There
is hardly ever enough electrical power on a pocket cruising sail boat.
This is why I installed two solar panels to charge the battery, one on
each side, so at least one is exposed to the sun. Even
this doesn't work all the time but it is a huge improvement over a single
panel. That was during 2002 when a shade tolerant panel wasn't available.
While increasing the generating capacity is one
technique, another is to reduce the power consumption by replacing all the
incandescent bulbs with LEDs, especially high intensity white LEDs.
If you
always motor at night with a generator running or sail for only a short time
you might leave the running lights as incandescent.
But if you sail at night for a lengthy time without a generator running you
should definitely convert the lights to LED to reduce the drain on the battery. In
either case, the lower power consumption of LEDs means the generator can charge the
batteries quicker.
CABIN
LIGHTS - The factory faux wood light fixtures
installed at the top of the SJ23 compression post are a bit wanting for
illuminating the cabin with the incandescent bulb. The fixture is temperature rated for an 1141 incandescent bulb
(automotive 12V
clearance bulb or park light) that has
a single contact base (bayonet pins in line). It can be
replaced with an
equivalent LED
bulb
(1141 or 1156) to reduce power consumption from 1500MA to 200MA and
improve the quality of the light.
The
surface mount LED bulb shown at left is perfect for this light fixture
since all the side light
bounces off the reflector
and a small amount is cast forward, leaving no shadows.
This bulb comes in warm white (incandescent) or cool white (day light)
colour. Apply a light coat of dielectric grease to the bulb base to
prevent corrosion in the socket. Its doubtful you will touch this
bulb again in your lifetime. That's why corrosion protection is so
important.
Since the daylight
version of an 1156 LED is
brighter than an 1141, you may find it desirable to
reduce the light intensity with
a power
dropping resistor (80Ω, 1/2W)
operated by a switch installed on the base of the fixture. This
further reduces the current from 200MA to 50MA. With
the high setting I can read at the table into the wee hours of the night
and not worry about being able to
use the
electric start
outboard in the morning. In addition, aging eyes require twice the light that
youthful eyes do. However, on the low setting I can operate the
light in the middle of the night and not be blinded by it.
NOTE - DO NOT install a resistor for an incandescent
bulb. That
resistor would get really hot and melt the fixture.
Even
with the brighter LED bulb in the pedestal fixture I considered the edge of the cabin
to be too dark.
For this reason I installed
warm white LED strip lighting along the cabin sides.
Another strip was installed at the aft end of the cabin with an additional spot lights
over the power panel and galley. The beauty of strip lighting is that it takes so little space and casts
its
light out at 120 degrees.
While
a
strip of 12 LEDs draws only 120MA at 12.5V,
each is equipped with a switch to control power consumption.
You should install
indirect lighting since the light from an LED can be intense.
That's
why installing them behind the down turned lip of the head liner is such a natural
thing to do. Shadows are always a problem in a small cabin. LED
strip lighting can be cut to length at the marked
12V cut spots to suit an installation. The strip is adhesive backed
which makes installation easy. Imagine what you can illuminate with
a flat strip of LEDs like this; forward berth, main cabin, cockpit
lockers, etc. Since they're flat they don't get in the way. Apply the
adhesive strip of
LEDs to the bottom of a varnished stick, add a switch to the end of the
stick, fasten the stick with a screw behind the down turned lip, then run
the power cord to the breaker panel. It looks so much classier if you install these LEDs without
showing
the wire. For the starboard light I left a
coil of wire tucked
behind
the lip for future servicing then ran the wires forward to the bulkhead
where it goes down along the hull.
This is where I drilled a small hole through the top of the settee and
bundled the wire with others going aft to the power panel.
Shown below is the power panel illuminated at night and a view into Panache's
cabin
as I approached from a dock. The anchor light is glowing over the cockpit. This is the first time I've seen the cabin illuminated from
the outside and the cockpit bathed in light. A nice warm, welcoming
feeling.
Other useful locations for LED lighting would be
inside a locker
to find stuff at night, under the table to light the
cabin sole, under the companionway to light the steps and in the forward
berth for reading. Maybe later. In the mean time enjoy the light.
