Where do you get the bulbs or better yet, does anyone have a solution to replace the insides with led? Id like to do the same to the cabin lights. Problem is the dimmers. Is there a good led that can dim as well?
Any advice welcome.
Walt
Replacement deck lighting 380 Santego 1994
- buster53
- Admiral

- Posts: 1170
- Joined: May 12th, 2017, 10:41 am
- Vessel Info: 2001, Carver 356
- Location: Gwynn’s Island, VA
- Has thanked: 10 times
- Been thanked: 285 times
Re: Replacement deck lighting 380 Santego 1994
Google marine LED. There are a host of companies that provide both replacement bulbs and complete fixtures. I’ve replaced a number of both festoon style and halogens. Any bulb you have, has a LED replacement. They can be bought online or just about any marine/RV dealer.
I bought my festoon style from superbrightLEDs.com and my halogen style from Amazon.
A couple other companies… marinebeam.com and doctorLED.com and plenty of others.
I bought my festoon style from superbrightLEDs.com and my halogen style from Amazon.
A couple other companies… marinebeam.com and doctorLED.com and plenty of others.
Last edited by buster53 on September 28th, 2021, 3:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
Viper
- CYO Supporter

- Posts: 6267
- Joined: July 10th, 2015, 9:58 pm
- Vessel Info: 1989 Carver 3807 Aft Cabin
- Location: Ontario, Canada
- Has thanked: 475 times
- Been thanked: 1791 times
Re: Replacement deck lighting 380 Santego 1994
Welcome aboard Walt.
I replaced all my bulbs with LEDs bought on Amazon.ca. Take note of the type of bases the bulbs have and search the web for base types to get a base number. This will help narrow your search for the correct bulb. I had about 4 different bulb types to replace on mine. If dimmers are involved just look for ones that specifically say they are "dimmable", put that in the search title along with the bulb type. Look at the ratings and customer feedback, that will give you some idea of their quality, and you get what you pay for so if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. You'll also typically want to choose either cool white or warm white. I went with with cool white in the heads and warm white throughout the cabin. Are yours halogen bulbs or regular incandescent?
I replaced all my bulbs with LEDs bought on Amazon.ca. Take note of the type of bases the bulbs have and search the web for base types to get a base number. This will help narrow your search for the correct bulb. I had about 4 different bulb types to replace on mine. If dimmers are involved just look for ones that specifically say they are "dimmable", put that in the search title along with the bulb type. Look at the ratings and customer feedback, that will give you some idea of their quality, and you get what you pay for so if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. You'll also typically want to choose either cool white or warm white. I went with with cool white in the heads and warm white throughout the cabin. Are yours halogen bulbs or regular incandescent?
- buster53
- Admiral

- Posts: 1170
- Joined: May 12th, 2017, 10:41 am
- Vessel Info: 2001, Carver 356
- Location: Gwynn’s Island, VA
- Has thanked: 10 times
- Been thanked: 285 times
Re: Replacement deck lighting 380 Santego 1994
Good point about cool vs warm. I prefer warm…cool is just too bluish for my tastes. Warm color temps are in the high 2000’s to low 3000’s. Cool color temps are in the high 3000’s, low 4000’s. Neutral or natural are in between.
- ColRon
- Admiral

- Posts: 581
- Joined: April 24th, 2017, 6:06 pm
- Vessel Info: 1989 Carver Santego 3867
“Escape Plan” - Location: Murray, KY
- Has thanked: 77 times
- Been thanked: 157 times
Re: Replacement deck lighting 380 Santego 1994
Walt, I purchased led bulbs from superbrightleds.com for both inside and outside and they fit the old fixtures. They were also cheaper than a marine store.
Ron
1989 Carver Santego 3867
“Escape Plan”
Murray, KY

1989 Carver Santego 3867
“Escape Plan”
Murray, KY
- Walt
- Scurvy Dog

- Posts: 7
- Joined: September 28th, 2021, 11:03 am
- Vessel Info: 1994 Carver Santego 380
454 Crusader XL
Lake Ontario - Location: Toronto Canada
- Has thanked: 3 times
Re: Replacement deck lighting 380 Santego 1994
Im having a hard time finding the base number for the bulbs. is it on the bulbs themselves?
- buster53
- Admiral

- Posts: 1170
- Joined: May 12th, 2017, 10:41 am
- Vessel Info: 2001, Carver 356
- Location: Gwynn’s Island, VA
- Has thanked: 10 times
- Been thanked: 285 times
Re: Replacement deck lighting 380 Santego 1994
Go to one of the LED web sites and just match up what you have with pictures. They probably have a page showing the different bases just for that purpose.
- Midnightsun
- CYO Supporter

- Posts: 2984
- Joined: March 27th, 2016, 2:27 pm
- Vessel Info: The Midnight Sun
2007 41CMY
Volvo D6-370's - Location: Montreal, Canada
- Has thanked: 272 times
- Been thanked: 1193 times
Re: Replacement deck lighting 380 Santego 1994
Been there done that on several boats. Problem is the fixtures get old and brittle with time and will require replacement eventually. Not sure what type you have but getting a complete LED light fixture will give you a better lighting compared to just changing the bulbs although either way does work. These are direct replacements for many models of Carvers.
https://www.amazon.ca/Dream-Lighting-Re ... ive&sr=1-1
Dimming! In order to dim led lights one must have access to both positive and negative leads going to the fixture. Unfortunately boats are wired with the positive lead switching which means you only have access to 1 wire in most cases at the original switch. If you can track down the negative side then yes it will work however I know in my salon this had me scratching my head and left it stock for another day when I feel like really getting into it.
https://www.amazon.ca/Dream-Lighting-Re ... ive&sr=1-1
Dimming! In order to dim led lights one must have access to both positive and negative leads going to the fixture. Unfortunately boats are wired with the positive lead switching which means you only have access to 1 wire in most cases at the original switch. If you can track down the negative side then yes it will work however I know in my salon this had me scratching my head and left it stock for another day when I feel like really getting into it.