I noticed that the masthead light on my 88 H23 (Z-Spar mast) is actually two lamps, both of which illuminate when I hit the "mast light" switch on the panel. I am guessing this is because the masthead light is supposed to be an anchor light (360 deg white) and not a steaming light (225 deg white). If that's the case, how can you show a "legal" steaming light with this setup? Would shielding the stern light do the trick? Here's my idea. Why not remove the bulb from the rear masthead lamp, so that only the forward one will shine. Voila, a steaming light. For anchoring out at night, hoist a Davis Megalight on the main halyard using a yardstick to get the light above the masthead. The megalight draws a LOT less current than the two conventional bulbs, so you can sleep knowing that the anchor light will remain lit all night and you will still have power for the electronics in the morning. I know the megalight is not USCG approved (yet), but I think I'd rather have that than no anchor light (and a dead battery) at 3 am. It happened to me and it was no fun. Peter S/V Raven
H23 masthead light (am I crazy?)
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Masthead light
Peter, My 240 has a 2-bulb masthead light as well. There are three wires running from the switch panel to the light; two are "hot", one is ground. The switch has three positions; forward light on (steaming), off, and both lights on (anchor). A diode is connected between the two hot wires such that current flows in both with the switch in the anchor position. In the steaming position, the bias of the diode prevents current from flowing to the rear bulb. A simple but effective arrangement. I would agree with you on the Davis light issue; takes a LOT less current. Mark Kissel Kittiwake/98H240
Peter, My 240 has a 2-bulb masthead light as well. There are three wires running from the switch panel to the light; two are "hot", one is ground. The switch has three positions; forward light on (steaming), off, and both lights on (anchor). A diode is connected between the two hot wires such that current flows in both with the switch in the anchor position. In the steaming position, the bias of the diode prevents current from flowing to the rear bulb. A simple but effective arrangement. I would agree with you on the Davis light issue; takes a LOT less current. Mark Kissel Kittiwake/98H240
Another way of switching
The diode as described by Mark works and is how Hunter originally wired my 260. I elected to completely replace the factory supplied 12vdc panel that Hunter provided with better circuit breakers and only three switches (since the new circuit breakers can also be used as switches). The first switch is to toggle between manual and automatic on my bilge pump (momentary or on). The second is to switch between the spreader light and the windex light (on-off-on). The third is a double pole - double throw switch that selects the steaming (forward light on the masthead) or the anchor light (both lights). The way this last switch is wired is 12v power is connected to both center tabs of the switch. The forward light is connected to both outside tabs on one side of the switch and the aft light is connected to just one of the tabs on the other side of the switch. Thus in one "on" position power is only provided to the forward light while in the other "on" position, power is provided to both lights to form the all-around anchor light. This may sound complicated but it quite simple and more reliable than the diode method of controlling the lights. It can also allow you to insert resisters on the "anchor" side of the switch to reduce the amperage to the bulbs to the minimum illumination required and reduce the load on the battery. Hope this information is useful - Bernie
The diode as described by Mark works and is how Hunter originally wired my 260. I elected to completely replace the factory supplied 12vdc panel that Hunter provided with better circuit breakers and only three switches (since the new circuit breakers can also be used as switches). The first switch is to toggle between manual and automatic on my bilge pump (momentary or on). The second is to switch between the spreader light and the windex light (on-off-on). The third is a double pole - double throw switch that selects the steaming (forward light on the masthead) or the anchor light (both lights). The way this last switch is wired is 12v power is connected to both center tabs of the switch. The forward light is connected to both outside tabs on one side of the switch and the aft light is connected to just one of the tabs on the other side of the switch. Thus in one "on" position power is only provided to the forward light while in the other "on" position, power is provided to both lights to form the all-around anchor light. This may sound complicated but it quite simple and more reliable than the diode method of controlling the lights. It can also allow you to insert resisters on the "anchor" side of the switch to reduce the amperage to the bulbs to the minimum illumination required and reduce the load on the battery. Hope this information is useful - Bernie
I think I may only have one hot wire
There are only two contacts in the connectors on deck, so it looks like there is only one hot wire for the H23. I could be wrong though, so will check next time I go out to the boat. Thanks. Peter S/V Raven
There are only two contacts in the connectors on deck, so it looks like there is only one hot wire for the H23. I could be wrong though, so will check next time I go out to the boat. Thanks. Peter S/V Raven
my set up
My '87 H23 with Z spar mast has a masthead light but it doesn't seem to be visible from directly astern. At least as far as I can tell from on the boat. I use it for steaming but I do hoist a Davis mega lite for anchoring overnite.