TOP
CABIN
NIGHT LIGHT - When
I installed a pedestal support post (Tech
Tip C01) on Panache it required a bracket across the ceiling to
anchor the post to. That part was easy. I just glued a (2x6)"
of light weight cedar to the ceiling using silicon sealant.
Installing LEDs in it was a natural. I decided on two clusters of
high intensity LEDs, one white and the other red as shown here. Each
cluster consists of three LEDs wired for
equal brilliance and minimum power
consumption. Assuming 14.0 VDC applied to 3
LEDs wired in series, I used a 200Ω resistor for the white LEDs and a 400Ω
resistor for the red LEDs. Both are 1/4W. Each LED requires
2.2-3V to operate. Today I wish I had installed LEDS on the angled
sides as well but they were very expensive at the time and I had kids to
feed. When installing the electrical wiring in the ceiling anchor, it is
best to connect the wires on a terminal strip. I installed a terminal strip in
the middle of the cedar, behind some smoked acrylic. This makes it
fairly easy to connect the LED wires to the electrical harness and to
service them.
This is where I installed a diode across each bank of LEDs. See protect below.
The purpose of these lights is to illuminate the cabin
without affecting my night vision. I
was doing a lot of night sailing in 2005 and wanted low power lighting.
To that end these lights are a success and it
is oh so sweet to have them. However, you might want to operate the LEDS at full brightness and install a dimmer switch to fine tune the brightness to your night vision. Everyone's night vision needs are different. The LEDs are NOT adequate for reading which
is why I added the low intensity switch to the pedestal lights and the indirect lighting to the ceiling. But I'm also considering a light under the table for those times when I need it brighter after waking up in the middle of the night. It creates a more indirect lighting effect in the cabin.
PS: LED
lighting was in its infancy in 2005 at the time of this installation. I
bought a handful of the original dual in line pin high intensity white LEDs from a local
electronics wholesaler. This was only a few years before white LEDs were
available. Today's LEDs are far more energy efficient. I
tested red and white LEDs in their dark room and was surprised at how well
they illuminate and how well I could see with this quality of light.
There is no shadow to the edge of the light. The brightness simply
fades smoothly to darkness at the edge of the beam so the human eye doesn't have to deal with the
sharp contrast there; a phenomena that is typical with
a reflector behind a filament bulb. Since I wanted good night
vision, to which I might occasionally add soft white light, I chose the
medium intensity LEDs. See Note 1 at bottom.
That was then. After a few years of use I now suggest using high intensity
white LEDs to get the most light for the power consumed. I've also
discovered that I can retain my night vision by switching the
white LEDs on with the red LEDs. I do this occasionally to find my
"vitamin J" in the cabin; great cockpit food during a
night race or a cruise when it is simply too difficult to prepare food in
the dark cabin. TOP
PORTABLE
COCKPIT LIGHT - Your basic solar garden light,
available from any home improvement store or garden nursery, can
make an effective cockpit light. Mosquitoes seem less attracted to it than an incandescent light.
Hurray!
It's nice to have a bit of light in the cockpit for an extended social
hour and it's a real pleasure to step into an illuminated cockpit
when returning from a shore event. The light can also be moved to the cabin for a
night light; good enough that you don't stumble into things when you have to pee
in the middle of the night!
It sure beats a candle or smelly hurricane lamp.
The beauty of a garden light is that it is a self
contained water tight unit equipped with a solar panel, battery, 3600 lens
and is dirt cheap.
By the way, there actually isn't a
light sensor in one of these. The absence of charging voltage automatically sends
battery power to the LED.
NOTE to ALL: A solar garden light sucks as an anchor light since it is barely visible at
100' (33M), doesn't shine longer than 6 hours
and for these reasons does NOT meet Collision Regulations.
Stay up one night and you'll see for yourself. This means it can't shine through
a night
unless you live North of 600 where a summer night is barely
perceptible, having only a few hours of dusk. Use
an approved anchor light in the presence of other boats, especially
commercial traffic. Although in a pinch a garden light is better than
leaving an
anchored boat dark. TOP
RUNNING (NAVIGATION) LIGHTS
- The factory bow running light fixtures require a
1416 bulb that draws 700MA, (bayonet
base,
single terminal, incandescent filament). The
tiny fixture was probably OK in the 1970s when there were fewer boats
and little commercial traffic but I question if they have a 2 NM range,
mounted so low on the bow cap.
