Boating USA — January 2018

BOAT DOCTOR///QUICK STUDY

26 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JANUARY 2018

In this issue’s What to Look For column on page 28 , we

off er guidance for purchasing LED lights for your boat. In

this article, we’ll provide a quick study of things you need to

know before installing them. — Kevin Falvey

NO PLUG AND PLAY

There are LED lamps on

the market with screw

and bayonet bases,

designed to replace con-

ventional incandescent

bulbs. These may be

more energy-effi cient,

but they won’t off er the

waterproof dependabil-

ity of an LED. More im-

portantly for navigation

lights, if you change the

bulb to one not specifi ed

for the fi xture, it will

no longer be U.S. Coast

Guard-approved.

ELECTROMAGNETIC

INTERFERENCE

LEDs are not bulbs.

They are semicon-

ductors and can emit

electromagnetic inter-

ference. EMI produces

static on radios and

hash on display screens.

Ascertain that the LED

lighting you wish to pur-

chase is shielded against

EMI — most LEDs bear-

ing the CE certifi cation

or Federal Communi-

cations Commission

symbol are shielded.

Also, twisting the wires

of the aff ected device

together can diminish

interference.

MIND POLARITY

Inadvertently cross-

wire an incandescent

bulb and it might

still work. But if you

connect power to the

ground terminal and

ground to the power

terminal on an LED,

you may destroy or

damage it. More than

one DIY boater has

momentarily touched

the wrong wires only to

fi nd that his new LED

does not work.

LIGHT BRIGHT

Replacing, say, a 12-inch,

75-watt fl uorescent

light mounted under a

T-top or over a galley

counter with an LED

fi xture of the same

size will likely result

in a light that is far

too bright for the use.

Select LEDs that are

one-fi fth the wattage of

incandescent lights as a

rule of thumb. Doing so

may mean having to use

a smaller fi xture, and

thus you may need to fi ll

some mounting holes

and/or relocate wiring.

DIRE WIRE As a

result of the diff erence

in power consumption

between incandescent

and LED lighting, it may

be that you have to con-

nect smaller-diameter

wire from the LED light

to larger-diameter, in-

candescent-ready wire

already installed aboard

the boat. If this is the

case, strip the light wire

to twice the distance

required, fold it back on

itself, and then twist it to

form a larger-diameter

end that will fi t the same

butt splice as the boat

wire. Or use a termi-

nal block to make the

connections, or rewire

the circuit (this may be

advisable aboard older

boats in any event).

QUICK TIP

Comparing lux diagrams is a better way to compare

LED light output than comparing the wattage.

PHOTOS: (COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM TOP) COURTESY PERKO, INC. (2), COURTESY STAR BRITE, COURTESY BLUE SEA SYSTEMS

INSTALLING

LED LIGHTS

An illuminating discourse for DIY boaters

THE RIGHT CONNECTION

LED lighting may use thinner wire than what is

installed aboard your boat. A terminal block helps make

robust connections between wires of varying diameter.

PROTECT WIRE CONNECTIONS

Though LEDs are protected from shock and totally waterproof, wire connections and termina-

tions still require protection from the damp, often salty marine environment. Products like Star

brite Liquid Electrical Tape help get the job done right. It comes in black, red, green and white.

$7.99; overtons.com — K.F.