LED Lighting replacements

[Mainer]

Just returned from a wonderful voyage on our A27 Sport that reacquainted me with the desire to reduce battery discharge by replacing light bulbs with LED's.

I have about 7 or 8 12 volt lights, each with the "bayonet" base (push in and turn like the old auto bulbs).

Would appreciate advice on which LED's make good, reasonably priced replacements.

Thanks in advance.

Dick Jones

[WillieC]

I went with Marinebeam for our A25 a couple seasons back. No problem. Since I didn’t want to replace any fixtures, I had to modify one old 12v fluorescent fixture in the galley. Not difficult, but requires basic wiring competence.
Not affiliated. I am sure there are other recommendations out there. I liked MBs explanations of their products.

[dkirsop]

If you want to minimize the work simply buy conversion units for a bayonet base. I have a mixture of new and old fixtures based mostly on whether I wanted to retain the look of an existing unit. For dome lights you can purchase a card of led emitters that come with a bayonet pigtail.
The card lies face down in the dome of the light and gives off a brighter light that the old bulb. If you want the option of Hi/Low lighting from a single fixture then you will likely have to purchase a new unit.

[WillieC]

I have done as Mr. K has described. Simple plug and play. I chose two “lamps” that serve dual purpose, red and white. These are switched just by toggling the on/off switch.

[Nancy]

I went with Marinebeam originally, but there is a lot more availability at low prices now. Most recently, I've had good luck at https://www.superbrightleds.com. The choices there can be overwhelming. I've found that I prefer bulbs in the warm range (~2900-3500K) to natural or cool.

[DesertAlbin736]

Two of our cabin light fixtures are double bulb RV type dome lights like this one seen just above the windshield over the chart table in the wheelhouse. The other one like that is over the galley in the front cabin, both inherited from the PO. They take automotive bayonet lug type bulbs, and LED replacements are available at RV stores or online. Our RV travel trailer has these kind of fixtures & I put one LED bulb in each. So if we're "dry camping" on battery power we just turn on one bulb, or when on RV park hookups we can use both.

DSCN2019.JPG

Not shown in the above photo, I also added this AA battery powered decorative red LED light base attached with velcro to the ceiling over the chart table. That doesn't get used much, so I haven't had to replace batteries yet.

redcandlebase.jpg

https://www.100candles.com/i-6452/4-Inc ... Light-Base

I replaced the stock overhead dome lamps in the forward cabin with Scandvik units like this.

cabinlight.jpg

https://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?n ... id=1165895

We also have little brass reading lamps on each side of the settees, attached to the front of the galley cabinet & hanging closet. Those take G4 12V bulbs with pin plugs, & matching LED bulbs can be found at Lowes, Home Depot, or other hardware stores. Also our anchor light is LED. But running lights (which would only be on when the engine is running), small dome lights in the head & aft cabin and reading lights in the aft cabin are still incandescent, since they're only used very intermittently.

[OldDemps]

I’ve installed one of these surface mount LED with red and white light with toggle from amazon. Goes on sale periodically for $20~. Not super bright but works great for the amount of time I spend aboard. Keep in mind LED is a more direct light beam verse ambient light from older style Filament bulbs.
TH Marine LED-51830-DP Dome Light with Switch, Red/White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJVLDLU/re ... wDbXEP0K3Q

[stmbtwle]

You can get bayonet-base bulbs in packages of 10 or more for a few dollars on Ebay. Just plug 'em in. They ARE polarity sensitive so if they don't work, just reverse the wires to the fixture.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/20x-DC12V-1156 ... ect=mobile

[Mainer]

Just returning to the forum and delighted to find terrific advice from all, and specific brand names to boot.

I'll be confidently purchasing led replacements shortly thanks to each of your responses.

Many thanks to all!

Dick