Panache's certainly didn't. Replacing
them with a light fixture similar to the one shown below
( Aqua
Signal 25)
or in
Tech Tip B26, is a huge improvement
in visibility. The filament of the festoon bulb is positioned in the focal point of the
Fresnel lens
to meet the requirements: 1200 horizontal arc visibility and 2 NM of range visibility. Note that the vertical arc of visibility for a
sailboat is +/-
250 to accommodate heeling, which is
larger than for a power boat +/-
17.50. This is a specification is seldom reported on the
packaging. However, the incandescent bulb this fixture
comes with draws 900MA of current. There is a huge power saving to be had without
sacrificing light performance when the bulb is replaced with
a matching LED. Low power drain is especially important on a pocket cruiser
that has little capacity to charge
the battery.
For
years I was reluctant to exchange my incandescent bulbs to
LEDs since it
was expensive to convert them and difficult to justify for the few times I motor
or sail
at night. Late in the evening (23:00 at the height of
summer) I usually motor to my mooring or an anchorage so the 2.7A draw of all my
incandescent bulbs can be handled by the 6A generator in the outboard.
But if the battery is also low the generator can barely charge it with the
extra load. When I do sail this late in the evening I usually have a >4KM visibility and
I'm generally the only boat on the water, so no problem.
However, If
you live in the southern US where it gets dark much earlier and you have to deal with commercial traffic, I would seriously consider
LED bulbs. Three LED bulbs draw less power (approx 330MA) than
three incandescent bulbs (2700MA).
Using
a flat cluster of
warm white SMDs is optimum since it is the same colour temperature
(3500 Kelvin)
as an incandescent bulb. Only
the red or green frequencies pass through the corresponding lens and the
rest are blocked, which also applies to an incandescent bulb. While
the blocked light is waste, the LED cluster uses only (100MA)
current compared to the incandescent bulb (900MA). Therefore an LED is a huge improvement over
an incandescent bulb as the
current and heat are greatly reduced while improving light intensity.
-
The
main attraction to LED lightning is
low power consumption with high light intensity.
(At
100MA the LED is much
brighter than the incandescent bulb, being too bright to look at with the
unprotected eye).
-
The
optimum angle of radiation for maximum
effectiveness behind a
Fresnel lens.
(The SMD construction radiates light in one direction
with
a 1200
beam angle making it ideal behind the Fresnel lens of a running light).
- The correct
light frequency radiated (colour
temperature in degrees Kelvin).
(The
colour temperature in very close to the incandescent bulb making it a
match to the red & green lenses of the fixture).
So
for Panache's running lights
(Tech Tip B26)
I
chose to install a 578 festoon white directional bulb equipped with 8 surface mount diodes
(SMD) purchased from SuperBrightLEDs.
My friend chose to install a USCG certified white omni directional bulb (part #
unknown) on his boat.
The
brighter LEDs on the certified bulb are installed around a round core.
Since we have the same fixtures it was a perfect opportunity to compare
a directional versus an omni directional bulb. The results are as follows:
COMPARISON of LED RUNNING LIGHTS
(in an Aqua Signal 25 housing).
|
PANACHE
Bulb -
Specs -
Power -
Cost - |
A flat cluster of 8 surface mount diodes (SMD).
3000K, 60 lumens, directional,
578 LED festoon
bulb.
100MA ea
$3 CA ea. (2017)
|
 |
FRIEND
Bulb -
Specs -
Power -
Cost |
A round cluster of white SMDs.
3000K, 90 lumens, omni directional,
LED festoon bulb.
120MA ea
$65 CA ea. (2017)
|
 |
STATIC
RESULTS |
- Both LED bulbs draw about 1/10 power of an incandescent bulb.
- Both
LED bulbs have the same colour temperature.
-
Both bare LEDs are much brighter than the incandescent bulb they
replaced.
In fact, they
saturate the light meter they are so bright.
