Mast Lights

[ljholt]

When you say you have power to the mast boot, how are you determining that? Connections at the mast base are always a trouble spot. If you do have a connector there, I would clean all contacts, or replace the connector and trim back the wires on both sides to get to clean wire before I climbed the mast. If you do need to go up the mast make sure to bring a full compliment of screw drivers and a scotch bright pad. It may just be a matter of cleaning the contacts but replacing the old bulbs would not be a bad idea anyway.

I don't believe our boats came with mast head lights so whatever you have up there is something that is not original equipment so it would be hard to advise just what bulb you would need, Steve.

Steve,


Thanks for replying. Been away for holidays. You re right The 25D doesnt have a 360 degree mast light. It does have an anchor light that is out. Is it legal not to have a night cruising light by todays regs.? Would need to stepp the mast to put one on?

Thanks again Lee

[Steve Laume]

You do not need any sort of mast head light but you do need the steaming light at the spreaders to be legal while motoring at night.

If it is the steaming and deck light you are working on, those should be Aqua Signal, 25 series lights like all the running lights. The steaming light takes the same dimpled bulbs as your running lights and the deck light takes a little two pronged G4 bulb. You will need a very small slotted screwdriver to get to the steaming light.

My steaming light works mostly all of the time but my deck light not so much. I have been tempted to run a wire out of the fixture and just fasten some LEDs somewhere up there. I have been up and down to the spreaders a lot to deal with that silly little bulb, Steve.

[Neil Gordon]

You do not need any sort of mast head light but you do need the steaming light at the spreaders to be legal while motoring at night.

Rule 21(a) "Masthead light" means a white light placed over the fore and aft centerline of the vessel showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 225 degrees and so fixed as to show the light from right ahead to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam on either side of the vessel.

It's a masthead light even if it's not at the masthead.

Sailors commonly refer to it as a steaming light, even though few sailing vessels are steam powered these days.

[gates_cliff]

After reading this thread last nights and since the mast is unstepped I decided it would be worthwhile to replace my mast head bulbs. I discovered two things. I have the Perko all around light. Hope this Link works. http://productimageserver.com/literatur ... 0971QG.pdf

Anyway, first thing I discovered is I'm not sure how to get the old bulbs out. I didn't want to force anything. The bulbs are spring loaded at the base but not quite enough to remove. Second, while looking this up I realized the device can be wired to be a steaming light or an all around, anchor, light. It isn't currently connected that way but could be.

Hope this all makes sense.