Anchor light buld replacement

[Cpt. Jon]

Anchor light bulb replacement

Hello,

Since we bought our boat, our anchor light hasn't worked. I assume that this is just the bulb needing replacement or cleaning, I think replacement. In any case, short of going to the top of the mast and taking the old bulb out, is there a standard bulb for anchor lights on most sailboats (1980 H30). I'd prefer to limit the number of trips to the top of the mast if possible.

thanks!

Jon

 

[Ian McGain]

I have a '79 Hunter 30 and my anchor light was also out. The fixture is very small and sits inside the top of the mast with the plastic clear cover showiing. The bulb is very short. In my case, the problem turned out to be one of the wires had rusted off the fixture so the bulb was not the problem.
I "fixed" the problem by installing a new fixture which might be the direction you might want to consider.

Good luck
Ian
s/v Meant to Be

 

[Cpt. Jon]

Ian,

Thanks for the reply, but that doesn't really seem like the setup on my boat. I will take a look later when I get home, but I really think that mine looks more like the picture below.

I was expecting the bulb to be one of these types, but I guess I might be wrong.

 

[sailaway78]

Bulb Replacement

Get your binocs out and check out the fixture. If it is, or looks like the origional, or looks to be more than a couple of years old, I would plan or replacing the fixture. Wires get corroded, sockets get corroded, and the liittle springs that hold bulb tension on most fixtures get weak. Replacing the bulb is the easy way out, but not nearly as dependable a fix as replacing the fixture. Most of the newer fixtures now use much more plastic, which is much more resistant to the corrosion. Don't skrimp and try to save a couple of bucks on the fixture. There are some LED lights now abailable that while more expensive, use much less power. Check and be sure it is CG approved. Also, either way you go, liberally douse the entire assembly with Corrosion X or even better LPS 1, if you can find it. Will make things last quite a bit longer.

 

[Tom Spohn]

I worked mine out by taking a picture at 36X zoom and then going through the catalogs to identify the type of light. Once identified the bulb replacement was easy.

 

[tommays]

1980 through it away and save some pain IF you REALLY lucky the wire is still good

 

[guest]

Hey tommays - that's not an anchor light!!!!

From the picture posted it looks more like a stern light. An anchor light must be 360 degree visibility (distance viewable depends on boat size)

 

[Manny]

Jon - it looks like mine

I have a 1980 27'. I'm guessing mine is original and has held up well. If memory serves it's an aqua signal series 25. I can't remember if the bulb is the festoon with the dimples or the pointed end. Best to check the aqua signal web site to get the correct part number.

Manny

 

[JungleJetJock]

My H260 takes a 44mm Festoon bulb, easily and cheaply available. Yours may be a different bulb being that your boat is an '80. Check all deck level wire connections first since they are easy to get at. If that isn't the problem, you might want to pick up a couple different sized bulbs (just incase, they are cheap) and then go have a look at the top of the mast (bring a multi-meter to test the wiring). When you get to the top, plug in the new one and see if it works. If not, then comes the pain in the ass of checking wires. Getting up close and personal is the only way to know if your problem is corrosion or other wiring issues or the bulb. If it is just the bulb, problem cheaply solved. If not then you'll need a second trip up top and a more expensive or difficult fix.

 

[Cpt. Jon]

I failed to mention that this boat was struck by lightning once before I bought it. The lightning fried the VHF, but not sure what else since it wasn't my boat then. Other nav lights work, except for the steaming lights also on the mast... My wife is very eager to go to the top... I should up her life insurance though

 

[JungleJetJock]

Then you may very well have some fried wiring and will be doing a bit bigger of a job than just replacing the bulb.

 

[Cpt. Jon]

Then you may very well have some fried wiring and will be doing a bit bigger of a job than just replacing the bulb.

This is very true, but I still will check the bulb first.

 

[Pocahontas]

My wife is very eager to go to the top... I should up her life insurance though

only cos I like heights and once was a half way decent freeclimber... and then there is simple math of who to hoist me ,110lb, or you weighing a "tad" more

 

[Cpt. Jon]

Here is the light, looks pretty close to the series 25 to me I guess... Also, in the picture, you can see there is no wind vane. Will a Windex 15 or something like that just screw into where the post is from the old one?

Also, look at that block for the spinnaker, I think that it's probably shot, can you just replace the wheel or should you/must you replace the whole thing?

oh, back to the lightning thing, though the VHF was fried, the antenna still works with the new radio... eventually I will probably replace it for safety's sake, but not yet. That being said, there is no apperant damage power cables for the lights on the mast at the panel or damage to the panel, don't know if this means anything though.

 

[Blitz]

Windex

Here is the light, looks pretty close to the series 25 to me I guess... Also, in the picture, you can see there is no wind vane. Will a Windex 15 or something like that just screw into where the post is from the old one?

It looks to me that it is a direct replacement with a Windex unit.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Tools to take up the mast

I always take a rope long enough to reach the deck so I can have the first mate send me anything I forgot in a bucket attached to it.
With that said I'd recommend taking the following up the mast:
multimeter
mirror
sand paper
spare bulb collection
leatherman
hat with brim
cleaning supplies (for the lens)
camera

If you don't have a boson's chair make one out of a 2x10. I can not stress strongly enough how much having a hard seat eases most operations when aloft.

 

[Cpt. Jon]

Well, we could have picked a cooler day to do it, but since she was willing, I wasn't gonna let the opportunity pass. So my wife went up the mast, a first for either of us. We had bought a windex to install and figured she'd install that and take a look at the anchor light as it looked a little odd in the pictures from the ground. Well, we'll be replacing the whole anchor light housing and all as it is completely shot as you can see in the attached pictures. All in all though, it was a sucess to test going up the mast and to install the wind vane. I gotta give my wife big time credit because I can think that there would be plenty of wives that would think their husbands were on crack to think they would send the wives up top. Astrid was actually pretty excited to go up and I was very safety conscious. We'll be replacing the anchor light completely next time as well as the block for the spinnaker I think.

Good times,

Jon

 

[jibes138]

simple check on the ground

If you don't have a light working on the mast a simple check on the ground may save a trip up. Using a multimeter at 20 volts on voltage setting check for voltage at the mast base connection. If no voltage present you either have something wrong in the wiring getting power to the mast or a poor ground. Next check for continuity for the bulb on the mast. Using an ohm meter see if you get a reading through the circuit by toucing one probe to the positive terminal and the other to the ground terminal. A reading means the bulb is not burned out and you can save the trip up the mast.