When knowledge and ambition diverge-- ask.

I have a number of LED strip lights on my boat. The ones I use for long periods eventually die, and the ones that only get intermittent use are still going strong. I have a lot that still work and even more new strips on rolls that i would like not to waste.

The house voltage is about 14.4V, i suspect this is too high, and i'm not willing to change this. I have used LM 2596 buck converters on a few strips and i believe that has helped. Nothing about this is expensive but I am remote, and don't have access to shops to buy this stuff, and I also don't want to bring a whole bunch of circuit boards into the world for no reason.

So first question: Is voltage my problem?

2nd question: Can I use resistors to drop the voltage down, and if so how do i calculate the value?

I understand this is a basic question, I just want to fix problems and learn. I have limited resources and when i experiment blindly i tend to brake stuff before I start getting results.