- Panache's
3 bulbs are much cheaper at $9 than my buddy's
at $195.
|
Measuring Light Intensity - A
lumen meter measures light power using all colours of the visible
spectrum. It
is an accurate way to measure white light but can be deceptive when
measuring a single wavelength (frequency) LED. Because multiple wavelengths
create white light and a coloured LED has a single wavelength, the LED will
show a lower lumen reading. However, the
coloured LED will appear to the eye to be equally as bright as a white bulb.
Since my 1970s light meter no longer works, my next best meter is an App in my
cell phone. It reads light intensity indirectly by giving the
photographer the three essential settings for a camera. The aperture and ISO speed are set
manually and it then measures the shutter speed. This App can hold the displayed readings
and store the results in a photo for field work and future comparison.
FIELD
MEASURED RESULTS
On the water comparison showed
Panache's running lights to be somewhat brighter
so it was time to measure each.
|
LIGHT
FIXTURE |
FLAT CLUSTER LED Panache
shutter, aperture, ISO, 0K |
ROUND CLUSTER LED Friend
shutter, aperture, ISO, 0K |
Red |
1/8000, F1.8, 400, 6146K |
1/50, f/1.8, 400, 4877K |
Green |
1/8000, F1.8, 400, 6303K |
1/60, f/1.8, 400, 5962K |
White |
1/160, f1.8, 400, 3769K |
1/60, f/1.8, 400, 3805K |
All light measurements taken
with the iPhone light meter app 1' away from light fixture, centered on the primary Fresnel beam
to measure the maximum
reading.
The flat cluster LED is clearly the brighter of the two.
|
STEAMING/DECK LIGHT
- SJ23s built much later than
Panache were equipped
with a steaming light. Not so Panache. For years I never bothered to install one since it is so bright late in the evenings in Alberta and I'm the only guy crazy enough to be out at that time. It is also difficult to install the wiring half way up the mast. To date I have worn a forehead light to illuminate the deck and have no problems with it; light where you look, without a shadow, leaving your hands free to do whatever. My dentist also told me to quit holding a flashlight in my mouth!
I once worked on a fore deck illuminated by a
ridiculously intense halogen deck light. The visibility was
excellent until it was switched off
and instantly I couldn't see, having lost my night vision. Didn't
like that very much! An LED light would have been so much better.
However, not showing a steaming light in the presence of commercial traffic is
asking for trouble
so you may as well install one.
Twice a year we have fireworks at either end of the lake. Once the show is over all ~200 boats leave at the same time. Motoring
along with several hundred boats not showing the correct lights is asking for
trouble. So in Spring of 2018
I installed a Victory AAA
steaming/deck light 6" above the spreaders for the
required
2NM white light shining in the
forward 2250. I drilled a 1/4" cable entry hole through the
front of the mast and shaped it to
an oval by tilting the drill bit and smoothed the edges with a file.
Then I fished the wiring
through the mast with a 1/8" fibreglass rod (fish tape), keeping it separate from the internal halyards.
It was be supported to the inside of the mast to prevent slapping and fatigue.
This is definitely a job to be done with the mast down.
VICTORY
AAA FIXTURE
Steaming Bulb -
A 578 LED bulb shown here (warm white 3000K,
60 lumens),
2250 beam.
Deck Bulb - Dual pin bulb in bottom of fixture. This bulb is bright enough for foredeck work without affecting night vision.
ROAD GRIT - The bottom (deck light portion) of a Victory AAA steaming/deck light is open and points forward when
traveling down the road with the mast horizontal. As such it can scoop road grit and rain water.
To avoid this, smear grease in the socket to prevent corrosion and tape the bottom of the fixture closed. Fortunately the bulb cluster is sealed at the bottom (shown at right) and won't have this
problem but I will still tape it to protect the surface of the bulb if I'm traveling a long distance.
VISIBILITY - One
should not forget how effective a mast light can be to illuminate the deck
for night work or to make yourself temporarily visible to other vessels.
Its not regulation of course but if it looks like the other vessel is
maintaining a collision course to you I'd switch on the deck light.
TOP
STERN
LIGHT
- Panache's dim factory
stern light did little to warn a boater from running her down at night.
Fellow sailors have commented they didn't see Panache's stern light
till they were very close. It doesn't help
that my boarding ladder blocks some of the light, so I can't blame
everything on its size. However, I have never been happy
with this dim light so an Aqua Signal 25 stern light replaced it in 2018
to ensure the required 2NM visibility with a 1200 wide beam.
