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LED Bulb for std. Bow Light

jjg

jjg

Well-known member
Does anyone know if there are LED bulbs to replace the std. bayonet style bulb that comes in the standard front nav light ? The incandesent bulb seems to get quite hot when in use plus the LED will have a much lower current draw.
I have seen some bayonet LED bulbs but they are usually only single sided (90 degrees)and for the nav light we need it to shine at least 180 degrees.
 
I did find some replacement LED bulbs that fit standard bulb sockets recently for an airplane I was working on. The brand name we used is: http://www.ledtronics.com/
Here's the page we used to order the bulbs: http://www.ledtronics.com/Products/ProductsDetails.aspx?WP=115
The bulb that might work best is: B606-SIW-014S

But all that being said, hard to tell if the base is the same. I wonder if Autozone and others may be the place to look now? They may have started to carry replacement LED lights that you can actually eye-ball to see size and base type for replacement.

For entire assembly:
This months Boating magazine (May 2012) has an article on this subject starting on page 58. They list several brands: Accon Marine, Livorsi Marine, Attwood Corp., Perko Inc., and SeaSense Marine Products. The article points to more information at boatinglab.com: http://www.boatingmag.com/find/LED
I didn't find much info on the web link, but maybe searching out the manufacturers above, their sites might show dimensional drawings that'll help figure out which one best fits your current light mounting?
I remember my bow light seemed to get very hot when I left it on for a long time. LED is the way to go!
 
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Thanks for the info !!! The boating mag link did get me a source for the LED bulbs http://sailorsams.3dcartstores.com/12-volt-led-bulbs-festoon-double-end
Actually what I need for the nav light is called a "festoon" style not a bayonet as I previously mentioned. I think Im going to order one and see if there is enough room inside the housing for it to fit. Since LED's are directional light this style of bulb can only work and be mounted in one way within the housing. So we will see. But thanks again for the info. Very Helpful !!!!
 
Interesting! That festoon style is new to me. The replacement LED does look very directional doesn't it? Be a neat little photo article you could do for the site if you wanted, showing a before and after effect. We could make it a 'sticky' :p
 
atc250r said:
Let us know what happens. I'd like to do mine.
Click to expand...

x3.. I like em.. I think that they give out a better light.
John, ready for my boat?? He HE!!
John. Have you heard about some run on the Hudson for fast boats??
I saw something on Craigs list. Sometime in Aug..
 
Ive got one of the made in Hong Kong Chinese 48 LED T10 ones for $3 ( for two) off ebay. I got stuck on a mud flat a month or so ago on an isolated river . No one came by and The kids and I hunkered down for the night and figured we would start walking back down the side of the bank in the morning. The sheriff's patrol boat showed up around midnight and towed us off.. Anyway that stern light lit up the whole valley and the sherriff said he could see it from about two miles away. The thing didnt even get uncomfortably warm but it sure hurt to look at .
 
Evolving Technology Is Great !!!

This is an old thread but I do now have an update for those of us who have literally gotten burned by our nav lights. It appears there is a direct LED replacement for the festoon style bulb on the Perko nav lights (Perko bulb Part# FIG.71). A little pricey but should last longer than the std incandesent bulb. I just ordered one from WM and listed the link below. I'll do some before & after pics once I get it installed. If you goto the Dr. LED website there is much better info & specs.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...ber=12029658&langId=-1&searchKeyword=12029658

http://www.doctorled.com/p77.htm
 
As you would expect the install went without difficulty. From what I can tell the brightness was about the same. The pix don't tell the story as well as the eye. However, I will say for the short 2-3 minutes I had the incan on for the pic it warmed up pretty quick in the cool garage. In the case of the LED it was on for 15 min or more with no noticeable heat at all. For reference the incan bulb has a stated output of an amazing 10W and the LED only 1W. The LED is polarity sensitive so if at first it doesn't work just flip it 180°.
I plan on doing the stern light next. There is also a direct replacement from west marine for the Perko model. This is only .75W output compared to 10W for the std bulb. Great for your battery for those overnights in a cozy cove !!!

http://m.westmarine.com/aHR0cDovL3d...4MjVfLTFfX19fUHJvZHVjdERpc3BsYXlFcnJvclZpZXc=





Std. Incandescent bulb

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F6014FFB-4CAE-4035-8223-FFA107BC5B28_zpscbfaobr4.jpg

LED upgrade

664C0F38-F08E-42D7-BBBC-D0A9BBA86D7E_zpslcmcyglv.jpg

A0D3F472-170D-410D-90A7-7731AB0E23C9_zpsrfjptkuz.jpg
 
I was looking into that a while back, talked to a LED manufacture, was told you need to use a red bulb for the red, green for the green, as LEDs distort under a colored cover...
 
ezstriper said:
I was looking into that a while back, talked to a LED manufacture, was told you need to use a red bulb for the red, green for the green, as LEDs distort under a colored cover...
Click to expand...

Or you can use a warm white LED which this one is. Cool white works on the stern lights.
 
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