Cockpit Lights
When we were first united with KINDNESS, some of the cockpit light bulbs had given up the ghost and needed to be replaced. So the first thought was, why not replace with LEDs and be done with it. Of course this is a boat project so nothing is quite that simple. When we tried to open the light enclosure, the plastic had become brittle and some of the clips/teeth on the lens broke. Ok so now what?
Surrounding some of the lights, we observed rust stains on the gel coat where the metal under the lens had started to rust. This combined with the broken lens pushed the decision in favor of replacing the whole light enclosure as opposed to just bulb. Ideally we wanted tri-color lights we could use as red, blue, or white. However, we experience difficulty in finding the right size.
Eventually, after going to the boat show in Annapolis, we discovered what we were looking for. We then, with the boat show discount of 20%, ordered five Imtra Ripple Tri-Color Lights for the not so low price of $740 with tax. This was more than we had hoped to pay but they look and work great. However, a Facebook user warned after the fact to be careful because they had new lights that rusted within a year. This of course, has robbed us of the joy of being finished with the project as we will now have to keep a careful eye out for rust.
Special kudos to Diane who handled all the installation as I recovered from back surgery.