- The Aqua Signal 25 stern light is mounted on the top UHMW clamp of my
anchor light. This height creates minimal reflection from the
water and doesn't block access to servicing the outboard. Fitting
the light to the angled pushpit post required a compound cut to ensure the
Fresnel light casts its beam horizontally over the water. Given the
fact that "nothing" on a sailboat hull is straight, this cut was a tad
difficult to mark while the boat was on the trailer on rough ground.
It would have been much easier with the hull floating! The external
wiring was encapsulated inside the tube with the connectors hanging out
the bottom. The factory wiring under the cockpit was redirected from
the port side to the starboard transom fitting. The easiest way to
accomplish that is to push a fish tape in, tape the wire to the end and
pull it out. The factory wire on Panache was long enough.
Once outside, the wire was terminated with a 2 prong connector,
similar to the anchor light. The grip of
the UHMW clamps on the SS tubes is tight enough to prevent rotation.
Shown below is a trial fit of the light during a fitting in Fall.

NOTE - To store this light assembly for trailering, I loosen the nuts
on the
cockpit side of the clamps, remove the assembly,
then screws the parts together so I don't loose anything and store
the assembly in the cabin for winter. It rides nicely on top of my
galley cabinet.
The factory stern light was removed from the transom and the hole capped with a colour
matching disk of fibreglass as it is too difficult to do an epoxy and
colour matching gel coat repair in this tight space. Besides, this
way I can always reinstall the light if I have to. I can finally
place my foot here!

ANCHOR
LIGHT - An
incandescent anchor light can draw a lot of power from a battery since it operates for a
LONG time without a means to charge the battery. This is typical in
southern US latitudes or during a shoulder season in northern US or Canadian latitudes. To reduce power
consumption use an LED light and operate it automatically with a darkness
switch,
unless you enjoy getting out of bed
to shut it off
with the rising sun!
I struggled with where to install it; at the mast head (regulation height as of 1850) or
lower to the water (in line of sight to power boaters). Ultimately I
chose a low light that is directly in the line of sight to the local "cowboy boaters"
who motor around during their romantic evening outings, with anything but
navigation on their mind. These people never think about floating
hazards and are oblivious to collision regulations. To them the lake is
an empty "parking lot" to tool around on. My other reason
for not installing the light on the mast head is that it often blends in
with the stars or shore background lights, making it more difficult to
see.
Plus, the local power boaters NEVER look up. For these reasons I
installed a bright 3600 anchor light installed 10' above
the surface. It is so effective that the cowboy boaters now give Panache
a wide berth when on her mooring and other sail boats use the light as a beacon to enter the
bay. A lot can be said for operating another light at the bow to show hull length or a cockpit light to increase the visibility. Cabin lights don't show very well through the windows.
I fabricated this anchor light in 2016 using 8
high intensity dual in line pin (DIP) LEDs pointed horizontally and equipped it with a darkness
switch that consists of a light dependant resistor (LDR) mounted on top,
pointed up. The anchor light looks similar to
a Bébi
light that was once manufactured in Fiji but the electronics is my design.
"Too bad Bébi
was forced out of business. I was eyeing their design for a long time
and buying one would have been a whole lot simpler
than making one! It isn't till you fabricate one of these that you
really appreciate their design. Oh well I had bags of LEDs and
nothing but time on my hands during the winter."
My bench testing verified it
unnecessary to regulate the power to the circuit. While the light
intensity is slightly
less
at 11V,
(virtually
a dead
battery), the
reduced intensity is barely perceptible 1/2 KM away. Besides, a regulator would
complicate the design and draw more power. If you want to be
picky about equal illumination of all LEDs, test each at 11V and measure the
light output with a photometer, then use similar performing LEDs together. There
was no
pretext to design a "2 NM" (3 KM) light with my design. At the time of
fabrication Panache was moored in a 1/2 KM wide bay where that
range is not required and the brightness of a 2 NM light would be annoying
to the cottage owners. But if the number of LEDs are doubled
this design can easily be a 2 NM light, albeit with double the power. Having said this, the light
is visible 2 KMs away on
a clear calm night. There is a slight reduction in
light if you are
2 NM away, between
2 beams. This is due to the DIP LEDs
that radiate in a ~200 beam.