My '87 H23 with Z spar mast has a masthead light but it doesn't seem to be visible from directly astern. At least as far as I can tell from on the boat. I use it for steaming but I do hoist a Davis mega lite for anchoring overnite.
My H23's setup (and my H25's)
Hi gang, I've had to re-wire both of my masthead arrangements. Here's what I did. Way back when I bought '2 Sheets' (My '87 H23), she had a single, all-round light and no steaming light. Heck, she didn't even have a switch for 'steaming' in her electrical panel... I replaced the single light with an Aqua Signal series 25, dual-bulb light (similar to the one Peter described), which has a bulb facing forward for steaming, and a bulb aft for anchoring (when combined with the forward bulb). I also had to run new, 3-part wiring through my mast to accomodate the new bulb. (This wasn't much of a problem, I was running the VHF antenna cable anyway...
I had to replace the deck fitting... There was a 2-wire fitting on deck, and I needed at least a 3-wire. I bought a 4-wire from West Marine (I don't have the part number handy, but will look it up on request). It was a "drop-in" replacement, IE, I didn't have to cut or drill any new holes. Now, I have two wires going from my electrical panel to the deck fitting; I re-used the 'ground' wire that was already run for the anchor light as the 'hot' wire for my steaming light. The existing 'anchor' wire went to the new 'anchor' light; I then fed a third wire from the deck fitting (a pain to get to under that carpeting!) to the forward cabin light, and grounded it there (to the cabin light circuit's ground). Finally, I elected to use two seperate switches for the anchor and steaming lights (no problem, as I had already added a second electrical switch panel). Total cost for the project (not counting the electrical panel addition) was about $75- Parts, wiring, connectors, and sealing goop. Yeah, it drains a lot of juice at night, but I didn't really think about that at the time. What can I say, I was a new boat owner! I just wanted everything to look neat, and be legal. In retrospect, I'd set it up the same way I did my H25... 'Adagio', my '78 H25, didn't even HAVE an anchor light when I bought it. There was a switch in the panel for one, and a wire labelled "anchor" that went (somewhere?..), but no light or through-deck fitting. There was a steaming light, mid-way up, but it didn't work, and the wiring went (Somewhere?..). When I bought the boat, the anchor light switch controlled the bilge pump, and the steaming light wiring was nowhere to be found. (Bastien's new boat-buying law: Beware the handyman's project boat!) I decided that these things needed to be fixed, and FAST. My now-more-experienced-boater solution: A hard-mounted Davis Mega-light at the masthead (with the photocell to turn it off in the morning- I'm a late riser!), and a combination steaming/foredeck light on the front of the mast. Requires seperate switching for all those lights, but the labels are a little more accurate, and the amp draw for a night on the hook is less than one amp for that mega-light. Total cost- about $120, but a much more battery-friendly setup, and more light where you need it, when you need it. The wiring currently in place is still a bit of a work-in-progress, but everything works. I just need to re-route the wiring to make it look nice, and add a through-deck fitting that doesn't leak... I'll be happy to take a few photos of either setup for anyone who would like to see the changes I've made (new electrical panels, re-routing of wiring, choice of fittings, etc). The H25, as I said, is a work in progress... --Jon Bastien H23 '2 Sheets to the Wind' H25 'Adagio'
Hi gang, I've had to re-wire both of my masthead arrangements. Here's what I did. Way back when I bought '2 Sheets' (My '87 H23), she had a single, all-round light and no steaming light. Heck, she didn't even have a switch for 'steaming' in her electrical panel... I replaced the single light with an Aqua Signal series 25, dual-bulb light (similar to the one Peter described), which has a bulb facing forward for steaming, and a bulb aft for anchoring (when combined with the forward bulb). I also had to run new, 3-part wiring through my mast to accomodate the new bulb. (This wasn't much of a problem, I was running the VHF antenna cable anyway...
