Navigation Lights

MJWB

MJWB

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Afternoon all
Following on from this thread on LEDs, thanks all who replied. Replacing old bulbs with LED "bulbs"
I'm now looking to sort the nav lights.

I've done some reading, have bought other LEDs from Boatlamps for internal stuff and now have learnt that cool white seems okay in steaming and stern lights, warm white probably okay in bi-colour and tri-colour. But.......

1. What about the sector issue, old nav light units designed for incandescent bulb filaments rather than LEDs? Can we just stick in LED "bulbs" or is it necessary replace the whole unit whith one designed as LED appropriate from the outset?

2. And this is my immediate problem. How do I actually get to open a nav light unit? I've given my bi-colour and stern light a very good coat of looking over and I can't see any release, grub screw or anything else which indicates how to open the things. Have tried a bit of pulling and prising, not a hint of movement. An internet search has left me none the wiser. I don't have the makes here with me now but surely these are not made to be impossible to enter.

can anyone comment on these two questions please? Many thanks in hope.
 
The Boatlamps website gives sound advice for the selection of the correct LED.

What make are your navigation lights?

I have Aqua Signal and there is a screw on the lower front.
 
Sandy said:
The Boatlamps website gives sound advice for the selection of the correct LED.

What make are your navigation lights?

I have Aqua Signal and there is a screw on the lower front.
Click to expand...
Not got the makes here at home but will check tomorrow. Just can't see anything which gives a clue on how to release. Keeping the water out is great. Keeping the owner out is well out of order.
 
When I first replaced my filament lamps with LEDs a dozen or so years ago, the replacements were made of arrays of LEDs. This did create a small amount blurring at the edges of sectors in the old fitting, although I did not feel this was a significant issue. My current tri uses 3 different colour LEDs (1 for each sector) in a new, clear housing with ‘dividers’ creating well defined sectors. I was happy with the old LEDs but the housing needed replacing anyway, so I changed them.
 
MarkCX said:
When I first replaced my filament lamps with LEDs a dozen or so years ago, the replacements were made of arrays of LEDs. This did create a small amount blurring at the edges of sectors in the old fitting, although I did not feel this was a significant issue. My current tri uses 3 different colour LEDs (1 for each sector) in a new, clear housing with ‘dividers’ creating well defined sectors. I was happy with the old LEDs but the housing needed replacing anyway, so I changed them.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm just conscious of the cost of whole unit replacement.
 
The plastic Hella nav lights have a tab that you push at the bottom of the light which releases the cover. On the older stainless lamps the whole light fitting turns at the bottom, dropping the internal fitting with the bulb out from below. These can be tight and you may have to use pliers to turn the fitting about 90 degrees.
 
black mercury said:
The plastic Hella nav lights have a tab that you push at the bottom of the light which releases the cover. On the older stainless lamps the whole light fitting turns at the bottom, dropping the internal fitting with the bulb out from below. These can be tight and you may have to use pliers to turn the fitting about 90 degrees.
Click to expand...
Thanks
 
Another thought on the topic: The reason sailing boats were allowed tricolour lights in the regs was to save power. Once you've changed to LEDs, the power issue becomes much much less significant. If you change your deck level lights to LED, with a white stern and a bi-colour starboard/port, then you no longer have to worry about wiring up the mast, climbing it when there's a malfunction, whether the lens is excessively clouded, whether sector boundaries are correct....

Just a thought.

Edit: just reread the original post and it didn't reference tricolours. Which makes my extra thought possibly irrelevant to the OP, altho perhaps relevant to someone else.
 
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Aeolus said:
Another thought on the topic: The reason sailing boats were allowed tricolour lights in the regs was to save power. Once you've changed to LEDs, the power issue becomes much much less significant. If you change your deck level lights to LED, with a white stern and a bi-colour starboard/port, then you no longer have to worry about wiring up the mast, climbing it when there's a malfunction, whether the lens is excessively clouded, whether sector boundaries are correct....

Just a thought.

Edit: just reread the original post and it didn't reference tricolours. Which makes my extra thought possibly irrelevant to the OP, altho perhaps relevant to someone else.
Click to expand...
Ive got a full set of nav lights and I converted them to LED. I still try to save power as the chart plotter and autohelm use what the old nav lights used to, and the solar panel doesn't work at night so far. Also the tri-light at the top of the mast has a greater range for the initial sighting. Maybe there is a case for having the lower nav lights on at the same time, but I would have to check the regulations incase it make me some type of vessel totally different from my AIS !
 
Tri and lower lights should not be on at the same time.
I use tri when range might be of benefit, but lower lights in rivers, harbours and close inshore.


25. Lights for sailing and rowing vessels

Sailing vessels underway and vessels under oars

(a) A sailing vessel underway shall exhibit: 1. sidelights; 2. a sternlight.
(b) In a sailing vessel of less than 20 metres (66 ft) in length the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule may be combined in one lantern carried at or near the top of the mast where it can best be seen.
 
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Aeolus said:
IMHO I doubt you'll be in any situation where the slight blurring between sectors will (a) be noticed by anyone else or (b) make any difference to the outcome of any encounter with another vessel.
Click to expand...
I fitted Boatlamps' warm whites to my bicolour and tricolour a few years ago. My observations were that (a) the greens went a bit blue-y, but are still definitely green and could not possibly be mistaken for red or white (b) changeover is a perhaps a little more progressive but not much. A lot of light bounces around inside the housing even with a filament bulb.
 
"...................can anyone comment on these two questions please? Many thanks in hope. "

I put a (Boatlamps I think) LED in my masthead tri and, as the others suggest it looked ok. I don't think it strictly complies and I am sure it is not visible at 2 miles in average conditions. However I have been quite happy. I am not concerned with my deck level lights as I am always motoring when they are lit.

As the mast is coming down this winter I intend to fit a purpose built NASA LED job for about 60 quid. I think the reliability was dodgy at first but seems to have improved.........

.
 
doug748 said:
"...................can anyone comment on these two questions please? Many thanks in hope. "

I put a (Boatlamps I think) LED in my masthead tri and, as the others suggest it looked ok. I don't think it strictly complies and I am sure it is not visible at 2 miles in average conditions. However I have been quite happy. I am not concerned with my deck level lights as I am always motoring when they are lit.

As the mast is coming down this winter I intend to fit a purpose built NASA LED job for about 60 quid. I think the reliability was dodgy at first but seems to have improved.........

.
Click to expand...
I did the same about 8 years ago and the Nasa tricolour is still working fine. That said, I've probably jinxed it. Better switch it on an take a walk down the pontoon to check it ?
 
We do the same as MarkCX.

Tricolour when at sea and the deck lights for inshore work. The advantage of the deck lights is that they are easy to change (without the need for mast work). The advantage of the masthead tri - it obviously will be seen at a greater distance.

Compromises, compromises.

Jonathan
 
JumbleDuck said:
I fitted Boatlamps' warm whites to my bicolour and tricolour a few years ago. My observations were that (a) the greens went a bit blue-y, but are still definitely green and could not possibly be mistaken for red or white (b) changeover is a perhaps a little more progressive but not much. A lot of light bounces around inside the housing even with a filament bulb.
Click to expand...
In my experience smaller sailing vessels rarely hold a steady course bearing for long except in the most calm of waters, so a bit of blur at the sector boundaries won't make much difference as the heading will change a good bit anyway. A thought.
 
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