Interior Lighting upgrade

May 2024

The upgraded interior lighting is a major improvement.

The ceiling downlights were replaced with touch-switchable close-to-ceiling "boob lights". (trade term)   The distribution (of light) from these fixtures is nearly 180deg and eliminates the cave effect.  The photo of the nav station shows this well.    

Initially the nav station, galley, and main head each rcceived an upgraded fixture which can be cycled between red, white (dimmable), and off.   These work so well I will add one each to the sleeping areas and forward head as well, as the red lighting could be maintained while sailing at night.  

Even though the new fixtures are wired as one-to-one replacements of the old, and are therefore controlled in groups by the orignal switches, the touch-switchable feature is useful because individual fixtures can be turned off, allowing for different "scenes".  (another trade term)   The dimming and red options on those fixtures add even more versatility.

Summary of fixture choices:

• The wall-mounted fixture in the forward head was replaced by a 2W elegant "sconce".
• The 3W red/white fixtures are especially well suited for areas where night illumination is desireable.  
• The remaining ceiling downlights were replaced with the switchable "boob lights" mentioned above - 4W 4.5" units in most ceiling areas, and 3W 3.5" units where it made sense. 
• I have also purchased 4 gooseneck reading lamps, but have yet to determine where they will be used.

Loads and Wiring

Alubat's use of screw terminal blocks makes replacement quite simple.   

The interior lighting originally reqiured four 16A breakers to manage the loads.   This is not surprising as the celing downlights used halogen lamps, and other fixtures required two small incandescent lamps.   The upgraded lighting has a total load of approximately 70w, so call it 6A.    This is well within the capacity of ONE circuit, freeing up three breakers.  Perhaps I can repurpose these and declutter the nav station even further.   

 The photos below are overexposed, the red is not so bright as pictured, nor is the white so glaring. 

Original Lighting (and why it sucks)

While some of the interior fixtures had received energy-saving LED lamps (bulbs) to replace the originals, the lighting left a lot to be desired.  Why?    

The 2" downlights in the overhead areas are designed to distribute light in a conical beam.  As a result, these work poorly as area lighting in low-ceilinged  applciations, resulting in the dreary "cave effect", where the conical light distrubtion leaves the upper portions and much of the rest of the space dark.   While such fixtures were the a fashionable breakthrough for certain uses (especially with high ceilings) in the pre-LED era, there are much better choices today. The other RV-style fixtures aren't much better.  

  Area lighting should illuminate the area evenly, and with adequate light levels.  Task lighting speaks for itself, and accent lighting is designed to highlight a feature.  Area lighting is the primary challenge in retrofitting a boat.  Area lighting should be designed to be brighter than may be desired at times, and with light levels controlled through dimming.  Being able to control each fixture helps manage the overall light level, and as mentioned, permits differnt "scenes" which can "shape" an otherwise   uniformly lit space, making it more interesting when desired.

One funny thing I noticed when working on the boat is that the head sinks are actually translucent.  When lit from below, they glow.   (No, I didnt do anything with that, but when the other 3482 items on the to-do list ae done, maybe I will.)

Previous Posts/Working Notes

Corroded

Ugly, yellowed and orroded)

Bad lighting

Easily replaced bad lighting!

Not yet sure what to say or do about these quite yet....

Existing

• 11ea 70mm recessed downlights. 
• 5 ea Adjustable spotlights (theoretically these are reading lights.)   
• 5 ea ugly fixtures, 1 in each head, one over galley sink, one at Nav stn, one in forepeak.