I had to replace the deck fitting... There was a 2-wire fitting on deck, and I needed at least a 3-wire. I bought a 4-wire from West Marine (I don't have the part number handy, but will look it up on request). It was a "drop-in" replacement, IE, I didn't have to cut or drill any new holes. Now, I have two wires going from my electrical panel to the deck fitting; I re-used the 'ground' wire that was already run for the anchor light as the 'hot' wire for my steaming light. The existing 'anchor' wire went to the new 'anchor' light; I then fed a third wire from the deck fitting (a pain to get to under that carpeting!) to the forward cabin light, and grounded it there (to the cabin light circuit's ground). Finally, I elected to use two seperate switches for the anchor and steaming lights (no problem, as I had already added a second electrical switch panel). Total cost for the project (not counting the electrical panel addition) was about $75- Parts, wiring, connectors, and sealing goop. Yeah, it drains a lot of juice at night, but I didn't really think about that at the time. What can I say, I was a new boat owner! I just wanted everything to look neat, and be legal. In retrospect, I'd set it up the same way I did my H25... 'Adagio', my '78 H25, didn't even HAVE an anchor light when I bought it. There was a switch in the panel for one, and a wire labelled "anchor" that went (somewhere?..), but no light or through-deck fitting. There was a steaming light, mid-way up, but it didn't work, and the wiring went (Somewhere?..). When I bought the boat, the anchor light switch controlled the bilge pump, and the steaming light wiring was nowhere to be found. (Bastien's new boat-buying law: Beware the handyman's project boat!) I decided that these things needed to be fixed, and FAST. My now-more-experienced-boater solution: A hard-mounted Davis Mega-light at the masthead (with the photocell to turn it off in the morning- I'm a late riser!), and a combination steaming/foredeck light on the front of the mast. Requires seperate switching for all those lights, but the labels are a little more accurate, and the amp draw for a night on the hook is less than one amp for that mega-light. Total cost- about $120, but a much more battery-friendly setup, and more light where you need it, when you need it. The wiring currently in place is still a bit of a work-in-progress, but everything works. I just need to re-route the wiring to make it look nice, and add a through-deck fitting that doesn't leak... I'll be happy to take a few photos of either setup for anyone who would like to see the changes I've made (new electrical panels, re-routing of wiring, choice of fittings, etc). The H25, as I said, is a work in progress... --Jon Bastien H23 '2 Sheets to the Wind' H25 'Adagio'E/IR
The electrical engineers should have said something already. Putting a resister in the lamp circuit will reduce the amount of current in the circuit and also the light (lummens) generated. Is the current drain that perceptible and if so find a better bulb without the resistor or use a rheostat. This should create a little animosity. Have a great sailing day and night.
The electrical engineers should have said something already. Putting a resister in the lamp circuit will reduce the amount of current in the circuit and also the light (lummens) generated. Is the current drain that perceptible and if so find a better bulb without the resistor or use a rheostat. This should create a little animosity. Have a great sailing day and night.
