Mast Wiring Diagnosis/help

[shanker]

This is a continuation from my compass light post and a previous mast wiring post. I am looking for some comments/assistance to help figure out what is happening with my wiring in my mast. I believe I will be re-wiring once i get her on the hard for the winter. I'm hoping to continue sailing until our Canadian Thanksgiving (Oct 12).

Thanks Dave and tWalker. I did some checking based on the very valuable info you provided. Here is what I found. Just to remind everyone of my issue; on my panel I have a three way switch for the Anchor light and Steaming light. (Off - Steaming Light and Mast Light) In one position the Anchor light should go on and in the other position, the mast light should go on. Currently in either position of the switch, both the Anchor light and steaming lights go on together.

I have the proper wiring at the panel as tWalker verified from my pic. Checked the power and it is correct.

Wiring on the inside of the boat at the deck plug is as follows. First of all the plug is a 4 way not the 3 way that was factory on the 260. The wiring is as twalker showed in the manual with one of the terminals empty. Yellow is the ground (as per Dave's comments in lieu of the black) and is on the correct terminal (larger one). Grey/red goes to the starboard side terminal and Grey/green goes to the port side terminal.

On the deck/mast side of the plug, the wiring is as follows. The colors of the wires that come out of the mast are different than the color of the wires that twalker's diagram shows. I have a brown wire connected to the larger terminal (ground). A green wire is connected to the starboard side terminal and a blue wire is connected to the port terminal and one terminal is empty.

The terminals/plug connect as follows:
yellow - with brown -
grey/red + with green +
grey/green + with blue +

With this wiring, both the anchor and steaming lights go on simultaneously in either position of the switch.

I took the male end of the plug that comes out of the mast and I swapped the blue and green wires at their terminals and pluged it back into the female end (on the deck). Now when I use the switch, no lights go on at all in either position of the switch.

I used a multimeter to check the power at the deck plug. When the switch was in the mast light position there is 12 volts at one of the terminals only. When I moved the switch to anchor light position, there was 12volts at two of the terminats. I believe this is as should be expected.

So the issue seems to be with the wiring in the mast. I'm assuming the PO may have wired the mast light together with the anchor light?? I remember reading in a previous post that Texas has different rules on inland lakes as far as lighting protocols. I seem to remember that an all around (anchor) light is required with the mast (steaming) light when under power. My boat is originally from Texas so I'm thinking that the original owner may have wired it so they turn on together??

Is my diagnosis correct that the issue stems from inside the mast? I appreciate any and all input. I will state it once again... I hate electricity!

 

[twalker H260]

Still suspect the mast side connector is incorrectly wired - I.e. The brown wire is not the ground for the light.

Quick check - check resistance on mast side connector - blue to green, green to brown and blue to brown. Two should read approximately the same resistance and the third should be higher - roughly the sum of the other two. The common colour wire in the two lower resistance test connections should be the mast head light 12v- wire, remaining wires are the 12v + one for steaming light bulb the other for the aft bulb.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

The switch is a on-off-on. Yellow - brown appears to be correct as that will be the negative side for the other two. Remember this light contains two bulbs one for steaming and one for anchoring divided by a wall. . The steaming light will show only one positive when on using only one bulb and then when switched to anchor, there will be an additional terminal lighting up or two positive terminals. It would appear that the everything is correct to the female inlet deck plug. I am not sure when Hunter switched to the four way plug as their vender no longer offered the three way plug.

It has to be in the mast. See if you have a three way wire coming out of the mast of course covered in one jacket and the two bulb mast light with divider. If not, there is your problem unless wired incorrectly to the light somehow or in the male deck plug. Keep us posted.

 

[shanker]

Ok, I think I have something figured out.

I have a forward facing light halfway up my mast that I have been referring to as the Steaming light. The light at the top of my mast, I have been referring to as my Mast light or Anchor light. I realize that it is a two bulb light as Dave described but for me it always has been turning on as one unit or both bulbs go on together as an all around light for anchoring.

I think I see what is happening as I look closer at the drawing that tWalker provided. The light half way up my mast must have been added by the PO as there is no mention of this light or identified wiring in the drawing. Dave is this correct? Would a 2000 H260 have come with this forward facing mast light, what I call a steaming light, or would it have been added later?

