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Subject: Re: [worldcruising] Good 12v or other reading light
From: S/V Aramoana (Roger Chin & Eric Register) (aramoana@XXX.XXX)
Date: Sat Jan 05 2002 - 02:34:59 EST
We replaced our old dome lights (regular incandescent bulb) with new ones
(two halogen bulbs).
It has a rocker switch to have one or two halogen bulbs on. The first is
10W while the second is 20W. So when we're on shore power, it's 30W and
when at anchor it's 10W. It has cooling vents. We got them at ABI Marine
(www.abimarine.com). Great light for maintaining the traditional boat decor.
I also got a reading spot lamp from West Marine with a halogen lens bulb
but it got so hot that I severely burned my hand on it several times. So I
drilled another hole behind the swivel mount (not visible) and added a
threaded bolt at the end to serve as a heat sink and a handle. Also, the
halogen fitting inside rusted out from the heat and I had to replace it -
probably because I used a 20W instead of the original 10W bulb. It works
well now with the modifications. Great light for fixing electronics.
We almost exclusively have halogens aboard. They're small, relatively
cheap and available from home hardware stores. Best of all, they're easy
to store in small film canisters.
We found fluorescents to be problematic (electronics breaks down, or the
bulbs are too difficult to store).
Having said that, we do have two fluorescents in the galley where a dome
light isn't possible. It's a German brand which has the ballast separate
from the bulb. The bulb is the very narrow kind in a tubular
extrusion. It says "Insta EVG T2 12V/13W - 53526000 by Insta Elektro
GmbH" on the ballast. While I don't like the ballast being separate, it is
quite substantial and so far very reliable (knock on wood). People have
given unsolicited comments that it's a very nice white for a
fluorescent. BIG downside - it's VERY expensive - a few hundred dollars
each (Canadian). But I was too tired replacing the cheaper but incredibly
unreliable fluorescents units.
We do have two cheap but *small* fluorescents in the engine room and they
have done well. Bulbs go occasionally but not too often. We didn't want
hot halogen bulbs overheating in a hot engine room.
To see our forward cabin (360 panorama) with all the lights on, take a look
at the second photo in:
www.geocities.com/sv_aramoana/river360.htm
Roger
S/V Aramoana
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