I was real happy with myself for getting all of the new salon light mount panels installed. So I got busy on the wiring for the Kai LEDs.
18 gauge cable for the LED lights
Let there be light!
New LED wiring is in place and temporarily hooked up
New wiring for a 50-year old light fixture
I’ll be replacing the old incandescent bulbs with LEDs eventually
50w incandescent is more of a heater than a light
The LEDs are 7w. All of them together have about the same amp draw as that one OEM bulb.
With the salon light wiring in, I grabbed my drill and poked a big hole in the salon roof.
The navigation and anchor light wiring goes up to the mast here
First, I used a hole saw to cut partially through the salon roof plywood
Then I went up topside and finished the cut
We made the cabin top ‘bullet-proof’ with a layer of kevlar topping the heavy fiberglass mat. I was concerned that the hole saw would catch and pull the kevlar rather than cutting through it. As I was starting the cut, I was imagining kevlar fibers yanking up big chunks of fairing compound and Awl Grip Matterhorn White. Fortunately, the saw cut through the kevlar like butter. You want to talk about feeling relief???
Next I wetted out the hole with epoxy
There are three big, chromed bronze machine screws that hold the mast base to the cabin top. I’ll have to add a 1/2″ plywood panel here, too, so the screws will tighten up against the headliner at the right height. But as I was thinking that through, I realized I’d made a big mistake.
When I was installing the new light mounting panels, I used the same sort of approach I’d have used for a conventional, perforated Chris Craft headliner that’s stapled directly to the overhead frames. The Whisper Walls tracks are 1/2″ high, so I just needed to use 1/2″ plywood for the mounts, and make sure they’re lined up horizontally within each 54″ wide panel. Yeah, well…wrong. And the more I stared at those panels while I was doing the wiring, the more completely I realized that I had to re-do them.
Testing the theory
This scrap of 1/2″ plywood is the height of the track
And this scrap of plywood is pushed up against the frame 54″ away
Whisper Wall fabric is taut and flat when it’s installed. So the straight edge between the two scraps of 1/2″ ply is on the same plane as the headliner fabric will be. The overhead light mounting panels need to be on the same plane.
Houston, we have a problem
Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Redoing the New Salon Light mounts
1969chriscraftroamer46 
Been following you since day one, hope you get over the medical “speed bump” soon! I know very little about renovating boats so take this not as a suggestion but as a “what if”. So, what if you added 50% more LED lights? My experience re lighting is the more the better. Even more so when you have an open ceiling and an easy option to add more LED lights. Ensure that the zones can be switched and you will have every option you might ever need. Couple that with the lowered prices of LED lights and the negligible current draw and the question is not, “Why” but “Why not?”
Whatever you do, given your track record, the finished project will be incredible!
Thanks Bob!
I am sort of taking the approach you’re suggesting on the lights. I’m going with the Kai recessed units as the main lighting. With the ten of them I’ve got in the salon, it’ll have 2.5x the lumen equivalents to the OEM lighting. I’ve also been testing out different LED bulbs for use in the OEM Chris Craft light fixtures, which will be individually controllable. I’ve tested 7, 10, and 15 watt LED bulbs thus far (50, 75, and 120w equivalent in incandescent) and have one more variant coming that could be a game-changer for those OEM fixtures. Once I’m done testing, I’ll be posting my findings. With all of the lights on, it’ll be quite bright I think.
Stay tuned!
Q
So, leave the panels installed and make a trim ring and longer screws for each fixture that brings it down to the right level? Sounds like an easy fix.
Keep up the good work!
Doug
Hi Doug. It’s actually a bit more complicated than that. These KAI LEDs are held in place with springs that seat against the backside of the panels. So the panels themselves have to be at the height of and the same plane as the headliner. I finally got them done, but I wish I hadn’t wasted time installing them wrong twice! lol
Cheers,
Q
Q
Yeah… the mantra for boat repair is: “Nothing is ever simple”.
Doug
I miss your updates about your Chris Craft retrofit. I hope all is OK. Where are you?
Hi Bill, and thanks for pinging me. I posted today with updates, but until I get over a medical issue and a new insurance provider, I won’t be posting much. Stay tuned, though…I’m not giving up yet!
Cheers,
Q
We have all had our “Oops” Moments– This one ain’t all that bad though..