Drift Away: Homemade LED light fixture

Monday, August 15, 2011

Homemade LED light fixture

Sunday was a very dreary and rainy day. New York City got an amazing 7.7" of rain. Despite my best efforts to carefully seal the new foredeck hatch and two side deck port lights, they leaked like crazy. The plywood that I duct taped over the hole in the helm station where I removed a window was as dry as a bone. I guess the answer to boat leaks is duct tape and plywood.

I needed to do an indoor boat project and I decided to make the new light for the master stateroom head. I had removed a flourescent fixture that burned out and decided to cover the hole with an idea I had for an LED unit. I bought a 3' piece of of teak at West Marine ($50 distributor price!!!) and cut off 16" of it. I then cut two 2.75" holes to hold two round LED units. It came out pretty well if I do say so myself.

Off.

On.

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Drift Away Specs

Drift Away is a 1980 Cheoy Lee 46' LRC (long range cruiser). She has twin 120 HP Ford Lehman diesels, 15 kw and 7.5 kw generators, and carries 800 gallons of fuel and 400 gallons of water. She cruises at 8 knots and has a top speed of 9.5 knots, plenty fast enough for this old sailor.

She is somewhat unique in that the inside helm staion is on the main level, along with the galley and saloon. There is also a helm on the flybridge. The lower level has three staterooms, each with a full head, plus the engine room.

Drift Away sat on the hard for many years before we bought it from an estate. She has suffered considerably from neglect, but we are amazed at all the things that work, like the two Ford Lehmans, and the Naiad stabilizers. There was and is much work to do, but we will return her to ship shape condition. Eventually. As long as it doesn't interfere with having fun.