Looking to replace the cabin lights in the V and aft berths in my 1988. What have people used and have they been durable for you?
I kept the original fixtures, but replaced the incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. No problems so far.
I have replaced the bulbs with LED, but the reason I asked about replacements is because one of the shades has broken and others are partially melted/deformed in places from bulb heat from before the LED switch and before I bought the boat.
QuoteLooking to replace the cabin lights in the V and aft berths in my 1988. What have people used and have they been durable for you?
I've replaced all my cabin light bulbs with LED bulbs. That was over 15 years ago and haven't had to replace any. I would recommend doing a search here many have written up that project. The important thing is to get the right brightness, color and warmth for your tastes. If I remember correctly, I purchased them from Supper Bright and used different ones for salon, berths, head and galley.
Jim
I used these from Amazon: https://a.co/d/iL2knSD
I'm happy with quality, color temperature and brightness for reading. They also have a USB port for easy device charging.
UPDATE: Added picture.
My boat had all the fixtures replaced with these from Scanvik:
https://www.scandvik.com/index.cfm?method=products_detail&productID=309
Scanvik makes some pretty cool boat stuff and has many other choices for lighting. I used another one of their fixtures mounted up high on my keel stepped mast over the saloon table. It has a dimmer function on it as well as a blue LED light ring around the switch that we often leave on as a night light for midnight runs to the head.
On the subject of cabin lights, our Mark 2 has those swivel eyeballs in the ceiling all over the boat. Two of ours had burned out sockets from those quartz bulbs of yesteryear. Instead of replacing the entire light for $35+ I bought a bag of sockets on Amazon for a not easy but doable swap.
QuoteOn the subject of cabin lights, our Mark 2 has those swivel eyeballs in the ceiling all over the boat. Two of ours had burned out sockets from those quartz bulbs of yesteryear. Instead of replacing the entire light for $35+ I bought a bag of sockets on Amazon for a not easy but doable swap.
Dietrich,
Yes they are hot. My first season with Shamrock I was in the vberth reading before sleeping with a little sunburn. I could actually feel the heat on my sunburned skin coming from the lights. Soon after I switched to LED bulbs.
Jim
Jim, I am leaving for the N. Channel on Thursday of this week. Send me a personal email if you are still planning to go up north. Maybe we could get together.
Paulus
Awe : Look at West Marine, Amazon and Defender - they have a wide selection of replacement cabin lights!!
Definitely go with LED bulbs!!
A thought