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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Stern running light

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5408 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/27/2008 : 11:58:37

During the recent nor'easter that bent my stern rail, my aft running light was also smashed beyond recgnition.

I went to WM for a new one, and they all were incandescent, using a festoon bulb. What is the best type of nav light, in terms of visibility and range, for this application?

Is there an LED version I should consider?

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Edited by - on

Stu Jackson C34
Admiral

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844 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2008 : 13:48:07

Aqua Signal Series 25 are now being made with LEDs.

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2008 : 14:39:20

I just took a look at Aqua Signals web site and didn't see anything about the 25 series being made in a LED configuration. Only series 32 is LED. If the 25 series is now being made in LED I would love to have a link to this info.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3473 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2008 : 16:33:30

I bought a replacement Aqua Signal 25 Stern Light festoon LED at the last Annapolis Sailboat Show from www.mastlight.com. They had a booth at the show. It cost me $25. I have not installed it yet - Figure I would wait till the present incandescent festoon burns out. I just checked their website to provide you with a link but all I could find was a $35 festoon LED for the Aqua Signal 25 - $10 more than what I paid and that was expensive. But the light supposedly puts out brightness equivalent to the original bulb w/main goal (that it will continue to work and not leave you out there with a non-working Stern light). Here is the link to what they presently show on their website. The bottom write-up indicates it fits the Aqua Signal 25. You may be able to hunt down a less expensive LED replacement from one of the other LED companies such as Dr. LED, etc.

http://www.mastlight.com/Products/T10X44BSW.html

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islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2008 : 18:44:20

Dr.Led and WM have them for $49.95 (OUCH!) Larry, at $25 I think you got a bargain. I would only want one for the anchor light for obvious reasons. Scott

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 12/27/2008 : 19:48:21

I think I paid $37 for my LED replacement lamp for our anchor light. If you got it for $25, you got a great deal. Fisheries sells them for $50, but with my marina's discount I was able to get it at the $37 price. I've only replaced my anchor light so far, the rest of the lights are still going strong & I've got two more replacement bulbs before I feel compelled to replace them with LEDs.

What I'd like to find are LED replacements for the interior lights, but I'm using battery powered ones for most of the lighting anyway, so it's no big deal.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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3473 Posts

Response Posted - 12/28/2008 : 08:58:03

I replaced my anchor light 2 years ago with an LED. At that time, my main focus was getting one that clearly was equal to the original incandescent light. At the time, there were one or two LED companies that had gained a USCG approval for their LEDs w/housings. I went with the OGM light...but I have to tell you that going this route is expensive. With the housing and a light listed with USCG approval costs well over $100. The one I bought has actually only one super bright LED. At first look at it when I received it in the mail, I thought it did not have any bulb. BUt this light is bright and it has a bunch of micro-chips in it that does it's thing. It also has a photo-diode that turns it off automatically when the sun comes out in the morning, if you have not already hit the anchor switch off. Another company that makes a good light but expensive is Lopolight. There are a few others if you go with the LED and it's own housing versus a bulb replacement in the original housing.

Here is the light I have presently on my boat. If you search the website, you will come up with the official USCG approval letter. Some just install an LED and then see how bright it looks - If okay, then that does it as well.

https://secure.orcagreen.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16142& cat=0& bestseller

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5408 Posts

Response Posted - 12/28/2008 : 20:53:10

Thanks to all on your advice. I checked the package I purchased today and it was the Aqua-Signal Series 25 stern white light. As I mentioned, it comes with an incandescent light bulb.

I also entered the words "LED Festoon" into the WM search tool, and LEDs with several different lengths and amp ratings came up, and all around US$15-20. All of them showed the LEDs facing directly perpendicular to the fixture, with no angle-mounted side lights pointing to port or starboard.

In an earlier posting, someone mentioned that LED bulbs are extremely directional, with almost no side lighting at all, so if the bulb is mounted pointing directly toward the rear of the boat, boaters to your rear would see the light, however boaters off the port or starboard beam would not see very much light at all.

The Mastlight festoon arrangement remedies this by mounting 2 or more LEDs on four sub-panels located all around the fixture, some point to the rear, others to port and others to starboard. The nice thing about this light is it also shines light forward, so it can be used as a mast top anchor light. This type came up at ~ US$35.

On the other hand, the Dr. LED has a novel approach. It has one very bright LED pointing downward toward a conical reflector, so that the light is reflected out in all directions. It sells for US$50.

This design tells me that they have to use a single very powerful LED, as the conical reflector produces a light in 360 degrees all around the bulb, rather than using several individuals LEDs pointing in four directions.

Stu - which type is used in the new LED type Aqua-Signal fixture?

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3473 Posts

Response Posted - 12/28/2008 : 22:17:35

Bruce,

You pretty much put together what one finds when they do an LED search. It comes down to function/color and brightness/distance/Lumens. The hard nut to crack is comparing the brightness/distance rating for each of these LEDs. The LEDs are not all equal and some run off micro-chips whereas others seem to be just a bulb made up of numerous LEDs. You can get a bulb with 9 LEDs or one with 1 LED and they could be of equal brightness. If the LED Mfr has a USCG certificate/approval for it's function and 1 or 2 NM rating, well then you at least have a way to compare products. But some have just bought bulbs without housings (Believe USCG only certifies bulbs in housings) and have reported that the bulbs seem to be very bright. So...getting just a bulb is definitely the less expensive route and if others have recommendations to offer from using one of the bulbs, then that's may help make a decision.

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panhead1948
Captain

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345 Posts

Response Posted - 01/11/2009 : 14:33:06

I replaced all my festoon bulbs last year with LED's from Mastlight .com 25.00 apiece. They are bright and shpuld last forever. I've several comments on how bright my running lights are by people that see me coming in after dark. I would recommend them to anyone

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 01/11/2009 : 14:53:45

Bruce,
This is the [url="http://www.fisheriessupply.com/online/ln_menu/product.asp/Ntt/led+series+25/product_id/261294/displayKey/Dr.+LED/No/10/N/4294820372/Ne/6/catalog_name/FISCO/R/9206/act/A01/mode/1/partnumber/DLE+8001566/Ntx/mode+matchpartial+rel+Inactive/Ntk/All"]series 25 Dr. LED all around[/url] I use in my masthead light. It has a bunch of LEDs all the way around the card, so you get the 360 degree light you're looking for.

I just checked Dr. LED's website & they're replacing the all around with this: [url="http://www.doctorled.com/graphics/festoon/F16_34_8.jpg starting this year.

They're not cheap, mine was $37 I think, but you never have to replace them again.

Edited by - delliottg on 01/11/2009 14:57:10

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