Up close this is barely
visible.
The
beams are cast
across the water in a horizontal pattern similar to a lighthouse with
a Fresnel lens.
For this reason, ensure that the mounting staff is perfectly vertical to
cast a flat circle of light across the water.
In 2021 I discovered the
anchor light drew low power continuously and it no longer switched on at night
as the LDR had lost its acrylic cap due to UV damage. So I
scrounged a new LDR and window from a surplus wall mounted night light.
The
plastic
window was epoxied into the top of the
cap to protect
the LDR from UV and I replaced the dead LDR. This
was way easier than buying the separate components. I also added a
threaded brass rod through the center of the light to clamp the cap down to the base.
CASE ASSEMBLY -
The PVC
potable water
components are available at a home improvement or plumbing shop. For a stiff mast I
selected the 1/2"
ID, thick wall tubing and
removed the outside printing with fine sandpaper so it looks presentable
mounted on the boat.
For the LED housing at the top I used a 2"
OD end
cap with
a matching size base. All 3 fit together quite nicely. Cut off all but 1/4"
of the threaded portion of the base so the remaining thread functions as a lip to
support the
circuit board. Drill a hole through the base to fit the mast to.
Make sure it fits snug over the tube and is held with epoxy. Bevel the
top inside
circumference of the mast
(tube) to a smooth ridge for the power wires that will go down. Drill
some
1/8" ventilation holes through the base.
The cap is clamped to the base with a threaded brass rod down the center.
Because it goes through the circuit board, the top of the rod is insulated with heat
shrink. Since
the light is permanently mounted on the transom the 1/8"
rod extends through the top
as a
bird spike. Last thing I need is poop covering the light sensor.
Click here for case assembly.
CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION - This "switch" consists of a transistor
(Q1) controlled by
a voltage divider consisting of a light sensitive switch, a current
limiting resistor (R1) and a potentiometer. The
light dependant resistor (LDR) switches the circuit
ON in darkness and OFF in light. An LDR goes to
low
resistance when illuminated and high
resistance in darkness. Once the transistor conducts, the LEDs
light up.
Diode
(D1) is wired backwards across the input power leads, to protect the LEDs from a voltage pulse
or aerial
electrical surge that might burn them out.
- To test the transistor (MPSA06 or 2N3904), touch the base lead with a ground and
it should switch the 8 LEDS off.
- To adjust the
light sensitivity,
cover
the LDR to forward bias the transistor and adjust the
potentiometer for a
total current
of
about 30
MA (max intensity). Alternatively, adjust the pot to the darkness
switching point you desire.
Its
a good idea to apply a small piece of electrical tape to the top of the
potentiometer to protect the internal carbon track from moisture.
- Once the electronics works, spray the board and inside of the cap with a
conformal coating to protect against corrosion.
CIRCUIT BOARD ASSEMBLY - Solder all components to the Veroboard and wire the LEDs
using ~3" long #24 stranded wire. The insulation must cover the wires
completely for final assembly. Solder the
input power cable to the bottom of
the Veroboard since it is the natural direction of the wires going down the hollow PVC staff.
The power cord
exits out the bottom to a plug. Click here to see my
schematic, Veroboard
component layout (X denotes where to
"open" the PCB run with a drill bit) the
run side,
& the
component side of the 1.5" OD circular
board.
(COMPONENT
SIDE - The red & black wires below the potentiometer
shown on the component layout are my temporary external power leads. Do not include them in the final assembly.
Instead, solder the permanent power wires to the bottom of the
board. The
grey cable shown below is a 4 conductor power cable. I've doubled up
the wires to use all conductors for minimal power loss).
FINAL ASSEMBLY -
Form
the
LED wires together into a bundle and then fan each LED outward like a
flower as shown on right. I used needle nose pliers to point the
LEDs outward. Line up each LED with a hole drilled
through the side of the cap.
Smear silicon sealant in each hole and push the LED in to collar
depth.
