New mast light for a C-27?

[smosh]

While the mast is down, i figured i'd put a new light on...i have no idea if the current one works, so i figured i'd just do it.

What LED or other fixtures have people put up? Or is there a good probability it will still work after 40 years as-is? (that just made me laugh)

I stood in front of the lighting section at the local marine store and was...flummoxed.

thanks!

 

[justsomeguy]

Got a car or truck with a 12 volt battery in it?

If so, you could test it.

P.S.- Great word, flummoxed.

 

[smosh]

absolutely true! But the boat's up on stands 15 miles away and i'd have rig up wiring to the battery and all that, so i figured i'd just replace it. If it's straight-forward. And it's being picked up, stepped, and launched Monday.

(i just bought it. )

 

[justsomeguy]

I checked this site for mast lighting, no go.

This is what I'm using.

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|65136|2312576&id=66009

Not LED, however. Could possibly change out the steaming bulb for an LED (maybe even the deck lamp), but then there's the Coast Guard to deal with...

 

[dive7mmwet]

I replaced ours with a led but you cant just use any led bulb, its got to be rated USCG cert, that said next just a bulb will not do in your fixture as fixture is too small to fit a large enough bulb USCG ratted I had to get a fixture and then cut it off and mount it to my post, next you need to check polarity, from pug to the wires top of mast as they may not be color coated right, Id go with a new bulb now, next clean contacts at fixture and mast base real good with sand paper and electrical contact grease is a must, when you have time upgrade your mast wiring, anchor light with a LED, and steaming and spreader lights new replaced fixture and new heavy duty coax and you will have a trouble free mast and antenna system we did ours in the dead of winter!

 

[FourPoints]

I have Aqua Signal Series 25 housings on my boat for everything but the steaming light. I replaced all the bulbs with Dr LED Festoon Star bulbs (http://www.doctorled.com/f16.htm). As I understand the legal process, it's impossible for them to be USCG certified as a replacement bulb due to the manufacturer of the housing needing to submit the it for certification review as a complete system, and using a different bulb. Therefore no matter what color / brightness the LED bulb outputs, it will always invalidate the original housing as a "certified system", but I'm willing to take my chances there (to my knowledge, at least for recreational use, the law does not require use of a "certified system" navigation light, it only requires certain color and brightness values to be used for your lights. Using a "certified system" essentially waives you of the responsibility of testing to ensure that you are in compliance with whatever navigation lights you decide to use on your boat, as the USCG has already verified/certified that light assembly as compliant to their specs).

The bulbs provide a much brighter and very vivid red and green color, unmistakable as NAV lights and much much easier to see both the brightness and the color from a distance than the certified incandescent bulbs that they replaced.

As the phrase goes, your boat your choice, so make your own decision, but for me this was a simple one. Great brightness and color, _very_ low current draw, direct bulb for bulb part swap with zero modifications needed, and if one ever burns out I can easily put a readily available festoon incandescent bulb available at any marine parts store (or my spare parts box) back in for an immediate repair.

As someone is bound to point out, by changing the bulb you run the risk of a legal battle should an accident occur, but with a product like the Dr LED bulbs designed specifically for this purpose for these exact housings, behind these exact lenses, I am certain I am within USCG specs, and even confident that I am exceeding them for brightness. Building your own LED Nav light bulbs, now that's another story, and I wouldn't attempt or suggest anyone do so who isn't an EE / optical engineer, because then it is truly 100% on you...