Ideas for Bow Light Mounting on Hunter 23.5

[evan709]

My 1993 Hunter 23.5 has a bow running light that's mounted just below the cradle for the mast when it's down for the season (see attached pictures). This makes it the very front thing on the boat and more than once this season, I came into the slip too fast and it banged into something on the dock. Just a little bit of momentum and the thing is toast. I'm looking for suggestions to change the light setup or mount this light somewhere else. The wire for the light appears to run up through the safety rail post right below it.

Thanks,

Evan

 

[rgranger]

. I'm looking for suggestions .....

Don't run into stuff.... Sorry.... couldn't pass that one up.

But seriously, maybe try coming in stern first. The H23 has a nice cut out transom so that would also make stepping off the boat easier. The other options are to mount a light right on the bow (see pic) but that has the disadvantage of being blocked by the jib when deployed. Also you can mount separate green/red lights on the stem itself, but this has the disadvantage of putting the lights low towards the water and limiting their range.

 

[DayDreamer41]

Have a guard manufactured of SS 1/2" plate to put in front of the light,
remount the light aft of the pulpit,
or learn how to decelerate the vessel sooner,
I vote for the final option.

 

[Kermit]

Could you move the something that's on the dock?

We back our H260 its slip. Makes boarding so much easier.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Suggest that you take time out in the water pretending you are coming into the dock at a much slower speed. Also if you have a crosswind, turn the bow into the wind and at the last moment, straighten up the boat to head in first into the slip. Another thing you could also do is put fendering that comes in strips nailed to the slip but if at a marine, suggest getting permission first. Remember this is not a power boat but a sailboat with a displacement hull which does not require that much power to move the boat like you do with a power boat.

 

[Hunter Ad Bot]

 

[Rick Webb]

I feel your pain. I have busted mine a couple of times as well not because I came in too fast but just being in tight spots and the light is the thing that sticks out the most.

I had given it a lot of thought and the best solution I could come up with was to have a plate made that attached to the current plate and wrapped around to allow mounting a light on either side. After pricing it out I just replaced the single light. Each light was as much as the single light so that right away doubled the price, then the plate was as much as three or four of the lights. There was also the issue of burning two bulbs instead of one. Replacement though not optimum seemed to be the most logical solution.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

One other thing, when cradling the mast with it down for the bow pulpit. Take a 4 X4 treated laying it across the bow pulpit and mark underneath where the rails are and cut out 1 inch so it can lay over the top of the bow rail. Also cut about a one inch area on top of the board to accommodate the mast. It gets the mast off the U on the rail which is easier tying down the mast and so forth not to mention it lowers the back end of the mast when trailering. Hope that helps.