Rewiring and replacing mast head light

[Leatherneck]

I just replaced my masthead light with an LED light. I ordered it from BWY and it came with new wire. After running the wire down the mast, I realized the old wire was a single yellow wire. The new wire is a two-wire (red and black). The old yellow wire hooked into the switch panel with a male/female connection. How do I connect two wires in a system that used only one wire?

 

[Cowpokee]

The previous light had two wires also. A positive and a ground. The ground could possibly have been common with the steaming light so there would be three wires coming out of the mast at the bottom as my 26S does at the plug in on the deck.

 

[Leatherneck]

The old light had two wires but the wire coming from the switch panel is a single yellow wire. I don't know how to ground this. Does the ground wire attach to the mast somewhere on the inside of the mast?

 

[My Mistress]

How do I connect two wires in a system that used only one wire?

Somewhere near the base of your mast, you should find a place where a ground wire was attached.
On "Mistress", the PO used a 4-lead trailer wire harness for mast lighting which I kept. It has positive leads for the anchor light, masthead light, and spreader light. The light fixtures are grounded to the mast by contact. The ground wire is attached at the base of the mast, and when plugged in, attached to the negative side of the electrical system.
In essence, your mast was your ground wire. It only needs to be physically attached to the negative side of your electrical system though the wiring at the base.
With your new wiring, your red (hot) will obviously go down the mast. The black (neg) can be cut and attached to the mast at the top, or you can run it to the base. It just needs to be attached to the negative side of your system.

 

[Leatherneck]

Ok. That makes sense. The BWY light came with wire and a connecting plug. I'm wondering why it needs a plug with receptacles for four wires. I see a screw that was installed into the slug slot below where the main sail is inserted. I wonder if that is for attaching the ground wire

 

[My Mistress]

The BWY light came with wire and a connecting plug. I'm wondering why it needs a plug with receptacles for four wires.

I'm thinking that the plug BWY sent is meant to be inserted into the original 2-hole plug in the deck.

I see a screw that was installed into the slug slot below where the main sail is inserted. I wonder if that is for attaching the ground wire

I have no idea there. I just checked "Mistress" and her mast harness exits through a hole on the forward face of the mast about 8-inches above the base. The ground wire from the 4-prong plug is attached to the mast on the STBD side at the same height, but the attaching point does not appear to be original to the design (it looks like a sheave was there at one time).

 

[Leatherneck]

I have the same hole near the bottom of the mast. My light wire exits through there. Is your ground attached to the outside of the mast? And thanks for helping. Steve.

 

[My Mistress]

I have the same hole near the bottom of the mast. My light wire exits through there. Is your ground attached to the outside of the mast? And thanks for helping. Steve.

Yes, It's attached on the outside using a stainless sheet metal screw.
On a side note, I may reattach it or find a way to protect it. It looks too easy to accidentally break off.

- James

 

[Ron20324]

You have two B&R wires, use them. Run the new wire back to your 12v panel and use whatever the OEM ground is.

 

[Leatherneck]

The oem ground is what I've been trying to figure out

 

[Leatherneck]

Yes, It's attached on the outside using a stainless sheet metal screw.
On a side note, I may reattach it or find a way to protect it. It looks too easy to accidentally break off.

- James

Here is what a representative from BWY says. I have no idea what plug he is referring to:

Hi Steve,


The two wires should go into the provided plug and then you can just plug that into the existing socket on the deck. Since you will only ever have the steaming light or the anchor light plugged in, you can just switch back and forth.


However, if you did want to wire it directly to the switch panel, on the back of the panel you should see a bolt that acts as a ground-bus. I haven’t looked at the back of one of those in a while so I’m just going off memory, but a ¼” or 3/8” ring terminal on the end of the wire would probably secure it to the ground.

 

[TortugasRoyal]

I zip tied a pair of solar powered patio lights to the mast. No wiring. Self tending. Cheap.

 

[Tsatzsue]

I like the trailer plug comment. That is what I am doing this year. The deck sockets suck. I've tried several. A lot of work for a socket that doesn't work when you need it. I've lost the small screws, soldered the wires in, had rain water dripping through the socket into the cabin onto my stuff, had the pins sheared off when the dinghy slid on deck in a storm, had to use my anchor light as a steaming light (flickering steaming light) when it stayed on. I'm done!! Trailer plug and deck gland. Easy and works!!!

 

[Tsatzsue]

I got my led bulbs at Defender. Did the whole boat. Best thing I've done. No more rationing the power for light.
Ken B

 

[My Mistress]

I have no idea what plug he is referring to:

There is/was an OEM 2-prong female plug on the hull, next to the mast. The male plug is hanging from the mast. What I understand from his description is that he thinks there are 2 wiring harnesses, 1 for the anchor light, and 1 for the running light and you switch lights by switching plugs???

I really like the 4-prong trailer plug since it enables me to operate the lights on the mast separately. They all aren't on at the same time.

-James

 

[My Mistress]

I got my led bulbs at Defender. Did the whole boat. Best thing I've done. No more rationing the power for light.
Ken B

I got mine at Autozone. They were more economical and the same quality.

-James

 

[Leatherneck]

Somewhere near the base of your mast, you should find a place where a ground wire was attached.
On "Mistress", the PO used a 4-lead trailer wire harness for mast lighting which I kept. It has positive leads for the anchor light, masthead light, and spreader light. The light fixtures are grounded to the mast by contact. The ground wire is attached at the base of the mast, and when plugged in, attached to the negative side of the electrical system.
In essence, your mast was your ground wire. It only needs to be physically attached to the negative side of your electrical system though the wiring at the base.
With your new wiring, your red (hot) will obviously go down the mast. The black (neg) can be cut and attached to the mast at the top, or you can run it to the base. It just needs to be attached to the negative side of your system.

And that is exactly what I did yesterday. We have light! Thanks