When the owner asked us to provide the lighting design for his new yacht "Tivoli", a 90 foot, Doggersbank offshore with trans-Atlantic capability, we didn't anticipate the great challenge it became.

Applying the principals of good interior lighting design to the boat was quite familiar, however finding marine grade fixtures to execute the design was more difficult, as the standard fixtures used in the boating industry did not address our primary concern, glare, due to the low ceilings. In the end, through the use of mockups, we conviced the owner to use custom designed fixtures, which are now in regular production. we also worked with the architect and builder to provide a more acceptable method of cove lighting.

c u s t o m   f i x t u r e s


We began the project by researching the designs common on yachts of this caliber. That research dictated one of our main objectives, made critical by the low ceilings, to reduce the amount of glare from the fixtures. The low ceilings also ment that the fixtures had to accept spread lenses and louvers to control the light. Desipte extensive research into fixtures used in marine environments, our search for fixtures that addressed our needs was fruitless. It seems that "standard" fixtures, used in yacht lighting, work at placing the lamps as low as possible to minimize the recess depth and "maximize" the amount of usable light, which in turn creates the most glare. After presenting this research and a simple mockup to the owner, he both agreed that having the fixtures custom made was the only option.

Working closely with a manufacturer in England, we custom designed an MR16 downlight and an MR11 low-profile "eyeball" accent. The fixtures, made of solid milled brass to reduce the effects of corrosion, and were powered by remote transformers to remove as much heat as possible from the ceiling cavity. The maximum depth allowed was 4 inches, which even with the custom design proved to be impossible; so the ceiling was lowered 1 inch to allow for a 5 inch-deep fixture. Both fixtures set the lamp back from the trim about an inch, and they are designed to accept lenses to help control glare and to soften the light where necessary. Lowering the ceiling was no easy task, but it also provided a huge benfit with the design of the cove lighting.

c o v e s  o n  f i r e


Boats of this caliber tend to have numerous coves illuminated with rope lighting and this was no exception. We were not thrilled at the prospect of using rope light because of the uneven light that it provides and we did some research into the use of rope light on other boats. This revealed two possible problems: one, rope lights can cause fires if the coves are too small for the amount of heat generated; and two, when a section of rope light burns out it usually requires replacing the entire section, a costly job as the fine finishes can be so easily damaged. To solve both of these physical problems and address our aesthetic concerns as well, all of the coves on the yacht were enlarged by 1 inch. A slightly larger cove provided us several benefits:

• It allows air circulation to cool and remove heat.
• It allows for replacing the lamps by hand which in turn allows for the use of a linear, festoon lamp strip with replaceable, 10,000 hour lamps.
• It allows the light to travel further out on the ceiling, making the cove effect much smoother.
• It allows for the use of low voltage strips, keeping line voltage out of harms way.

However the remote transformers introduced other concerns that needed to be addressed.

p o w e r  +  n o i s e


The remote transformers presented another challenge. Steel-hulled boats are very sensitive to noise and vibration and are capable of transmitting and amplifying those vibrations to undesirable locations. When dimming a standard core and coil magnetic transformer, noise and vibration is inevitable. To prevent this, Q-Tran low voltage power supply centers with toroidal transformers were installed for all of the low voltage lighting. When dimmed, the toroidal transformers are nearly inaudible. The power centers also include individual circuit breakers for an extra layer of protection in case of a short in the low voltage wiring.

c o n t r o l


To complete the design package, a "whole boat" lighting control system was suggested. At first, the owner rejected this due to a colleague's bad experience with preset dimming systems. The alternative-a complex, local switching and dimming plan-was worked out; however, once it was presented, the shear number of switches on the wall were objectionable. After a demo of a preset system, the owner agreed to go ahead with a complete control system. The installed system allows for easy adjustment and operation of the boat's entire lighting system with minimal control stations. The owner is more than pleased with the system, now wishing he had used one in his residence as well.

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