, I made sure the replacement was as bright as the original, and changed them all out. Most did not fit the old sockets, so I just soldered them directly in place. But technically, the light is certified with the original type bulb, as a complete assembly. Changing that would void it.
I did the same, Rick. The original Perko nav lights on my 23 are brighter now then with the standard bulbs.