Remove excess sealant from the exposed outside of each LED. Once the
sealant has cured (24hrs)
form the bundle of wires into a spiral coil so it can be pushed (screw
fashion) inside the
cap as it goes down over the rod and onto the base. Do this with the power on so you can detect a problem during
assembly. This is the test to confirm everything is well secured and
insulated. Once the cap is
down on the base and all 8 LEDs are still lit,
you are good to seal the unit. Spread a thin bead of silicon sealant around the base and
snug up the nut on top of the rod. The
only way to service the electronics is to release the nut and cut the sealant with a razor
knife. Relax, it should last a lifetime.
INSTALLATION ON BOAT - Panache's anchor light
is mounted on top of a 44" mast (PVC tube) positioned where there is a
3600 clear visibility
above cabin height and below the boom.
The staff is supported inside a SS
tube clamped to the aft side of a pushpit post where it is out of the
way. The UHMW clamps shown below are amazingly
strong. The PVC staff is heat bent so the upper portion is vertical for flat illumination across the water. A small screw through
the bottom of both tubes locks the staff in place; up/down and axially.
It is quite easy to remove the entire
assembly for road travel but I have occasionally left it on with no
problem. You
should be able to adapt this technique to your boat.

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION - The
power cables exist out the bottom of the mast and plug into their mating
connector installed through the
transom. Achieving a water tight cable through the
solid fibreglass transom is fairly easy
if installed as shown. Drill a hole through the transom, slightly larger than the
cable, with the drill bit pointed slightly up towards the gap below the starboard
coaming. Push a fish
tape into the hole and through the gap. Then pull the power cable
out through the transom hole, leaving the
connector hanging out. Seal and screw the cable cap over the transom
hole.
Slip two ferrite beads over the
power cable
at
the battery to ensure "clean power" to the LEDs.
Later I may add a power switch to shut it off for night sailing or when I
"borrow" a slip
at a local club. No point in annoying the animals in the zoo or I
could find myself floating in the bay come morning! For now I will
just pull the connectors apart. While I
thought other sailors would object to my anchor light, most welcome it
saying, "I can see the dock while walking to my boat at night."
To
test the light I installed it on Panache while she was on her trailer
parked in the bush. I can report that it is easy to see
from 300' away, which is good considering there was no snow at the time
to reflect light. I built a second light for my buddy and he reported that in
total darkness the light cast his shadow against the house 30' away.
This is good performance for only 22 MA of current on his light.

The anchor light is even
more visible over water. The night photo at left was taken about half way through dusk
with a digital camera. Shortly
afterwards I drove to the far shore shown in the photo and I could see my
light with the naked eye. That shore is about 1 KM away. This
is good performance for only 30 MA of current.
The
light from a DIP style LED radiates in a 200 beam, so it is very
bright when you are in line with the beam.
At right is a photo I took
without a flash to show just how well the cockpit is illuminated at night. I think I could
actually read by this light.
NOTE -
The two night photos shown here are a bit deceiving because a digital camera can
penetrate darkness and rain better than an analogue camera. I
don't know why but it can create some cool effects. TOP
INSTRUMENT LIGHT
- Is can be quite an improvement to replace a tiny incandescent instrument
bulb with an LED. I've modified all my instruments to LED lighting
to improve the visibility, reduce the glare with the softer light and reduce power consumption. In most
cases this change is not difficult to do but if you can buy a plug in replacement it is
usually the best. TOP
DAVIS WINDEX 15 LIGHT -
Panache's Windex light is connected to the same circuit as the cockpit instruments. Its a tad important to see all of them when moving in the dark!
- Notice that the wiring goes vertically through the top of the mast head. This eliminates fatigue stress. The holes are sealed with butyl rubber to prevent insulation chafe and stop water flow down the inside of the mast.
Wiring through mast
head.
When I acquired Panache she had very low battery charging capacity which is why I replaced the incandescent light with an LED, as shown at right. It resided at the middle of the mast head.
1 - This
was my first
version
LED light to
replace the Davis light that was "punched out" by hail. What are the odds of two small objects hitting each other, with both of them moving?
2 - After a number of years the LED burned out due to an
electrical
surge (EMP) from lightning. So I replaced the LED and connected a diode
(1N4007) across it for surge protection. This operated for years so I assumed the diode was doing its job, imbedded in the wiring.
3 - One evening I went for a float only to discover the tabs & pointer
barely showed.
