Replacement LED running lights

[Jim Walsh]

While prepping for the run to Bermuda this spring I opened up the housing on my Aqua Signal series 25 combination bow light and discovered the interior was corroded. The light still worked but the interior components were clearly not to be trusted. Rather than replacing this unit with an identical unit I decided it was time to upgrade to LED.
I checked around and decided to go with a unit made by Hella Marine. It is the NaviLED Pro unit. The install was straightforward and I used a proper crimping tool and heat shrink tubing to make a neat weatherproof electrical connection. The unit was slightly larger than the old unit so I shaped a piece of scrap starboard into a backing plate which was then attached to my existing stainless mounting plate incorporated into my bow rail.
I was impressed with how clear and bright the unit was. It's a sealed unit also. Never a bulb to replace again.
A couple weeks ago I was checking my running lights and found my stern light out. I popped one of my spare bulbs in and everything was fine.....except that it looked tawdry in comparison to the bow lights. I removed it the following day and replaced it with the same make as my bow light. What a dramatic improvement. With my running lights and my compass light in use (which is also LED since I had it rebuilt last spring) I only draw .26 amps. They are amazingly efficient.

[gates_cliff]

Jim,

I've been thinking about replacing my nave lights with LEDS, it sounds like you bought one of the Hella lights and took out the insides and installed into existing housing. Is that correct?

[Jim Walsh]

Jim,

I've been thinking about replacing my nave lights with LEDS, it sounds like you bought one of the Hella lights and took out the insides and installed into existing housing. Is that correct?

No, I removed my Aqua Signal units and replaced them with Hella NaviLED PRO units.