# LED vs incandescent Nav lights



## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

Most all of our Nav lights on our new-to-us 2001 Beneteau 411 required replacement of fixture due to extensive corrosion or at least clean up with new bulb. We're wondering if this is the time to switch to LED? The Nav lights are the series 41 from Aqua Signal. The bulb style seems to be a BAY15D with Index (offset side pins). I know there have been similar posts before, but would like to learn the trade-offs between LED and incandescent with actual numbers eg, lifetime, current draw, etc. My preference would be to stick with the current series 41 fixtures given mounting and electrical wiring considerations and if it makes sense switch to an LED bulb that is compatible.

Here is West Marine's offering of LED Nav lights:
DR. LED Bulb-led at West Marine
and here is Dr LED's cross reference table:
http://www.doctorled.com/crossref.htm

What I don't understand yet, is what you do in, for example, the case of the bow light. My Aqua Signal series 41 uses a red/green lens to convert a white bulb to the appropriate color. When switching to LED do you put their white bulb in or do you use their red/green bulb and perhaps change the lens to clear?
Pete


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## Yorksailor (Oct 11, 2009)

We 'bit the bullet' and just changed to sealed LED fixtures. No failures in between 2 and 3 yrs.

Well worth the cost especially the masthead tricolor which has been untouched for 3 yrs...worth the money to keep me going up a 76ft stick.

Phil


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

I have heard conflicting information on this. Dr LED's statement is below. My local marine store (not West Marine) says the opposite - and they are a Dr LED dealer.
I would guess if you are going to change the lens you might as well buy a whole new light.

As far as consumption, the replacement bulb for your 41 bi-color (Dr LED Polar Star 41) uses .09 amps. If you currently have a 25 watt bulb you are consuming 2 amps.
Everything I have seen says over 50.000 hours or more but there is no guarantee on that.


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

mitiempo said:


> I have heard conflicting information on this. Dr LED's statement is below. My local marine store (not West Marine) says the opposite - and they are a Dr LED dealer.
> I would guess if you are going to change the lens you might as well buy a whole new light.
> 
> As far as consumption, the replacement bulb for your 41 bi-color (Dr LED Polar Star 41) uses .09 amps. If you currently have a 25 watt bulb you are consuming 2 amps.
> Everything I have seen says over 50.000 hours or more but there is no guarantee on that.


Thanks, that's helpful. I missed that statement! I still wonder if putting a bi-color LED bulb into my existing bi-color lens if the alignment works out. My bulbs are indexed so maybe it works OK. It may be simpler just to switch to a clear lens. A complete new bi-color LED fixture costs $300 compared to $53 for just the bulb from West.
Pete


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

Yorksailor said:


> We 'bit the bullet' and just changed to sealed LED fixtures. No failures in between 2 and 3 yrs.
> 
> Well worth the cost especially the masthead tricolor which has been untouched for 3 yrs...worth the money to keep me going up a 76ft stick.
> 
> Phil


Thanks. Yes, the tri-color seems the most economical approach when switching to LED. Also, you can keep the factory incandescent Nav lights as a backup. That does mean running an extra cable up the mast, right? Is the tri-color taller so that it doesn't interfere with existing anchor light? Did you also convert your masthead anchor light to LED? I suppose an alternate approach is to steal the cable for anchor light for use by the tri-color and mount the anchor light elsewhere. I've read frequent reports that masthead mounted anchor lights are too high in an anchorage. Just noticed that Aqua Signal offers their model 32706 which is a combo tri-color/anchor light. That would make mounting easier and solve the interference issue between tri-color and anchor lights. Presumably you still need the second cable. 
Pete


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## catamount (Sep 8, 2002)

I would replace the incandescent anchor light fixture with an LED tri-anchor fixture. I know that with the OGM tri-anchor, you can use a special switch and get away without needing to replace or add any new wire to the mast -- they reverse the polarity to between tri-color and anchor. Don't know if the LopoLight or other makers have a similar feature.


