Cabin Lighting

[Jeff Tancock]

The lighting in our main salon is very poor for reading and playing games,cards etc. I've looked at lots of lighting improvement options but never felt confident enough with what I've seen to make a change. Just wondering if anyone else has found a good solution for the salon lighting with 12 volt alternatives to the off/one/two bulb lights that are mounted under the side decks of the older Mach 1 boats.

[isabel98]

I used small brass units from west marine, about 4 or 5 inches round. they are not that much of an upgrade, but they have a better lens and give off much more light than the originals, and they look real nice. Also, they draw about the same so the existing wiring is adequate. I think they were about 20.00 each.   BD

[Fuzzy]

Jeff:
I've had the same question as you.  I have wondered about the
fluorescent lights that are about the same shape as the terrible
ones supplied with the boat (mark I).  Anyone out there had any
experience with the flourescent lights?

[Mark Elkin]

Jeff, Larry,

Don't know if you want to go this route, but it's an idea.  I wanted more light in the galley, so I put a florescent fixture above the sinks.  It gives off plenty of light for use at the salon table as well.  See http://www.c34ia.org/projects/projects-yorkshire-rose-galley-light.html.

Mark

[John Langford]

On the Mk11 the overhead lighting for the saloon table and the galley is excellent, but reading in the saloon is a problem. So I added two xenon flexible brass reading lights (West Marine about $60) in the saloon (one just aft of nav table for the port side settee and the other on the forward end of the starboard settee just by the forward bulkhead). They make reading on both settees a pleasure since the original arrangement allows you to read only when sitting up in the centre of the settees.

The previous owner seems to have burned one of the original white articulated plasticlighting fixtures by using a 20w halogen bulb instead of the prescribed 10w. The problem is that the 10w bulb/reflector is hard to find and very expensive. The 20w is more easily available but potentially lethal.

[Stu Jackson]

Look in Projects, main website, as Mark suggested, we've done some, see pictures.

[Ron Hill]

I have 2 great reading lights on board.  
One is a ScandicK (sp?) which is somewhat pricey, but puts out the equivalent of 60 W.  Draws less than .6 amps.
The other I made from a regular goose neck clip on light.  I changed the plug in end to a 12V cig. lighter plug.  I screwed in a Freit 12V screw in base fluorescent bulb (West Marine#2675106).  It also lights to the equivalent of 60W at the cost of about 10W.  What's nice is you can move it around the cabin and chip it on anywhere.