New LED Navigation Lights
The original Aqua Signal Series 40 navigation lights were definitely
starting to show some issues with corrosion since I was having to tap
on them from time to time or they would not work. While installing the
new lights it was amazing how well the units had held up over the
years. I was able to back the screws out of the bottom of the fixtures
and probably could have salvaged the fixtures if necessary with a
careful cleaning of the contacts and installing new bulbs.
However, I was looking for the lower power consumption and sealed
nature of the new LED navigation lights and just replacing the fixture
with a new LED bulb does not result in a certified fixture. Apparently
in the case of an inquirey regarding an accident at night the
"certification" of the fixture can come into question. The fixtures
were certified with a specific bulb and replacing that with a bulb
which is different, even with sufficient light output, can result in a
question during a legal encounter.
In any event, the new fixtures are now relatively inexpensive (around
$200 each) and so just replacing them is definitely the way to go for
me!
The series 34 units are very similar to the old series 40 and if the
series 40 units had been bolted onto the pulpit it might have been a
drop in replacement. In my case the series 40 units had the "quick
release" base, these had to be removed and new holes drilled in the
installation plate for a good fit. In the end, having four mounting
holes for the light felt like a much tighter fit. I used #6 screws
which were 3/4" long with a nylock fitting.
The original wiring is definitely oversized for the low power LED bulbs
and I was able to route the wires in a very nice way. I did have to use
a dremel tool on the plastic mount to allow the wire to come into to
the mount from above rather than below but the sealed portion of the
bulb fit cleanly after I was done.
Lots of heat shrink on the wires and the provided silicone tubing. The
push on terminals were bedded in clear silicone as they were installed
to keep moisture out of the contacts.
The installed fixtures look very nice. I think that the white fixtures
look very clean and based upon several comments about keeping them cool
for long life the idea of fixtures which tend to not be as hot in the
sun can't be a bad thing.
The wires are held in place with small cable clamps held with #4 screws
and nylock bolts.
Installation time was about 2 hours per fixture with much of the time
being getting ready to drill the holes in just the right place.