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## Yorksailor (Oct 11, 2009)

Out in the big blue water I like my very high and visible tricolor which inculdes an anchor light and a strobe for emergencies and we used the original cable.

Orca Green Marine Technology - LED Lighting

In anchorages the high anchor light does get lost when you are close to the boat (our stick is 76 ft) so we also have LED spreader lights the illuminate the boat itself.


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

catamount said:


> I would replace the incandescent anchor light fixture with an LED tri-anchor fixture. I know that with the OGM tri-anchor, you can use a special switch and get away without needing to replace or add any new wire to the mast -- they reverse the polarity to between tri-color and anchor. Don't know if the LopoLight or other makers have a similar feature.


Thanks. That's a neat feature with reversed polarity. I looked at the picture, but can't see how the anchor light will be visible since it's not two level like the Aqua Signal tri-color/anchor light? Wonder if the bulb can actually change color although I doubt it?
Pete


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## davmarwood (Jan 12, 2008)

*LED Nav Light*

On our 1998 Bene 352 we replaced the bi-color bow light bulb (in an Aqua Signal 41 fixture) with a Dr. LED bi-color LED "bulb". You need to use a bi-color LED "bulb" not a clear one, even though the old incandescent was clear white. The results have been as good or better than the old bulb with 1/10 the current draw. You can use a clear white LED for the stern light. Next project is to replace the anchor light with an LED.


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

davmarwood said:


> On our 1998 Bene 352 we replaced the bi-color bow light bulb (in an Aqua Signal 41 fixture) with a Dr. LED bi-color LED "bulb". You need to use a bi-color LED "bulb" not a clear one, even though the old incandescent was clear white. The results have been as good or better than the old bulb with 1/10 the current draw. You can use a clear white LED for the stern light. Next project is to replace the anchor light with an LED.


Thanks. I wondered about the alignment of bulb with your bi-color lens. How did that work out? I'm assuming that the indexed bayonet style bulb socket took care of it so that eg, the red part of bulb lined up with red part of lens?
Pete


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

LED is the future. They had some initial problems to match the right intensity but if you buy from the right brand you will have no problem. As you have probably noticed prices vary much with the type of lamp and manufacturer and that's for some reason. Don't buy the less expensive 

Now new boats came standard with navigation leds and they have an option for full led lighting and I think it is only an option because it is more expensive. Leds and its low consumption, makes a lot of sense in boats, specially if you sail a lot at night or if you stay on anchor and away from the marina.

Regards

Paulo


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## celenoglu (Dec 13, 2008)

make sure the leds you are using are approved by your authority. Although the light emitted by a led is equal or higher than an incandescent lamp, the frequency is different and human eye might not be able to see the led even if the light is more than incandescent. 

Navigation lights are for being seen. that means everybody should be able to see your lights as described in the rules of your country. Because these lights work on a different light freequency, they might be invisible to other boats.


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## catamount (Sep 8, 2002)

prroots said:


> Thanks. That's a neat feature with reversed polarity. I looked at the picture, but can't see how the anchor light will be visible since it's not two level like the Aqua Signal tri-color/anchor light? Wonder if the bulb can actually change color although I doubt it?
> Pete


There is no bulb. Rather there is an array of small individual LED's -- white ones interspersed with the red and green ones. When in anchor mode, only the white ones are powered; when in running mode, the red and green ones are powered (and the white ones in the after sector).


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

catamount said:


> There is no bulb. Rather there is an array of small individual LED's -- white ones interspersed with the red and green ones. When in anchor mode, only the white ones are powered; when in running mode, the red and green ones are powered (and the white ones in the after sector).


Neat, that explains it! Thanks
Pete


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

I've looked at the cost of purchasing 3 LED bulbs from Dr LED for my existing Aqua Signal series 41 stern, bow, and anchor lights respectively. It's less than half the cost of purchasing a new tri-color/anchor light fixture for masthead. Now, I'm wondering why I should invest in the masthead fixture?

