Boat Lighting: how to transform a cabin in half a day’s work

Boat Lighting, a design tool

Very often, we tend to think that boat renovation is difficult and expensive, but fortunately modern products have changed things.

This is why we decided to demonstrate how, with just a few steps, it was possible to embellish and rejuvenate the master cabin of the Daydreamer, the lab-boat of The International Yachting Media, that has turned 33 years old just this year.

The master cabin features a big central bed framed, as often happens with the boats of the past, by fine and solid wood details that, if on the one hand enhance the sophistication of this boat, on the other are a little “heavy” and tend to “darken” the cabin.

The interior lighting techniques used at the time could not dispose of the current technologies and, moreover, they were affected by the need for a decidedly limited energy budget that was further complicated by the use of incandescent lights.

So, we took courage with both hands and started to browse the Quick Marine Lighting catalogue, a sort of opera omnia of light where 244 pages offer all you need for your boat.

Boat Lighting, Stage 1 : led strips and indirect light

In order to give the cabin a total makeover, our choice fell on indirect light and, in particular, on that amazing (and convenient) tool that bears the name of led strips. These consist of centimeters of light that, soft and flexible, can be easily positioned in the recesses, corners and edges of our boats.

We therefore positioned two white Quick Marine Lighting ” Led Strips” on the sides of the central bed, using a recess available in the cabin and taking advantage of the practicality of this led that, drowned in a small strip of flexible silicone, can virtually follow any profile and have the length we need. In other words, it’s an amazing “light by the meter”.

The two led strips, installed within no more than 20 minutes, once lit up, have literally revolutionized the perspective of this environment. The indirect light, indeed, has not only “rejuvenated” our cabin but has also extended its boundaries and made it definitively more elegant, more modern and lighter.

Mounting time: 20 minutes – Price: available on line from €20,00.

Boat Lighting, stage 2 : reading lights

After the main intervention, it was time to focus on details. Our cabin had two old-fashioned reading lights that, with their black-coloured plastic cover and halogen bulb, gave our master cabin a truly “decadent” look.

For this second stage and in order to enhance the precious wood details of the cabin, we chose the Califfa Wall lights that, drawing from the wide range of covers available in the catalogue, were delivered to us covered in brown leather.

But there’s more. You know than you get your cabin and the sockets are all taken up by cell phone chargers?

Well, the Califfa Wall lights are available in a USB version that, equipped with a hidden power outlet, finally eliminates the mess generated by cell phone chargers.

This prestigious and very solution added a touch of class to our cabin.

Mounting time : 15 minutes x 2 = 30 minutes  – Price: available on line from € 190,00

Boat Lighting, stage 3 : lots of light to distinguish colours

When the overall look of the cabin was finally improved, it was time to focus on practicality.

Our old ceiling lights provided a low yellow light that, in addition to unequivocally emphasizing the age of the boat, made it very difficult to guess the color of the clothes. They therefore needed to be replaced in order to provide plenty of white light to the cabin.

We chose the Mindy C lights that, equipped with abundant white light and a built-in switch, not only made replacement easy but definitively updated the cabin with their modern design.

Mounting time: 10 minutes per ceiling light.

Price: available on line from € 47,00

Conclusions

Our cabin has definitively changed for the better without spending much money. Installation is easy and fast, whether it is carried out by a professional or by the boat owner himself.

The Quick catalogue is extensive and allows you to enhance any environment with its ideal light. You can therefore choose the colours and shapes you prefer, update the interiors and the exteriors of your boat or, as often happens in recent years, simply equip them with underwater lights that, exploiting indirect light, will extend the boundaries of your boat beyond its physical limits.

Our holidays have just finished. What better time to get ready for the next ones and renovate our boat?

Where to buy lights:

Quick Marine Lighting Catalogue

Online Shop