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Long Beach Marine Electric connects boat owners with licensed, insured marine electricians for boat LED lighting installation: navigation lights that meet the visibility rules, LED retrofits of cabin and deck lighting, underwater lights, and spreader and cockpit lights. Navigation lights are a legal and safety requirement and sit on critical circuits under ABYC E-11. Cabin LED retrofits are the cheapest way to cut the load on a house battery bank.
What happens on the first visit
- Check of every navigation light on its proper switch: sidelights, stern, masthead and anchor light, and on sailboats the tricolor and steaming light.
- Voltage at each navigation fixture under load. Dim nav lights are usually a wiring drop, not a bad bulb.
- Survey of cabin, cockpit, deck and spreader lights for LED conversion, including fixture compatibility.
- For underwater lights: hull material, mounting location and whether the install needs a haul-out.
- A written plan and a fixed price.
Navigation lights: what the rules require
COLREGs Rule 22 sets minimum visibility ranges. For boats under 12 meters (about 39 feet): masthead light 2 nautical miles, sidelights 1 nm, stern light 2 nm, all-round light 2 nm. For boats 12 to 20 meters: masthead 3 nm, sidelights 2 nm, stern and all-round 2 nm. Those ranges come from fixtures certified to meet them, which is why replacement navigation lights should be USCG-approved for the rated range and not generic LED pods.
Nav lights are critical circuits under ABYC E-11, with a 3% maximum voltage drop. A light that's dim at night from a corroded connection may not be legal, or visible.
LED retrofits and your battery bank
Incandescent cabin fixtures typically draw about 1 to 2 amps each, while LED replacements draw a fraction of that for similar light. On a boat that anchors out, converting a dozen cabin and cockpit lights can save more battery capacity overnight than any other single change. That matters whether you have a lead-acid bank or a new lithium system. Quality marine LEDs with proper drivers also avoid the flicker and radio interference cheap bulbs can cause on VHF.
Underwater and deck lighting
Underwater lights are mounted through or onto the transom below the waterline, which usually means a haul-out, and they need correctly sized, fused circuits because they can draw significant current. Deck, spreader and cockpit lighting can almost always be installed at the slip.
Insurance, warranty and who pays
Lighting work is owner-paid. Navigation-light repairs are often quick, an hour or two at the slip. Cabin LED retrofits are priced per fixture plus labor. You get a fixed written price before work starts.
What's included
- Navigation light check on every switch
- Voltage-drop test at each nav fixture
- USCG-approved nav light replacement
- Anchor and steaming light repair
- Cabin and cockpit LED retrofits
- Deck and spreader lights
- Underwater light installation
- Switch panel labeling
DIY vs cheap fix vs proper lighting work
| Factor | DIY | Cheap operator | Proper marine work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nav fixtures | Generic LED bulb swap | Uncertified fixture | USCG-approved for the rated range |
| Wiring | Existing corroded run | Spliced | Drop ≤3%, sealed connections |
| Cabin LEDs | Cheapest bulbs | Flicker, VHF noise | Marine drivers, no interference |
| Testing | In daylight | One light at a time | Every light on its switch, voltage measured |
| Result | Possibly not legal | Dim at night | Visible to Rule 22 ranges |