The Dr LED site seems pretty poor (to put it mildly). I'm trying to understand why the bi-color LED doesn't draw more power than the stern LED given that it takes a 25 watt vs 10 watt incandescent bulb. It just makes sense to me that it would take more energy to achieve the same 2 nm visibility when trying to work through a red/green lens. Am I missing something?

This seems to be their bi-color listing:
https://www.professorled.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=58
which shows a current draw of only 0.09 Amps

This seems to be their stern listing:
https://www.professorled.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=29
which also seems to have a current draw of only 0.09 Amps

Interestingly this gives a total current draw of 0.18 Amp vs ~0.35 Amps for most tri-color LEDs?
Pete


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## orient (Jul 5, 2004)

If you are in the US your insurance policy will not cover if you use your original fixtures and just change to led bulbs. Very few leds are coast guard approved. There is also some question as to real life of the led if it is in a non led fixture.


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## catamount (Sep 8, 2002)

With a bulb fixture, besides the filament in the bulb, the other main point of failure is the corrosion that can occur at the bulb mount. With an LED replacement bulb, you eliminate the filament, but you still have the bulb mount as a potential source of problems. Replacing the bulb fixture with a fully-potted LED fixture eliminates that problem as well.

This is not to say that LEDs or LED fixtures can't fail, they apparently can, but much less often.

I also agree that there are some potential liability/compliance problems with replacing incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs in navigation lights. You may want to confirm that the LED bulbs you are looking at actually have USCG approval _for use in the fixtures you intend to mount them in._ It's not a question of the bulbs being approved (independently), or the fixtures being approved (independently), they have to be approved _together_ as a system.


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## SlowButSteady (Feb 17, 2010)

prroots,

The lens on your bicolor fixture is green on one side and red on the other because the green lens absorbs all but the green light from the output of whatever source (bulb or LED array) is in the fixture; likewise, the red lens absorbs all but the red light. The red/green LED arrays produce predominantly red light on the red side of the array and predominantly green light on the green side. As such, the lions share of the light produced actually gets transmitted (there is still a bit of absorption due to spectral mis-match, clouding of the lens, etc., but not much). If you use a "white" LED, everything but the green or red gets filtered out, thus wasting that light, and energy. AND, if the "white" LED doesn't have the parts of the spectrum the lens is designed to transmit, or if there is a large imbalance in those parts, the resultant color will be a bit funny looking. This is the problem with using "cool white" LED arrays in fixtures designed for tungsten bulbs, the green looks too blue; using "warm white" LED arrays usually results in the proper color, but one still has the absorption issue to deal with.


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## SlowButSteady (Feb 17, 2010)

orient said:


> If you are in the US your insurance policy will not cover if you use your original fixtures and just change to led bulbs. Very few leds are coast guard approved.


This may be true for some policies, but not all. And, as far as small boats are concerned, the USCG doesn't approve bulbs, only fixtures (including their bulbs); and then only for new construction. However, they set standards for lights (intensity, spectral qualities). As far as the USCG is concerned, if your lights meet those standards you're fine.


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## SVCetacea (Oct 14, 2007)

SlowButSteady said:


> prroots,
> 
> This is the problem with using "cool white" LED arrays in fixtures designed for tungsten bulbs, the green looks too blue.


Very true! I replaced the bulb in my Aqua Signal Series 25 bow light with a cool white LED and it was very blue, not green. 

Installed the Dr LED Bi-Color LED bulb and now the green is green again.