Hmmm. When I replaced the LED I mistakenly installed one
that radiates a beam of only
150. So not wanting to lower the mast, I waited till winter to replace it with an LED having a
900 beam and increased the
current from 15MA to 20MA. The Windex showed
slightly better next summer but it still wasn't good enough to see at a glance!
4
- My final version is a return to the Davis weather proof light fixture #3200 that now comes equipped with a rugged surface mount LED. It draws
only 23MA and radiates at 1200. The new light is installed aft of the Windex where it can illuminate the tabs and have some hail protection by being close to the shaft.
I also painted the bottom of each tab and pointer ends with luminescent day glow orange paint to reflect the light. The tabs and pointer show up like daylight against the dark sky. Combined, these upgrades equate to optimal visibility with minimal current drain.
To protect the LED from an electrical surge
I added a diode (1N4007) across the power leads, imbedding it in the fixture wiring. (Delicate work of this nature should NOT be done at the mast head.
It is best to add this diode & connector to the wiring harness on a workbench, then install the assembly at the mast head).
NOTE - The LED/diode combination does not radiate RF to the adjacent VHF antenna.
REPLACEMENT PARTS - Bulb #R3201L, Lens #R3200B. TOP
PROTECT an LED FROM
a TRANSIENT VOLTAGE - A
word of warning about sensitive
electronics like LEDs connected to the boat wire harness. An LED is susceptible to burn out from a voltage spike that exceeds its rating. For example, when an inductive load like a fan motor or bilge pump equipped with brushes or a relay coil is
switched off, the collapsing magnetic field in the coil will induce a voltage spike
in the opposite polarity on
the wire harness. The spike is usually large enough to burn out an LED that is switched on, regardless of which circuit it is wired to. But its almost a sure bet to burn out if it is wired to the same circuit. Similarly an LED that is exposed to the atmosphere (Windex light) can burn out due to an aerial charge (EMP) associated with lightning.
I relearned the lesson of transient voltage protection the
expensive way during my installation of the cabin ceiling LEDs and cooling fan. They happen to be wired to the same circuit. In 2004 there were lots of relatively inexpensive electronic "toys" with LEDs available that would suggest that LEDs were cheap. This was correct for the coloured LEDs, but certainly not for the high intensity white LEDS that cost $5.00 Ca each. I bought mine at a local electronics wholesale where six red and six white (low intensity) LEDS cost $20.00 Ca. By 2009 the costs were down considerably.
The simple solution for both problems is to connect a transient voltage suppressing diode (P6KE) or a
low power diode (1N4007) across the
fan motor or relay coil to
short out the voltage spike right at the source.
A transient diode can switch on much quicker than a low power diode,
making it the superior device. Its
best to connect the diode as electrically close as possible to the source to prevent the spike from propagating across the circuit.
Connect the
cathode (striped end of the diode)
to + and the anode to - (negative).
The normal power flow
to the LED is not affected.
The diode conducts only for the reverse polarity voltage pulse impressed on
the LED, effectively shorting
it out to protect the LED and anything else connected. Diodes are
inexpensive and provide effective protection. TOP
________ NOTES _________
NOTE 1: Because an LED emits light in a very narrow frequency
band, you may perceive the LED as slightly dimmer than a
broader spectrum tungsten filament bulb. The
light receptors in your eyes react slightly different to narrow spectrum
LED light than to broad spectrum filament light. Instrument lights
can be blue or green yet not interfere with night vision as long as the
intensity is kept low. This makes it easier to read fine text or the
tiny graduation on a meter scale and is what retains your night vision, making an LED
so beneficial. A dimmer can be made from a potentiometer or a
variable regulator.
Here are some facts about
human eyes and light;
- Compared to white light, red light tends to make things slightly
fuzzy due to the longer wave length of red light.
- Blue light produces the sharpest details due to the shorter wave
length.
- Blue light is needed for
depth perception.
- For a given light power input, the human eye perceives blue light as
being somewhat less intense than red, with retained sharpness.
- As humans reach their fifties, many require double the amount of light to see
small things than when they were in their 20s.
- Men have slightly better
night vision than women and can read smaller text.
- Don't limit yourself to a marine fixture. There are many suitable automotive, bicycle or camping lights available.
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