[C320-list] LED lighting

[Scott Thompson]

I'm not a lawyer, but my understanding is that if your anchor light is
visible at 2nm then you are legal in most states of the US.  The "Coast
Guard Approved" status is only of legal significance for boat
manufacturers as nearly as I can tell, and only for boats built since
2003, when this became a requirement.  Of course if you altered a CG
approved fitting I suppose a lawyer might try to go somewhere with that,
so the legal issue might still matter.  For what it's worth, I am not
looking to replace my running lights.  I don't do enough night sailing for
this to be worthwhile, and night motoring is not an issue in terms of
current draw.
--Scott Thompson

> On Time A Weigh ( #205) I replaced my Aqua Signal bulbs with LED bulbs (
> Stern, Anchor, with their white light and the Bicolor bow light with the
> recommended yellow bulb) from Mastlight.com.  I also replaced the lights
> in the forward cabin and the aft cabin all with the bayonet based bulbs.
> These have 18 lamps / bulbs.  the light output is great for reading and
> general lighting.  In the main saloon, I ordered their Festoon based
> replacement and found them very difficult to install because of the ragged
> manufactured edges.  Some time with a fine file allowed for an easier
> insertion. they are satisfactory for general lighting over the table, and
> over the galley. The perimeter lighting was not enough to make the first
> mate happy when reading.  I left the incandescent bulbs in place on the
> starboard side until I reorder the yellow color bulbs to see if they
> improve the light comfort. The fixtures run so much cooler, but it does
> take a little to adapt to the light color.
>
> Another question for those with some legal savvy..... A seemingly
> knowledgeable source expressed concern that the conversion of an existing
> Aqua Signal fixture to an LED bulb, now makes the assembly not Coast Guard
> approved.   It would only be a problem in an accident situation where
> liability became an issue, but it does raise a question.
>
> Gary
> Time A Weigh # 205
>