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

SlowButSteady said:


> prroots,
> 
> The lens on your bicolor fixture is green on one side and red on the other because the green lens absorbs all but the green light from the output of whatever source (bulb or LED array) is in the fixture; likewise, the red lens absorbs all but the red light. The red/green LED arrays produce predominantly red light on the red side of the array and predominantly green light on the green side. As such, the lions share of the light produced actually gets transmitted (there is still a bit of absorption due to spectral mis-match, clouding of the lens, etc., but not much). If you use a "white" LED, everything but the green or red gets filtered out, thus wasting that light, and energy. AND, if the "white" LED doesn't have the parts of the spectrum the lens is designed to transmit, or if there is a large imbalance in those parts, the resultant color will be a bit funny looking. This is the problem with using "cool white" LED arrays in fixtures designed for tungsten bulbs, the green looks too blue; using "warm white" LED arrays usually results in the proper color, but one still has the absorption issue to deal with.


Thanks. Guess that explains why the bi-color LED doesn't draw more current than the white stern LED. Since it produced the correct color the percent absorption is much lower than when using a white light.
Pete


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Again, since no one has mentioned it. I would avoid using the DR. LED bulbs. First, the company is pretty unethical in the way they present their products. * IIRC, they only have FOUR LED REPLACEMENT BULBS that are USCG CERTIFIED, and only in certain fixtures-yet their website doesn't state this very clearly at all. Second, they have lousy warranty support and DO NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS. *

*If you really want to get LED NAV LIGHTS, you're far better off getting dedicated LED NAV LIGHT FIXTURES that were purpose designed and USCG CERTIFIED. 
*
If you are involved in a nighttime collision and have non-USCG certified bulb/fixture combinations in use, you will likely be found at fault. You may also not be covered by your insurance because you were using uncertified fixtures. Is it really worth it? The Aqua Signal Series 32 fixtures aren't all that expensive, and USCG Certified.


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

sailingdog said:


> Again, since no one has mentioned it. I would avoid using the DR. LED bulbs. First, the company is pretty unethical in the way they present their products. * IIRC, they only have FOUR LED REPLACEMENT BULBS that are USCG CERTIFIED, and only in certain fixtures-yet their website doesn't state this very clearly at all. Second, they have lousy warranty support and DO NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS. *
> 
> *If you really want to get LED NAV LIGHTS, you're far better off getting dedicated LED NAV LIGHT FIXTURES that were purpose designed and USCG CERTIFIED.
> *
> If you are involved in a nighttime collision and have non-USCG certified bulb/fixture combinations in use, you will likely be found at fault. You may also not be covered by your insurance because you were using uncertified fixtures. Is it really worth it? The Aqua Signal Series 32 fixtures aren't all that expensive, and USCG Certified.


Thanks. Guess I'll have to take a closer look at the purpose built LED fixtures esp. the combo tri-color/anchor lights.

Edit: the Series 32 don't match the bulkhead mounted stern and bow lights I have. Looks like the more expensive Aqua Signal series 43 are the best match. Economically, it seems I would be better off with one of the masthead mounted combo LED tri-color/anchor lights. That also has the advantage that the existing incandescent lights serve as a backup. I have seen them from Aqua Signal, OGM, Signal Mate, and Lopolight. Any recommendations?
Pete


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Pete
The tricolor at the top of the mast is useful offshore but for sailing inshore where there is traffic you are much better with lights mounted lower. Ideally you will have both the tricolor and pulpit mounted running lights and use either (not both!) depending on location.


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## mahdee (Feb 2, 2011)

I change my incandescent bulb with a bi-color LED in the same Aqua Signal 41 as yours and it lines up great.


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## Argyle38 (Oct 28, 2010)

sailingdog said:


> *If you are involved in a nighttime collision and have non-USCG certified bulb/fixture combinations in use, you will likely be found at fault. * You may also not be covered by your insurance because you were using uncertified fixtures. Is it really worth it? The Aqua Signal Series 32 fixtures aren't all that expensive, and USCG Certified.


