quote:

---

Originally posted by bigelowp

I kept my original lights but added LED tri-color on mast, which works very well.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Leon Sisson

Personally, I really like the original 1979 whale eye lights in the topsides below the rub rail.  On my Catalina 22, I have the single red/green nav light mounted to the pulpit.  I think they can look a bit ambiguous straight on from a distance, and it's a sitting duck for damage approaching docks. 

I upgraded my whale eye lights with new lenses and sockets, red/green LED bulbs, and better protective covers in the anchor locker.  I rewired my boat using marine grade electrical cable and tinned copper terminals, crimped then soldered, and heat shrink tubing. I added RTV silicone sealant inside the heat shrink anywhere near the bilges.

If I had it to do over again (which I did when I got a Catalina 22), I'd use tinned copper crimp terminals with hot-glue-lined heat shrink insulating sleeves and a mini heat gun.

As for routing wiring, I found I could hide a few small wires behind the teak trim at the hull-deck seam.  I ran larger bundles between the hull and liner.  I avoided long unsupported runs by adding P-clamps and/or PVC electrical conduit.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stinkpotter

quote:

---

Originally posted by bigelowp

I kept my original lights but added LED tri-color on mast, which works very well.

---

Peter: Does this mean you display two sets of red-green? (Just curious...)

BTW (to whomever), when re-doing running lights, be aware the USCG regs do not allow for putting LED bulbs into fixtures made for incandescents. The combination could fail to show the proper color or be visible at the required distance. In particular, LEDs behind colored lenses are problematic. They want LEDs to be in fixtures that were made and certified for the specific bulbs--in other words, they want the units replaced, not modified. And yes, you're not likely to be called on this (unless they spot you at night). Full disclosure: I did put an LED nav-certified white bulb under my clear anchor light lens. I don't think they care about that, and it's distinctly brighter than the original. But who knows...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by bigelowp

FYI where I sail the police are far more focused on powerboats than sail.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by bigelowp

Dave,

Sorta. Yes I run two sets but only white stern light works, not the original hull mounted red & green. I do almost no after dark sailing however when my son was in High School and College he sailed often late afternoon into the night and never had an issue or complaint (read police/CG warning) from doing so. Anchoring light does work.

Michael,

Lights not working would most likely be caused by connections at either the light(s) or on/off circuit, which should be easy to fix. If requiring a total rewire then that could be far more problematic. I considered rewiring the forward lights but opted for masthead trim-color as it would be seen farther regardless of angle of heel. Again, as I am not a night sailor, at the time, was a simpler and I thought safer option. FYI where I sail the police are far more focused on powerboats than sail.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by bigelowp

Dave,

Sorta. Yes I run two sets but only white stern light works, not the original hull mounted red & green. I do almost no after dark sailing however when my son was in High School and College he sailed often late afternoon into the night and never had an issue or complaint (read police/CG warning) from doing so. Anchoring light does work.

Michael,

Lights not working would most likely be caused by connections at either the light(s) or on/off circuit, which should be easy to fix. If requiring a total rewire then that could be far more problematic. I considered rewiring the forward lights but opted for masthead trim-color as it would be seen farther regardless of angle of heel. Again, as I am not a night sailor, at the time, was a simpler and I thought safer option. FYI where I sail the police are far more focused on powerboats than sail.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by SKS

I'd recommend abandoning the whale eye lights and installing the pulpit mounted navigation light. You need to remove the bow pulpit and drill a hole through the hull in one of the legs. You can then drill a hole in the center of the pulpit and fish wire through the tubing. You can install the bow light on a mount from Catalina Direct.
https://www.catalinadirect.com/shop-by-boat/catalina-380390/electrical/navigation-lights/navigation-light-bracket-ss-clamp-on/?SearchResults=1
Aquasignal stopped making the model 25 light. You can get an LED equivalent from Pactrade. It's Chinese, but what isn't.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I0DR4VW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Voyager

I’d agree that you should add a red/green bow light on you bow. My light is mounted just underneath the bow pulpit railing on a stainless steel plate. The light in this location was hit by not one, but two, passing sailors a few years back. Instead, may I suggest that you mount the fixture at the BASE of the bow pulpit forward of the forestay chainplate. It would be easy to attach and simple to wire into the existing cables. If you don’t trust the cables, you could run a new #12 or #14 tinned red-black pair from your switch panel and the bow along the port-side hull-deck joint.
Which fixture should you use?
You might use a combination red-green fixture like the one offered by Catalina Direct.
Or you can purchase a dual fixture red and green LED pair that you can mount on opposite sides of the bow.
Rewire and replace the fixtures, you’ll never look back…

---

quote:

---

If you don’t trust the cables, you could run a new #12 or #14 tinned red-black pair from your switch panel and the bow along the port-side hull-deck joint.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Volksaholic

quote:

---

If you don’t trust the cables, you could run a new #12 or #14 tinned red-black pair from your switch panel and the bow along the port-side hull-deck joint.

---

Not that heavier wire would hurt anything, other than being more expensive and stiffer/thicker to run, but if you're switching to LED lights you can run lighter gauge wire. I'd guess #18 or #16 at the heaviest. Catalina Direct doesn't tell how much current the replacement bow lights draw, but Defender has some incandescent bow lights that they say are 25 watt and Perko LED lights that they list at 10 watt.

---