The installation is easy enough, after all, it's a 12 vdc system, that means only two wires.  The lights do care which is positive and which is negative so know which is which and connect them in accordance with the instructions that come with the lights.  Being in and around a salt water environment I used solder to connect and then covered the connections with Heat Shrink Tubing.  Everything you need is available at the local Radio Shack.

The first photo shows an installation in a location where a stock light had been previously installed.  There were originally only four lights installed in the main salon.  The second picture shows where I installed one of two lights on either side of the mast, one is over the table, the other is over the walk way, they do wonders for lighting up the space in the evening.

In the pictures below you can see my installation in the head.  I replaced the fluorescent lighting in the galley and the head, I also added one above the sink (the last picture).  In short, the light is where I need it, not under a piece of wood trim in the corners of the space.

The Cost:

Lights: $336.00 (14 lights x $24.00)

Conduit: $12.00

Wire, heat shrink, solder: $20.00

Grand Total: 

$368.00 and three days labor.

Back to Projects