Need Help - Running Wire to Stern Light

[Bob Ohler]

I ordered a new Aqua Signal stern light fixture. After removing the old part, I realized that I had 1984 wiring on my hands.

The wire pops out a hole in the stern rail (pushpit). I can only assume that it comes up through the nearest stanchion. I can only imagine how I am going to remove the old wire and run the new one. Is this a fish tape project? I cannot see how anyone could get in the starboard cockpit locker. The hot water heater is also in that locker.

Who has experience rewiring their stern light fixture on a CD30B or similar model?

Thanks!

[Steve Laume]

On Raven the wire follows the top tube of the pushpit and comes out in the cockpit locker near the starboard stern cleat. This is a great opportunity to re-bed all of the fasteners for the push pit. I also cut an 8" inspection port in the vertical section of the foot well at the stern of the cockpit. Now is the time to do this as it will allow you to get at the nuts for the vertical portions of the pushpit without crawling back in there. It helps a lot with servicing the bilge pump as well. Instead of a fish you might use the old wire to pull the new one. It is actually fairly easy to run wires in there with the exception of pushing them through the deck penetration if you do not remove the pushpit. You might also use this as an excuse to seal the core at all the deck penetrations back there.

Ha, and you thought you were just going to change the light fixture, Steve.

[Bob Ohler]

Wow Steve. Thanks.

Did you install the inspection port on the vertical side of the cockpit adjacent to and closest to the transom, or did you mount the port on the starboard or port side of the cockpit?

Thanks!

[Steve Laume]

Right on the center line in the foot well. Definitely no regrets about that. I can get the manual bilge pump out of the boat without crawling into a locker and it doesn't look bad or leak.

It would be the first step I would recommend in doing anything in that area, Steve.

[Bob Ohler]

OK, that clarifies that for me. My bilge pump is in the starboard cockpit locker, hence my confusion.

[Jeff and Sarah]

On my boat this project (at both the bow and stern pulpit) ended up being far easier than I had expected. I cut the old wires from the light and crimped them to new wires and just pulled them through (fed them into pulpit and pulled from the lazerette (anchor locker for bow pulpit)). No need to remove the pulpit (though it never hurts to rebed deck hardware). I was surprised that unlike most boat problems, the simplest solution I could think of worked quickly and easily. I'd try that before cutting any inspection ports- maybe you can get away without the extra labor!

[Bob Ohler]

Jeff, I like that answer as well. I really like the simplicity of your method. The CD30 does not have a lazarette, however, if I can reach the old wire from inside the locker, this just may work!

Many thanks!

[bottomscraper]

Like Jeff & Sarah said use the old wire to pull the new wire. I just used electrical tape and it worked fine. I also added some layers heat shrink tubing on the new wires where the passed thru the rail and at the bottom where they exited the base.

[Steve Laume]

Running a new wire can certainly be as simple as pulling one through with the old one. I just always seem to let one thing lead to another until all the core is sealed, fittings are re-bedded, an access port is cut and so on.

One simple thing I would recommend is that you leave a small coil of wire, neatly tied up, inside the locker. The new wire is bound to first fail where it exits the stern rail. If you leave a bit of extra, you or the next owner will be able to clip off the bad section and just pull out a bit more. I do this with most of my wiring, Steve.

[Bob Ohler]

And more great advice, Steve regarding the extra coil of wire in the locker!

Many thanks!

Are you coming to the CDSOA 20th?

[Ben Thomas]

It never hurts to lubricate the wire as it feeds into the hole as you are pulling, tight spaces/bends can create a lot of friction. I've used something as simple as vasoline. However you splice the wires you don't want them separating when you're half way there.

[Maine_Buzzard]

If you switch to a LED stern light, you can also make a considerable reduction in wire size... The original is likely 16AWG, and LED lights usually have a 20AWG pigtail. Just wish they would make it four feet long to make the connection well inside the boat. Match the wire to the fixture and make the connection to the existing wire inside the cockpit locker.

My wire came through the tube to the stanchion opening most forward and starboard.

An old piece of lifeline makes a great fishtape. Perfect balance between flexing around corners and stiffness to push through small trash.

[Bob Ohler]

Thank you Buzz!

[Steve Laume]

Raven has all LED lighting at this point. Although a 20Ga wire would be adequate to carry the voltage to power these lights I did not go that small. It just seems like there is not much margin there for breakage or corrosion of those tiny conductors. I know I have a mess of wiring that small in some of the wiring of electronics but I just feel better with the heavier wiring in the running lights. The spare bulbs I carry are incandescent so if an LED ever did fail I would need the heavier wire to supply power to the spare, Steve.