Old ships have style, no question about it. Not only because of their classic lines, but often also from the inside - through cosy maha goniaus construction, which is rarely produced today. Unfortunately, however, the beautiful wood with its reddish grain really comes into its own in very few boats, because the windows in the flat superstructures are too small to allow enough light below deck.
The yachts therefore often appear dark and cramped, almost cave-like. This impression is mainly due to the fact that there is too much shade, especially in the cabins.
Bright light can help here. Unfortunately, however, ships were built at a time when cabin lighting was still one of the biggest power guzzlers on board - which is why the number and power of light sources was limited.
The 10 watt lamps commonly used at the time barely had the power to illuminate the interior of the mahogany or teak cabin. In the evenings, paraffin lamps were often used, not because of the atmosphere, but to save the battery.
A cosy get-together with friends in the cabin with all available light sources would have meant a consumption of 30 to 40 amps, which would have been too much for standard battery capacities at the time.
In the harbour and with shore power, more powerful 25 watt bulbs were an alternative, but they were hardly used at sea. Some owners who wanted more light with low power consumption therefore resorted to fluorescent tubes, which, however, gave a cabin the flair of a gymnasium. The first generation of LED lamps also had a reputation for producing a cold light that had nothing to do with cosiness.
But that is a thing of the past. Modern LED lamps are now the ideal solution on and below deck, as their light is no longer inferior to that of an incandescent bulb in terms of optical warmth - with significantly lower power consumption.
And LEDs can do even more: by using them skilfully, it is possible not only to make the ship appear larger and friendlier, but also to change its entire appearance.
However, replacing the old light bulbs with new LED inserts is by no means enough; it is much more important to position them correctly. The great thing is that lighting can now also be used on board a smaller boat.
However, the new technology not only creates a more attractive ambience below deck, but also functions in places where previously the installation of a lamp would not have been an option: for example, in the form of engine room lighting, which makes the torch between your teeth superfluous, or as a work light in the cockpit, which illuminates the running surfaces with glare-free red light during night-time manoeuvres.
In combination with a dimmer, it is even possible to regulate the brightness of the red light when travelling at night. The indirect lighting can be reduced to a minimum instead. It does not dazzle, but provides enough light for the skipper to orientate himself below deck. So there is light on board. But where is the best place to position the new technology?
Use of light sources
Most ships of the seventies and eighties were delivered with just two lamps in the centre of the saloon and two additional reading lamps at the ends of the benches. The light yield was correspondingly low. Often only the immediate vicinity of the lamps was illuminated, the rest was in the shade. A system that made life below deck possible, but did not create an atmosphere.
The arrangement of the new LED lighting is therefore primarily about two things: reducing shadow areas and illuminating the beautiful wooden fixtures, which radiate warmth with their reddish colour.
Shaded areas include the saloon floor, for example, which the light from the ceiling lamp never reaches because there is a table above it or the ceiling lamp is simply too weak. On older ships, the floor is often made of heavy, solid teak planks with an attractive grain - far too beautiful to be in the shade.
Working with spotlights from the ceiling would be impractical here, as a crew member would regularly be standing under the light source and the floor would be in shadow. The use of downward-facing light strips in the footwell prevents this.
This also applies to bookshelves, spice racks and crockery compartments in the pantry, which look like small caves if they are not covered by the ceiling light. It doesn't hurt to showcase their contents a little.
Another area that is in the shade on every boat is the ceiling. This is why a cabin quickly looks oppressive and flat.
In the past, the main aim when lighting a salon was to find energy-saving multi-solutions. This is why round beam lamps with an output of 10 watts were usually used on the ceilings. Their power consumption is manageable and the light has a wide beam angle.
It is mainly emitted downwards by the reflector, but the diffusing glass also directs some of it onto the walls. However, the ceiling itself is only dimly lit in the immediate vicinity of the lamp. Light strips are hardly suitable for ceiling lighting, as the upward-facing luminaires can quickly cause glare.
It therefore helps to play "across the board" when using them: The ideal solution is to use a halogen spotlight that shines its light at an aperture angle of 120 degrees, concentrating it on the centre of the saloon table, from whose smooth surface it is reflected and brightens up the cabin ceiling. Until now, such powerful spotlights have rarely been used in boatbuilding because they require a lot of power.
In addition, the rest of the cabin would be in the shade with such a localised light source. However, if modern LED spotlights are used instead of halogen lamps, the power consumption is significantly lower. Their output of just 2 watts means a consumption of only 0.17 amps in the 12-volt on-board power supply - not enough to be able to afford the use of additional light sources, which outweigh all the disadvantages of the spotlight.
These can be spotlights, for example, which are aimed directly at the mahogany wood from above with the sole purpose of putting the precious material in the right light.
Once again, the LED strips are ideal for this, for example mounted under the side deck above the wooden fittings. They illuminate the wood and create a warm, cosy atmosphere. If indirect lamps are also fitted in the shelves, there are hardly any shadow areas left below deck.
Attention, voltage peaks!
LED strips from DIY stores or furniture stores are often used on board because they are supplied with a 12-volt power supply unit. Their operating voltage is between 11 and 12.5 volts. However, direct connection to the on-board power supply is not always advisable.