When I stated in my original post that both the steaming and mast light would go on together, what I meant was that the light half way up the mast AND the light at the top of my mast (both bulbs) were turning on simultaneously.

So the side of the switch that says Steaming light refers to only the front bulb of the top of the mast light. The Mast light side of the switch refers to the light at the top of the mast with both bulbs on. This switch has nothing to do with the front facing light I have half way up my mast that I have been calling my 'steaming light'.

My guess is that when that light was added to the front of the mast, it was wired together with the mast/steaming light at the top of the mast?? Hence they all go on together. This may also explain why the wire colors are different and why there is a 4 prong deck plug??

 

[shanker]

I found a picture of my 'steaming light'. It is forward facing (I just replaced the bulb with an LED) and it sits just above the spreaders. It also has a deck light at the bottom of it that does not have a bulb in it.

 

[twalker H260]

That does complicate the equation a bit - testing resistance would still give a bit of an idea what is happening in the mast wiring. You could also try disconnecting the mast at the deck fitting and using jumpers to see what wire is doing what. You may have a missing 4th wire as well since this is obviously not the factory original set up.

Set switch to steaming light position.
Connect jumper from deck large pin to brown wire
Connect second jumper to deck pin that gives 12v. Connect this jumper to the blue wire.
Step back and observe which light(s) are illuminated.
Move jumper from blue wire to green.
Step back and observe lights again.
Move jumper from brown wire to blue.
Step back and observe again.
Make notes as you go and this should tell you which wire is 12v negative and which two are 12v positive and which fixtures or bulbs they are going to. It will also let you know if it's completely messed up and in need of a complete rewire of the mast.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

The steaming light half way up the mast is an add on as Hunter did not offer that as an accessory. Here is what I would do. I would identify the two positive wires from the light on top of the mast, combine them and attach to the correct post for anchor light. Then I would take the positive to the add on steaming light to the other post. Since you have the four prong deck light plug, see it the wires to the deck plug have four lead wires and if so, run the negative for the new steaming light separately as I do not know what the draw is. Run the negative for the designated anchor light of course combined. Aagain that is assuming there are four wires leading to the deck light plug. If not, you will have to combine all the negative wires together somehow

 

[shanker]

Thanks guys!

This is going to be a project for the winter.

There are only three wires that come out of the mast and one is a negative. I think I will rewire the whole damn thing! I am making a new electrical panel so I think I will add extra switch for the Steaming light (half way on the mast) and use the current mast light (at the top of my mast) as an all around anchor light. I'm also looking at some LED lights for my spreaders. I do a lot of sailing in the evenings so they will help. I LOVE night sailing!

I'm looking forward to completing this new panel as it's a little bit of a unique design. I'm currently waiting for the laser engraver to do it's magic.

Thanks again gentlemen!

 

[isaksp00]

Get someone who understands the nav regulations for lights when under power and also when under sail to weigh in.

I think that you need a single all-round white light for when you are under power. That could be both parts of the masthead light without the forward facing light, or it could be the forward facing light alone (the one partway up) and either the rearward part of the masthead light or perhaps an aft facing white on the stern (I don't know if the 26 has one; my 23 does). I don't think you want the entire masthead and also the forward facing "steaming" light to be always on at the same time.

What switch controls your R/G bow light, and what other lights if any does that switch also control?

FYI, my 23 is wired so it can't be strictly legal - to light the sidelights (the R/G up front), the switch also lights a rear facing transom mounted white light. If I use just that, I don't have any forward facing white up high. If I also turn on my 360 deg anchor light at the masthead, I have a high and a low rear facing white, which I am pretty sure is not legal. At some point I will add a switch in the line to the rear white so I can turn it off and leave the sidelights and the masthead light on. That would be for under power. The anchor light would be turned off and the sidelights and stern light on for sailing.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

At night when under power, a forward 180 degree white light is required which can be on top of the mast or about midway up. On inland lakes with a lot power boat traffic at night, I prefer the steaming light half way up as the operators are not use to looking way up. It use to be under sail at night other than the standard navigation lights, steaming light was not required but I always suggested it on as there are idiots out there and with a light, they will take notice and slow down.

Anchor light is a 360 degree light at the top of the mast generally on sailboats. Again on an inland lake, the lower it is the better off you are for the same reasons above. I use to suggest a rechargeable led light hung from the boom