I don't think this is necessarily true. It is certainly something that will likely to be claimed by "the other guy" and his lawyers, or the state, but if you can show that your arrangement meets the USCG criteria, you should be fine. The installation is what matters, and it says so when you read the fine print on a USCG certified fixture. The only USCG certified installations are on OEM boats. If you have a CG certified fixture and it's not OEM to the boat, you no longer have a CG certified installation and the onus is still on you to prove that the installation meets the requirements.

I would agree the the burden of proof and the amount of testing you will have to do (in the night time collision situation) increases if you don't use CG certified fixtures.

Most insurance policies that I've heard of regarding denial of coverage due to lighting fixtures, require you to use the OEM fixtures, for the above reason. So, unless your boat is <10 years old and you are simply replacing your LED bulbs, you are likely out of luck if you insurance has one of these clauses. I don't think that's the case for most here.

I would be interested in hearing about any case where someone was found at fault specifically because they were not using USCG certified lighting fixtures (regardless of installation, or any other factors). Cases where one of the boaters is an off-duty sheriff's deputy do *not* count!


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

prroots said:


> Thanks. That's a neat feature with reversed polarity. I looked at the picture, but can't see how the anchor light will be visible since it's not two level like the Aqua Signal tri-color/anchor light? Wonder if the bulb can actually change color although I doubt it?
> Pete


Be aware if you get the OGM Tri-anchor/strobe, you need to have THREE WIRES FOR FULL FUNCTION, since the strobe mode is triggered by powering both the Tricolor and Anchor circuits simultaneously.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Unless you have a lot of money to burn on expert testimony and testing, it is far easier to just use a USCG certified fixture and bulb to begin with.

*If you properly install a USCG-CERTIFIED LED NAV LIGHT FIXTURE, like the Aqua Signal Series 32 or OGM Tri-anchor, it is considered a USCG certified fixture AFAIK. * If you install a non-certified BULB/FIXTURE combination, you're basically screwed.

I know of two cases where having USCG CERTIFIED fixtures were key to winning the case. One is a case that Maine Sail related on these forums a while back, the other is my friend's uncle's case.



Argyle38 said:


> I don't think this is necessarily true. It is certainly something that will likely to be claimed by "the other guy" and his lawyers, or the state, but if you can show that your arrangement meets the USCG criteria, you should be fine. The installation is what matters, and it says so when you read the fine print on a USCG certified fixture. The only USCG certified installations are on OEM boats. If you have a CG certified fixture and it's not OEM to the boat, you no longer have a CG certified installation and the onus is still on you to prove that the installation meets the requirements.
> 
> I would agree the the burden of proof and the amount of testing you will have to do (in the night time collision situation) increases if you don't use CG certified fixtures.
> 
> ...


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Argyle38
I don't believe manufacturers have their installation certified by the CG. Nor do I believe the CG even does that on recreational boats. They purchase the fixtures and install them, hopefully properly. The CG only certify the fixture/bulb combinations.


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

mitiempo said:


> Argyle38
> I don't believe manufacturers have their installation certified by the CG. Nor do I believe the CG even does that on recreational boats. They purchase the fixtures and install them, hopefully properly. The CG only certify the fixture/bulb combinations.


With all this talk about certification, what is the situation when you put a replacement incandescent bulb into an incandescent fixture that is made by a different manufacturer (eg, Ancor bulb in Aqua Signal fixture). Is that the same problem as when placing an LED bulb into an incandescent fixture?
Pete


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

prroots said:


> With all this talk about certification, what is the situation when you put a replacement incandescent bulb into an incandescent fixture that is made by a different manufacturer (eg, Ancor bulb in Aqua Signal fixture). Is that the same problem as when placing an LED bulb into an incandescent fixture?
> Pete


If the bulbs meet the same specification in terms of wattage and such, I doubt that it would be much of an issue. A LED bulb doesn't meet the same specifications as an incandescent bulb it is replacing--in terms of color, angle of coverage, brightness, etc. In one, you're replacing apples with apples and in the other you're replacing apples with kiwi fruit.