On small cabin cruisers without large consumers, it may work without any problems; on larger yachts, however, a 12-volt voltage stabiliser must be connected upstream, which always provides the necessary voltage with input voltages of 12 to 30 volts and protects the lamps from overload. On boats with 24-volt on-board voltage, a voltage converter is required anyway.
If no stabiliser is connected upstream and the voltage falls below 11 volts, the function simply stops. However, if the lamps are overloaded when charging the batteries, they can be damaged. Some LED lights, such as reading lights for the foredeck, already have such a stabiliser integrated in the housing.
For strip lighting or tubular lighting, however, a component available separately from specialist retailers should be installed upstream. Dimmers are another helpful addition to the installation. Until a few years ago, their use with LEDs was still very problematic because the commercially available products were designed for wattages above 40 watts.
At that time, it was not yet possible to imagine such economical light sources as LEDs. Today, LED-compatible dimmers are also commercially available. These can be used to reduce the light intensity of individual lamps or even entire rows, such as the indirect lighting on the floor (courtesy light) of the entire ship. Or the lighting of the interior fittings, including the shelves and walls.
Light strips and tubes
A large number of LED technology providers can be found on the Internet. The wide price range naturally makes it tempting to fall back on cheaper models. When buying, however, you should make sure that the lamps and light strips are suitable for the intended use on board.
Open poles in salty air, for example, mean that corrosion will quickly set in. Buying suitable continuous rooflights and tubes is not a problem, but that is not the end of the story. What matters now are suitable mounting options - and these are rarely supplied.
The Swedish manufacturer Båtsystem (distributed in Germany by watski.de) has found clever solutions for the installation of indirect, shelf and wall lighting.
For the floor lighting, Watski supplies one metre long mahogany strips, which are rounded on the upper side and slotted on the lower side. They can be mounted on the sides of the berth benches, for example. A one millimetre wide light tube is then pressed into the slot, the LEDs of which are not soldered flat onto the strip as is customary, but onto its side.
They emit light to the side. There are connection options for the power supply at both ends. The two metre long LED tube can be extended or shortened. This creates an easily retrofittable solution for energy-saving footwell lighting.
Thanks to the use of a dimmer, it can also be permanently illuminated at sea and at night; it ensures that every step below deck actually lands where it should - a safety aspect.
A similar system is available for lighting the interior fittings: mahogany mouldings are glued under the side deck, with a plastic strip behind them to which a self-adhesive LED strip is attached. A white cover is fitted over this: acting as a diffuser, it ensures that the individual LED lights shine evenly onto the wood rather than at specific points.
Functional lighting
LED lights can also serve as an orientation aid on board. In a similar way to car manufacturers, who use a number of spotlights in the rear-view mirrors on the windscreen directed at the dashboard to help drivers find the right buttons in the dark.
On a boat, for example, such an "ambient light" can be created by an LED strip above the switch panel in the navigation corner, which is dimmed down to the lowest possible light intensity during night-time navigation.
The use of small courtesy lights in the staircase area and in the cockpit can also make it easier to find your way around when travelling. Another good place: above the sea valves of the on-board toilet - the light is sufficient to find your way around the bathroom without being dazzled.
Because even if the saloon and the chart table are equipped with red light for the night journey, the watch commander is usually night-blind for a quarter of an hour after a trip to the on-board toilet because a 25-watt bulb above the vanity mirror tries to illuminate every stubble.
Light strips are available on the market that are specially designed for outdoor use and are moulded with waterproof resin. Corrosion is no longer an issue with them. They can illuminate the side decks or foredeck when travelling at night.
Pulling the strings
Installing light sources is often a matter of minutes. Establishing the necessary power connection to the lamp, on the other hand, can take days, especially if you also have to take the diversions via the built-in dimmer.
Almost always, completely new circuits have to be created and wall panelling has to be dismantled to lay the cables. In some cases, planned lighting solutions cannot be realised - for example, if the ship has many inner shells through which it is difficult to lay new cable harnesses.
The cable installation for the cabin lighting was often glued to the inner shell before it was installed in the hull; it is then impossible to replace or add to it. Retrofitting new light sources should therefore be carefully considered.
Older ships with purely wooden fittings, on the other hand, are usually ideal for retrofitting indirect LED lighting. If necessary, new PVC cable ducts (with a wood look) can be fitted along the wooden bulkheads. Care must be taken to ensure that these do not wobble or chafe, even in rough seas, as connections can quickly come loose, which could result in a cable fire.
Power consumption
Anyone who used to sit in a dark cave will be amazed at how little electricity the newly designed, brightly lit cabin consumes. With a consumption of around 5 watts per metre of light strip (around 0.42 amps) and 1.2 watts per reading lamp, barely 3 amps per hour are needed for the brightly lit saloon.
This is even a little less than the two 10-watt lamps mounted on the ceiling on the shipyard side used to consume. In addition, the ambience is now much friendlier without shadows.
No question: LEDs do not create the romantic atmosphere of a paraffin lamp - but the indirect light creates a different feeling of warmth. In any case, electric light couldn't be warmer.
