Under counter lighting for Mk II

[Mick Laver]

Hi all,
I'd like to add under counter lighting over the fridge and stove. It looks like the Mk I's had a fluorescent fixture there, but from my admittedly limited experience that light was omitted from the IIs. Hence no wiring to attach a new LED strip to. Has anyone added under-counter lighting in a Mk II galley, and if so how'd you run the wires? There doesn't seem to be a straightforward path.

[Mick Laver]

To clarify. Not under counter. In front and above the galley cabinets.

[Jack Hutteball]

Mick, I have wrestled with this problem myself.  Probably not what you are looking for, but I installed a simple battery operated led 9" strip behind the wood trim.  Can't even see it, simple on/dim/bright with the push button.  It has been in at least 5-6 years and I have yet to replace the batteries.  I also mounted a similar unit under the sink in the cabinet over the shelf for digging around for things there after dark.  Both work well for me.

Jack

[Stu Jackson]

This is our next boat buck:

http://store.marinebeam.com/replacement-led-fluorescent-fixture.html

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

Before I sold my boat (cry,cry cry) I was thinking about using rope lights in a few areas like that.

[Mick Laver]

Given LED's low power draw and the difficulty of wiring the area over the fridge and stove, a battery powered solution might be just fine. Jack, do you remember where you got your lights?

I found a light with four directible heads on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R9P4GE/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M3C_SC_dp_1 )  but I suspect it'll be too big.

[Jack Hutteball]

Mick, I can't remember where I purchased mine, has been so long, but it seems like I found them at a hardware store. It was not a marine store for sure.  They came in a 2 pack and look a lot like the "Megabrite" 2 pack strip on the Amazon site that you referenced.  Mine have a button to turn on/off rather than the motion sensor.  You need to verify the width so they fit between the cabinet face and back of the trim, and are also shallow enough to not interfere with cabinet doors.  I have a microwave in the center cabinet space over the stove so it is not a problem.

Jack

[Jack Hutteball]

P.S.

I have been thinking about something like this that would only require a small slot  in the wood trim, turn and run on the underside of the shelf over the sink and connect to the round under shelf light.  They run on 12 volts and you can cut strips to length needed, turn corners etc.   http://www.solidapollo.com/12v-led-light-strips/  Saw them at the boat show last year.  They are a little pricey however.

Jack

[waterdog]

I bought completely waterproof warm white strips for ~$30 for 5 m and use it in the galley.  Love it.  The 3m adhesive seems to hold well - I just cleaned up with a bit of acetone before applying. 

I plan to get a few more reels. 

[n624ma]

Waterdog,
Where did you order it from?

[Roland Gendreau]

On my Mk 1.5 I installed  an LED strip light in the location you identifed, as was done in this post.

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6219.0.html

I powered it from the undercounter flourescent fixture, however there are suface mount switches available. I just can't remember where I saw them.

I plan to install more of the strip lights in the main cabin area.

[waterdog]

Waterdog,
Where did you order it from?

I bought one reel from a vendor in a stall at the Chinese night market that sets up on Fridays and Saturdays behind the Home Depot in Richmond.    Paid cash, no tax.  He wasn't there the next week.  Hmmm.  Perhaps that isn't a reliable source of supply for you.

The second reel I bought from a storefront location where the owner brings in a lot of LED product from Taiwan.

The short answer is try google / ebay "waterproof LED reels" and you should be able to find lots of suppliers.  I think the quality of the strips should be uniformly reasonable.  If you are looking for some kind of reliable solderless connection, that might be harder to find.   I did my own soldering, silicone, heat shrinking. 

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

You can also try this.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fled_prods.htm

[Stu Jackson]

Or this:  

http://store.marinebeam.com/replacement-led-fluorescent-fixture.html

Don''t forget to choose your output color whenever ordering LEDs.

The choices are endless.

Your boat, your choice.