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Mast lights inop

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Tradewind
Admiral

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USA
531 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/30/2009 : 15:12:30

Checked my mast lights yesterday in preparation for night sailing on the 4th, the steaming light and deck light were both inop, not sure about the anchor light, hard to see in the daylight. I suspect a ground problem if they're all out. Does anyone know the color code for the mast lights? I'll get the voltmeter to it tomorrow to troubleshoot, the deck plug was replaced last year so I suspect it's OK. I may put on a heavier duty deck plug, I don't like the light weight plastic.

On a related topic, anyone gone up the mast in a bosun's chair? I'm not sure I trust the small halyards.

1998 250WK #331
CILCIA
Steve
Pensacola, FL

Edited by - on

Tom Potter
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1913 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2009 : 16:55:01

Steve,
Try to clean the contacts at the deck plug. Little bit of sand paper rolled tightly to go down in the little holes (female plug) then clean the male plug. I use a little [url="http://www.etrailer.com/p-11755.htm"]Dielectric Grease[/url] on the plug once its clean.

Edited by - Tom Potter on 06/30/2009 16:58:57

Tradewind
Admiral

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USA
531 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2009 : 19:21:49

Thanks Tom. The deck plug, female end, is new and shiny. I'll take the male end apart and check connections. On the deck end, female, I'm wondering which is ground, deck, steaming and anchor. I plan to turn on each one to make sure I have power to the deck plug then go from there. Bulbs may be burned out also, I've never sailed this boat at night so have never used the lights in 3 years.

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5371 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2009 : 22:00:28

Steve
Flip on the bow light and anchor light switches and check the voltage between each receptacle (female) on the deck plug. You should find at least two pairs of pins where you have 12 volts. If you do not measure 12V here, then check the fuses in the panel with your ohmmeter.

If the fuses are fine, then there is a discontinuity between the panel and the receptacle. If you run a long lead from the ground wire on the panel or the battery to your voltmeter's black lead, and you measure 12 volts on a few pins with your red lead, then you know you have a bad ground lead.

If instead you find two pairs of pins (i.e. 1+2, and 3+2, then 2 is ground) with 12 volts, turn off the anchor light switch, and you'll know which pin is the anchor light and which is the bow light.

If you have power on both pins but neither light works, then it is possible that the plug is defective. If the plug is ok, then the ground lead going up the mast could be bad, or both bulbs and or the light fixtures could be bad.

In this case, you will have to remove your mast to replace the anchor and bow lights, light fixtures or cables. If you pull the mast, you might want to inspect your stays and guys, your cables and fixtures, your spreaders and your sheeves.

Finally, you can fake it if you don't have time to pull the mast -- when you anchor, you can take down the main sail and hoist a bright battery powered light up to the top of the mast using your main halyard (but make sure you have a downhaul to retrieve the light later on).

For a bootleg bow light, you can get another battery powered light and secure it up as high as you can reach on the mast using duct tape, velcro, bungies or a piece of line wrapped around the light and the mast. Be careful not to bind your halyards though.

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Tradewind
Admiral

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USA
531 Posts

Response Posted - 07/01/2009 : 05:06:14

Thanks Bruce, good info. I'll get to it this afternoon or maybe Friday. I appreciate the suggestions.

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.