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

sailingdog said:


> If the bulbs meet the same specification in terms of wattage and such, I doubt that it would be much of an issue. A LED bulb doesn't meet the same specifications as an incandescent bulb it is replacing--in terms of color, angle of coverage, brightness, etc. In one, you're replacing apples with apples and in the other you're replacing apples with kiwi fruit.


All true, but it was never certified with a 3rd party bulb so technically the same issue would seem to remain? For example, I think West Marine is offering Ancor bulbs for replacement in Aqua Signal fixtures. I realize I'm being nitpicky, but mostly wanted to make the point that one can only go so far with this certification business.
pete


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Yes, but it is also far more likely that you'll be challenged in the case of an accident using non-certified LED BULB/FIXTURE combos than if you were using a different brand of incandescent bulbs.



prroots said:


> All true, but it was never certified with a 3rd party bulb so technically the same issue would seem to remain? For example, I think West Marine is offering Ancor bulbs for replacement in Aqua Signal fixtures. I realize I'm being nitpicky, but mostly wanted to make the point that one can only go so far with this certification business.
> pete


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## HeartsContent (Sep 14, 2010)

Would the term sea lawyer apply here?  

The regulations are pretty clear on what is required from the lights and my concerns would be with older boats with hazed lenses and corrosion. Certified lights simply mean that the lights have been tested to be visible at the range, colors and angles noted in the regulations.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Having uncertified fixtures becomes an issue of liability if you are involved in a collision at night. Even if you were not at fault, if you were found to have uncertified nav lights, you can be found liable, and that can affect whether the person is at fault skates or not.


HeartsContent said:


> Would the term sea lawyer apply here?
> 
> The regulations are pretty clear on what is required from the lights and my concerns would be with older boats with hazed lenses and corrosion. Certified lights simply mean that the lights have been tested to be visible at the range, colors and angles noted in the regulations.


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

I've decided to replace my series 41 Aqua Signal fixtures as needed and install the Ancor incandescent bulbs from West Marine. The combination may not be certified, but given West's position in the marketplace it would be hard to fault that path. Additionally we'll start saving (and rationalizing) the purchase of a LED combo tr-color/anchor light for the masthead. I would appreciate recommendations on the tri-color/anchor lights. I have seen them from 4 different manufacturers.
Pete


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

prroots said:


> I've decided to replace my series 41 Aqua Signal fixtures as needed and install the Ancor incandescent bulbs from West Marine. The combination may not be certified, but given West's position in the marketplace it would be hard to fault that path. Additionally we'll start saving (and rationalizing) the purchase of a LED combo tr-color/anchor light for the masthead. I would appreciate recommendations on the tri-color/anchor lights. I have seen them from 4 different manufacturers.
> Pete


I'd recommend the OGM tri-anchor, because it can be wired using just two wires, so you may be able to avoid running new wires down the mast.


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## Argyle38 (Oct 28, 2010)

mitiempo said:


> Argyle38
> I don't believe manufacturers have their installation certified by the CG. Nor do I believe the CG even does that on recreational boats. They purchase the fixtures and install them, hopefully properly. The CG only certify the fixture/bulb combinations.


Interesting. I thought that maybe UL or someone similar might be contracted to verify adherence to the USCG rules. I would be willing to bet that European built boats must test to meet some CE/EU requirements. It would not surprise me at all if TUV had a marine division. It would take some specialized equipment, but nothing too outrageous.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Argyle38 said:


> Interesting. I thought that maybe UL or someone similar might be contracted to verify adherence to the USCG rules. I would be willing to bet that European built boats must test to meet some CE/EU requirements. It would not surprise me at all if TUV had a marine division. It would take some specialized equipment, but nothing too outrageous.


Actually, if you've read the USCG specifications, you'd realize that it would take some fairly sophisticated equipment to test the nav lights for certification. It isn't as simple as whether they are visible at a given distance...it has a lot to do with the cutoff angles of the sector, the color of the light, etc.