Mark
Mark, on vessels less than 12 meters, the masthead light must be visible for two miles. Vessels between 12 and 50 meters must have a masthead light visible 5 miles. Anchor lights must be visible for two miles. Most of the masthead lights on our smaller boats are visible for well over two miles usually closer to 5. Most of us prefer that for safety, so we don't bother to put smaller wattage bulbs in place of what the masthead light came with. It doesn't matter too much when the masthead light alone is needed because, in that case, we are under power and the engine's alternator is likely charging the batteries. However at anchor, most times we would like to meet the minimum visibility requirement to keep the current draw as low as possible. The battery load is measured in ampere-hours. To reduce the load, you can lower the current draw or reduce the time the current is being drawn. Current equals voltage divided by resistance. If you put a resistor in series with the masthead bulb on the "anchorlight" side of the DPDT switch I described in the earlier posting, you will reduce the current and the brightness of the bulb. A 10-15 % reduction in current is possible (depending how much you are willing to drain down your batteries between charges which dictates how low in voltage they will get between cycles). I like to limit my battery drain to 50% of the rated AH to prolong their life). If you have a 12 watt masthead bulb and a 12 watt aft anchor light bulb, you will draw roughly 2 amps per hour or about 24 amphours over night. For the inexpensive addition of a couple of resistors, you could save about 3 AH each night, not a lot, but every little bit helps. While I served in submarines a couple of decades ago, I became very sensitized to the inmportance of taking good care of and closely monitoring the boat's batteries. It doesn't take a lot of extra work, but sure does make the batteries last longer and stay more reliable. Simple things like a periodic equalizer charge go a long way towards keeping your batteries in good shape. Hope this answers your question - Bernie
Mark, on vessels less than 12 meters, the masthead light must be visible for two miles. Vessels between 12 and 50 meters must have a masthead light visible 5 miles. Anchor lights must be visible for two miles. Most of the masthead lights on our smaller boats are visible for well over two miles usually closer to 5. Most of us prefer that for safety, so we don't bother to put smaller wattage bulbs in place of what the masthead light came with. It doesn't matter too much when the masthead light alone is needed because, in that case, we are under power and the engine's alternator is likely charging the batteries. However at anchor, most times we would like to meet the minimum visibility requirement to keep the current draw as low as possible. The battery load is measured in ampere-hours. To reduce the load, you can lower the current draw or reduce the time the current is being drawn. Current equals voltage divided by resistance. If you put a resistor in series with the masthead bulb on the "anchorlight" side of the DPDT switch I described in the earlier posting, you will reduce the current and the brightness of the bulb. A 10-15 % reduction in current is possible (depending how much you are willing to drain down your batteries between charges which dictates how low in voltage they will get between cycles). I like to limit my battery drain to 50% of the rated AH to prolong their life). If you have a 12 watt masthead bulb and a 12 watt aft anchor light bulb, you will draw roughly 2 amps per hour or about 24 amphours over night. For the inexpensive addition of a couple of resistors, you could save about 3 AH each night, not a lot, but every little bit helps. While I served in submarines a couple of decades ago, I became very sensitized to the inmportance of taking good care of and closely monitoring the boat's batteries. It doesn't take a lot of extra work, but sure does make the batteries last longer and stay more reliable. Simple things like a periodic equalizer charge go a long way towards keeping your batteries in good shape. Hope this answers your question - Bernie
Thanks, Bernie...
...I was tired and it was rather late when I asked that poorly-worded question. It should have read, "You might want to explain how to connect the resistor to achieve the desired result." It is important that our fellow boaters understand that the resistor be placed *in series* as you mention in your last post. If anyone wants to do this, make sure that you know what a series connection is before experimenting. DO NOT connect a resistor in parallel with the bulb. If a small value resistor (smaller than the resistance of the filament) is placed in parallel with the bulb, it may seem that the desired effect has been achieved. Less current flows through the filament and might give the appearance of reduced battery drain. However, this will INCREASE the total current and could potentially create a fire hazard. As a forensic electrical engineer, I am often asked to investigate suspected electrical fires. I have seen too many fires whose cause were due to "modifications" of electrical circuits by the inexperienced, uninformed, or careless. I would urge all readers, and I'm sure Bernie would agree, to please exercise extreme caution before making any modification to your boat's electrical system. Mark Kissel Kittiwake/98H240
...I was tired and it was rather late when I asked that poorly-worded question. It should have read, "You might want to explain how to connect the resistor to achieve the desired result." It is important that our fellow boaters understand that the resistor be placed *in series* as you mention in your last post. If anyone wants to do this, make sure that you know what a series connection is before experimenting. DO NOT connect a resistor in parallel with the bulb. If a small value resistor (smaller than the resistance of the filament) is placed in parallel with the bulb, it may seem that the desired effect has been achieved. Less current flows through the filament and might give the appearance of reduced battery drain. However, this will INCREASE the total current and could potentially create a fire hazard. As a forensic electrical engineer, I am often asked to investigate suspected electrical fires. I have seen too many fires whose cause were due to "modifications" of electrical circuits by the inexperienced, uninformed, or careless. I would urge all readers, and I'm sure Bernie would agree, to please exercise extreme caution before making any modification to your boat's electrical system. Mark Kissel Kittiwake/98H240
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