Upgrading your cabin lighting can be a win-win winter project. Not only will it brighten the sailboat’s interior, but swapping incandescent lamps for LEDs can also cut DC cabin-light current consumption by 75 percent or more.
When lighting a sailboat’s interior, less is more. The goal is to place specific lighting intensity where it’s needed, lowering illumination elsewhere. Reading lights that are adjustable with a narrow beam width are a must near berths. The galley requires a bright source for the stove and counter. A navigation station benefits from variable-intensity lighting that includes red light for night vision; a flexible mini spotlight with a narrow beam can be used to delineate fine print or chart symbology. Digital displays stand out when the ambient light is reduced.
Lumens, which are a measure of brightness, have a direct correlation to energy consumption. That consumption is measured in watts or amps. LEDs make the brightness-per-watt ratio much more efficient; however, beam angle is an important variable. So is the lamp’s location. Even though the beam angle of a specific lamp remains constant, the closer the fixture is to the illuminated surface, the less area that is covered. The upside is an increase in brightness because more lumens are focused on a smaller area; the downside is less area being illuminated.
Bottom line: Don’t make the cabin sole the brightest surface aboard. Identify where brighter light is better. For example, readers of print magazines and books prefer to recline beneath a brighter light. Tablet readers prefer a little less intensity. When the off watch is sound asleep, the cabin dims down. A few critically placed red or dimmer-controlled white lights allow the crew to move about the cabin.
LEDs, like all diodes, allow current to pass in only one direction. Gallium- and silicon-based compounds determine the color of the light.
Color temperature relates to the range of shades that white light can display. Warm Kelvin temperatures around 2,700 degrees have a creamy, slightly amber hue. Stark blue-white shades of 4,000 degree Kelvin lights are often deemed a bit too harsh. Owners of boats with teak or varnished mahogany interiors tend to favor the former, while boaters seeking to gain the brightest beam from the least amount of amperage lean toward the latter.
The lens on the lamp housing and the reflecting surface inside help to diffuse the beam, cut down glare, and deliver the most even illumination. Personal preference varies, and it’s hard to determine which lamp is best in a fluorescent, tube-lit boat chandlery.
Another important feature is how well radio-frequency interference is eliminated. In some cases, a poorly suppressed LED voltage controller can create VHF-radio interference. A simple test involves selecting a weather channel on a handheld VHF radio. After confirming no-static reception, turn on an LED light and move the handheld toward the fixture. A slight amount of static when the radio is next to the light is acceptable, but a loud, signal-blocking hiss signifies that a different light is needed.
Also compare power consumption and brightness in lumens. Note the construction and mounting configuration. In many cases, drilling holes into the underside of a cored deck is unwise. A better approach is to secure a mounting board with adhesive, then fasten the light to it. The good news is that if you’re replacing a conventional incandescent light, the existing wiring will provide more than ample current for the new, much-less-power-hungry LED lamp.
Wiring is an important consideration, and polarity is a big deal. There must be positive and negative continuity between the wiring on a lamp and the boat’s supply. Don’t trust color coding; double-check the boat’s wiring with a multimeter to confirm which lead is positive.
If crimp terminals are used, then choose quality fittings such as Ancor Marine double-crimp fittings and a good crimping tool. Matching the wire gauge of the crimp and the wire diameter is also important.
Highlights from around the industry
The best cabin lighting comes from lamps that combine light-emitting diodes with drivers that deliver constant voltage control. These lights also include properly angled reflectors and an optically efficient diffusion lens. Pack it all up in corrosion-resistant housing, and you have a winner.
When it comes to the quality of the light that the fixture sheds, performance should be observed, not just measured. The following fixtures exceeded expectations.
Imtra’s Gibraltar is a lesson in how cabin lights should be made. The frosted-glass diffuser won’t craze with time. The conical reflector shapes the light into a better-controlled beam, and the wiring connections and circuitry show true attention to detail. The illumination is even, the RF hiss is low, and the simplicity of switching simply makes sense. The only downside is cost, but investment in quality usually pays off.
Alpenglow’s classic 10-by-6-by-2-inch dual red/white high/low power lamp retains its signature hardwood trim. The Montana company says that customers like its 2,700-Kelvin LED lamps. I found no RF interference with VHF radio signals, and the fixture’s bright, wide-angle illumination is as much a byproduct of a custom-molded diffusion lens as it is an example of electronic success. The high-power setting did lay claim to 0.6 amps, but the illumination was worth it. An optional frosted lens coating adds even-smoother light diffusion.
Hella’s DuraLED12 is a small, elliptically shaped, waterproof, wide-angle light that’s perfect for locker illumination, lighting odd corners in the engine room, or putting some lumens to work in a damp anchor locker. It has the least amount of RF hiss in the Hella lineup, and sips just 0.2 amps of current. The lamp is a welcome addition to confined spaces where darkness prevails.
Sea-Dog’s LED Dome provides illumination equivalent to the company’s 17-watt, 12 VDC halogen Dome but consumes only 1 watt, or 12 VDC. Priced competitively, this lamp might appeal to boaters looking for a cost-effective, energy-saving transition from incandescent to LED cabin lighting.
