Well, the time has come in our refit to address lighting. Red and
white has my attention at the moment.

I've had the opportunity to try 12-LED bars, and conclude that they're
inadequate for reading in bed, but something like the 39-unit
replacements for Edison bases might do just fine. How to get them over
our heads, however, is a real challenge.

However, what's really got me thinking is the rope light concept. You
can buy 150 feet of the stuff for under 2bux a foot in red and amber
(good for ambient lighting), and more for other colors.

Methinks that running that stuff around the bimini frame might make for
a nice ambient light topsides for when at anchor, supplementing the
small incandescent (normally a stern light) lighting the table, and
around the sole in red for great passagemaking night vision results.
Hoisting the middle of a full roll to outline the stays would make for
an interesting anchor light :{))

One LED per about an inch, depending on who makes/supplies it,
typically supplied with 5 specific connectors and umpteen mounting
fixtures, and you can cut it each foot. Can't figure out why one can't
cut it anywhere, skin back the tubing, and make your own connection, if
you had to (maybe each foot has some sort of resistor/chip/control?),
but even so, except for very limited situations, it seems this would
make a great low-level lighting solution.

Running it around the inside of the control panel (to see the switches'
labels) in red (about 6' in my case), over the kitchen counter, in the
heads, and other places, would make for great ability to go below on a
watch.

Looked at fluorescents, too, but the marine ones are atrociously high
cost, and low output. Got a 4' from American Van for less than a small
two-bulb unit (made by the same 'trimline' company); my workbench will
be bathed brilliantly :{)) My old red/white galley Guest fluorescent
gave up the ghost recently; they're atrociously expensive, and don't
make much light, so the red/white rope is interesting!

Anyone played with, or, better, installed, 12V LED rope lighting?

L8R

Skip and Lydia, finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
Posting from web so can't give usual sig :{/) for links to pix...