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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Mast Lighting

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sweetlou
1st Mate

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53 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/17/2011 : 08:42:14

Hello All
At the end of last season I noted both my anchor and combo steaming/deck light were out.

I have replaced the bulbs which looked fine, but now need to figure out a way to testtest them with the mast down.

Its a three prong connection, any ideas?

Thanks.

C25 '83 FK SR
Chicago, IL

Edited by - on

sweetlou
1st Mate

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53 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2011 : 08:55:33

I forgot to mention that I verified power at deck plug and tested bulbs with a 9v.

Edited by - on

Scooter
Navigator

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USA
228 Posts

Response Posted - 04/18/2011 : 03:04:39

Others on this forum may have a better idea but I just bought an extra plug/socket and made an extension cable. My deck plug is a 4 prong plug/socket. I bought an extra one, made sure the wiring was correct, and simply created an extension cord. While the mast is down I can plug one end into the deck plug on the cabin top and the other end plugs into the plug at the bottom of the mast.

It may be a bit expensive but not only can I easily test "all" the mast lights while the mast is down, but I have a spare plug/socket if I need one in a pinch.

You can always use pieces of wire and alligator clips. You can use a piece of wire large enough to snug into the socket (without damaging it). Or... find a pin that fits the socket.

Again, others may have a better idea.

Good Luck.

Edited by - on

sweetlou
1st Mate

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Response Posted - 04/18/2011 : 06:23:18

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Scooter
 

You can always use pieces of wire and alligator clips. You can use a piece of wire large enough to snug into the socket (without damaging it). Or... find a pin that fits the socket.

Again, others may have a better idea.

Good Luck.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I thought a bit more about my issue yesterday and I think my actual question is, how do I go about troubleshooting from the lights on down to the mast end of the deck connector?

I have power at the deck, good bulbs (they were not actually burned out) but no lights last fall when the mast was up.

Does anyone know which pin is which on a three prong plug? (two of the same size, one larger). I have an anchor light and a combo deck/steaming light (the latter installed by the PO, on a single "spreader" switch which limits the utility of the deck light. This isn't super desirable in and of itself but I would prefer to troubleshoot the three prong existing connection before re-engineering things. Can the mast end of the connector be readily disassembled?

Edited by - sweetlou on 04/18/2011 06:31:11

NautiC25
Admiral

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USA
957 Posts

Response Posted - 04/18/2011 : 06:54:30

I would first start out by checking the light fixtures and their connections. If the fixtures are brittle or corroded, then change them out and see if that fixes your issue. Corrosion could lead to a poor wire connection.
Also check the deck plug's connections to the wire.

Edited by - NautiC25 on 04/18/2011 06:55:14

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 04/18/2011 : 07:33:19

Since your PO did some lighting modifications, it may not match the original wiring diagram. The bigger of the three prongs should be the common ground. If the bulbs are good and you suspect an open in the circuit somewhere, use a multimeter to check resistance of each leg. If both sets of lights are not working, odds are there's an open in the common ground.

http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/manbro/pictures/owners11.gif

Edited by - on

C25OBrien
1st Mate

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USA
44 Posts

Response Posted - 04/18/2011 : 12:42:18

I had the same issue last year. I was able to solve it using a voltage muli-meter (12 bucks on amazon) and a boat battery wired with lamp cord and alligator clips. Slide back the upper casing on the male end of the plug from the base of the mast wire, then connect the battery to the wires in order to test each fixture. (get the wiring diagram from this site). Even if the light does not turn on, be sure to test the voltage at the wires entering the light fixture. You wont get a full 12 volts as the wires are long and old, but I was able to get enough volts to power the new LED's that I bought for the fixtures (my fixtures were loose and corroded, I cleaned and tightened them and it did the trick). If you have a helper to be at the other end of the mast you can narrow down the culprit pretty quickly. If you are not getting volts at the fixture, the wires are shot.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5378 Posts

Response Posted - 04/18/2011 : 19:33:48

If you have a three socket plug and want to figure out which connection is which, do the following with a voltmeter. Turn on the anchor and steaming lights. Set the voltmeter to 20 volts. Connect the red to terminal 1 and the black to terminal 2. If you measure 0 volts, these are both the positive 12 volt connections. One is anchor, the other is steaming.

Next connect the red to terminal 1 and the black to terminal 3. You should measure 12 volts. Switch off the anchor light first. If it remains at 12 volts, the #1 is the steaming light. If it goes to 0 volts, it is the anchor light.

Next, turn on the anchor light and turn off the steaming light. The voltage between 2 and 3 ought to be 12 volts. Switch off the anchor light and switch on the steaming light, and it should read 0 volts.

Without knowing which is which, you can determine which connection is controlled by which switch using this approach.

Edited by - on

sweetlou
1st Mate

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53 Posts

Response Posted - 04/26/2011 : 10:56:44

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Voyager
 If you have a three socket plug and want to figure out which connection is which, do the following with a voltmeter. Turn on the anchor and steaming lights. Set the voltmeter to 20 volts. Connect the red to terminal 1 and the black to terminal 2. If you measure 0 volts, these are both the positive 12 volt connections. One is anchor, the other is steaming.

Next connect the red to terminal 1 and the black to terminal 3. You should measure 12 volts. Switch off the anchor light first. If it remains at 12 volts, the #1 is the steaming light. If it goes to 0 volts, it is the anchor light.

Next, turn on the anchor light and turn off the steaming light. The voltage between 2 and 3 ought to be 12 volts. Switch off the anchor light and switch on the steaming light, and it should read 0 volts.

Without knowing which is which, you can determine which connection is controlled by which switch using this approach.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thanks, using your advice I was able to isolate the problem on the mast end of the deck connection. Easy fix :)

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 04/26/2011 : 11:16:04

There is a wealth of info in the [url="http://www.amazon.com/Caseys-Complete-Illustrated-Sailboat-Maintenance/dp/0071462848"]book by Don Casey [/url]about installing, troubleshooting, and repairing electrical wiring in sailboats, as well as info on all the other systems of the boat.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 04/26/2011 : 11:45:30

Glad you figured it out.

Do you have 3 or 4 wires in the mast? I am curious because I went through the same testing and fiddling as you, and then discovered I had 4-wires but one was tucked up inside the mast. It was easy-peasy to run a 4th wire and replace the deck plug to get all the lights on the mast running. Something you may want to consider if your mast is already down.

I found that the deck plug is exactly over the aft bulkhed, but that by angling a drill forward, I got a hole to sneak a wire through right at the edge of the bulkhead. Running it from there to the panel was a breeze, and there was already a switch waiting for it on the panel. I now have a steaming light!

ETA - If you put on any LED lights, you will have to be sure you wire them with the proper polarity or they won't light up. We ran into this with our anchor light. Using the method "Voyager" outlined above, pay attention to whether the volts are positive or negative to be sure your polarity is right before you solder the leads.

Edited by - Prospector on 04/26/2011 12:52:36

sweetlou
1st Mate

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53 Posts

Response Posted - 04/27/2011 : 18:47:35

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Prospector
 Glad you figured it out.

Do you have 3 or 4 wires in the mast?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Unless there is a splice above somewhere, it is three wires. I went with incandescent/halogen bulbs so no issue there.

Edited by - on

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