John MacDougall, Annie Laurie, #26
Here are some photos of my installation of Orca Green Marine (OGM) LED Nav Lights on the bow pulpit..... (I do have an OGM LED Tri-Color Nav Light / Anchor Light Combo unit on the masthead, and it's been working GREAT for a couple of years.....)
I've been frustrated about the repeated failures of the Catalina-installed Hella nav lights.....although typically it just requires a cleaning of the contacts and re-seating the bulb, that is a real pain to do if you're approaching a coastline, or inlet, at night, etc.... Not to mention the fact that the big bulky lenses are prone to being yanked off, whether by the sea or a spinnaker, etc.....and taping them on with "gorrila tape" just seemed tacky.......
And, considering how bright my OGM LED masthead unit is (it's the brightest anchor light in anchorages and the Tri-Color is VERY bright and clear), I figured their red and green, pulpit-mounted, running lights would be bright as well..... And I was correct! They're much brighter than the incandescent Hella's.......
These new OGM LED Nav Lights are not only bright and clear, but are also completely sealed......and come with their own wiring pigtail (2'- 3' long) attached, and sealed.......and should last a LONG time..... They are a much smaller footprint and should not catch any lines, etc.....and have no lenses or other parts to come loose.... So, all-in-all, they're GREAT!!!
Oh, except for the cost....... I paid $160 each, that's $320 for the forward running lights....... That's not cheap, but should pay for themselves in sort order, since I'll have no maintenance problems.....and the advantage of a significantly brighter Nav Light when motoring........
Enjoy the photos....
(Click on picture for full size)