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

sailingdog said:


> I'd recommend the OGM tri-anchor, because it can be wired using just two wires, so you may be able to avoid running new wires down the mast.


Thanks for the recommendation. I must say their website leaves a lot to be desired. Under the news heading, the latest is 6 years old. When you click on other links, it reports 'fatal error'. Wonder what their problem is? If I didn't know better, I'd say they are bankrupt or going out of business? If they were a profitable, up and coming company you would think they could keep their website up to date. Maybe the LED business is suffering.

I briefly compared the OGM site to the Signal Mate site. The Signal mate draws less current (.3 vs .5 Amps), offers a 5 year vs 2 year warranty and cost $60-70 less. It is available in 2 or 3 wire version. I wonder why that wouldn't be the best choice?
Pete


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

The SignalMate looks like a good product, and seems reasonably priced, but I have no experience with it. I've had an OGM tri-anchor on my boat since 2006.



prroots said:


> Thanks for the recommendation. I must say their website leaves a lot to be desired. Under the news heading, the latest is 6 years old. When you click on other links, it reports 'fatal error'. Wonder what their problem is? If I didn't know better, I'd say they are bankrupt or going out of business? If they were a profitable, up and coming company you would think they could keep their website up to date. Maybe the LED business is suffering.
> 
> I briefly compared the OGM site to the Signal Mate site. The Signal mate draws less current (.3 vs .5 Amps), offers a 5 year vs 2 year warranty and cost $60-70 less. It is available in 2 or 3 wire version. I wonder why that wouldn't be the best choice?
> Pete


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## hal58 (Feb 9, 2011)

I purchased the OGM tri-color and I love it! Appears to be very well made. I had a couple of questions last year and their customer service was great. I know others that have it as well and so far all good news.


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## mrmisc (Feb 10, 2011)

*Looking to Repair Orca Masthead Nav Lights*

I installed a masthead Tricolor 2 seasons ago and I am having trouble. It's most likely the the splice near the top of the mast. It came with a short pigtail and I was never happy with the splice. I'm interested in purchasing a continuous cable from the bottom of the unit from Orca or finding a manufacturer to fab the cable. I've left 1 email and 2 voice messages for Orca over the past several weeks and received no response. Any ideas? 
Thanks in advance for your help. 
Rob


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## prroots (Nov 13, 2010)

I'm still hoping someone has tried the Signal Mate. It's substantially cheaper, draws less current and has a much better warranty than the others I've looked at. Of course, I know nothing about it's quality.
Pete


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Rob
If the splice is done properly, with a good crimp and adhesive heat shrink it will be fine. All lights and some other equipment come with a pigtail. I doubt the manufacturer can help you.

See this link for the how-to of crimps that are trouble free.
Marine Wire Termination Photo Gallery by Compass Marine at pbase.com


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## mrmisc (Feb 10, 2011)

*OGM Tricolor--- Be Warned*

My friend and I both have 37' boats (Tartan & C&C) . We purchased the OGM Tricolor lights and have been duped. Both are not working properly. I actually used mine twice before failing. I suspected a bad wiring connection near the mast so I waited until this winter when the rig was down to investigate. I have repeatedly contacted them leaving messages and emails. Note it wasn't the wiring!!! No reply ever... My friend had the same luck. Just try and call them before buying anything. They are scoundrels. He bought a light from Bebi electronics and I'm shopping for a replacement now. How can we tolerate a $500 light plus labor and it works twice. These guys should be ashamed of the junk they sell and the marine industry shoundn't tolerate it.


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## hal58 (Feb 9, 2011)

*OGM Tricolor Light*

Hello mrmisc, sorry to hear of the problem. That's an odd situation since their customer service has been great in the past. Don't give up. Maybe something else is happening on their end. Once you connect, I'd be surprised if you do not end up with a good working Tricolor.


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