Older two wire Mast Light

[hotchki]

Gang:

I've recently aquired a 1981 Catalina 25. Found a two wire arrangement from the mast light / to a connector on the deck. The connector has 3 pins --- any idea of which wire goes to what pin?

Thanks!

 

[tommays]

Well

Any light needs two wires

On a mast the bulbs are small (10 watt) most of the time and IF there were two bulbs there would be one 12+ for each bulb and they would share the - wire

What's there now is anybody's guess and you would need to use and electric meter to see IF power is reaching the plug and which pins do each function

 

[Brian S]

I had a single steaming light on my mast, with 2 wires, but a 3 lead plug. I guess they had 3 pin plugs at the factory. Use a 3 pin for a boat with masthead light and steaming light, and just ignore 1 pin for a single light boat.

It doesn't really matter which pin goes where on a 2 conductor light using 3 pin plug, as long as the two pins with wires line up. On a polarized LED light (some festoons from Dr. LED are polarized) it will matter...

I replaced my old 3 pin plug with corroded contacts with a 2 pin trailer style plug.

Brian

 

[ggrizzard]

:dance:And if you decide to add the second light (i.e. Steaming, Anchor, Deck) make sure the switch that activates each matches the light that comes on!

 

[Doc_holiday]

I have seen where the third wire from the plug is a ground to to the mast and the other two wires are the positive to each light and their negative just grounds.

I personally have two harnesses coming out of the mast and one plug on the deck and I plug the appropriate harness into the deck plug. I don't see much opportunity to use both the anchor and steaming light at the same time. I also only need one switch.

 

[kenn]

I replaced my old 3 pin plug with corroded contacts with a 2 pin trailer style plug.

We redid our mast with a trailer-plug too. (caveat - we're only in freshwater) They're cheap and available everywhere. I occasionally give the pins a wipe with grease.