Replacing mast-wiring connection

[BVLew]

After 6 weeks of rain, smoke, heat-dome, and out-of-town travel, finally got enough work done on the new-to-me 1984 Catalina 22 to launch last week, got my first sail earlier this week. Going well!

Next project: mast-wiring. PO ran new mast wires (4 of 'em), but never finished the deck connection. Looks like the original 2-pin female plug. All I need is the masthead light and forward steaming light. My thought is to replace with a 4-pin plug, but I know little about electrical systems. If I take out the original deck plug, what am I going to find underneath? Any wires with enough length to connect to new plug? (Inside the cabin, I can't see anything -- all the wires must be inside the head-liner.).

(I've seen earlier threads from @Rltgold and others.)

Thanks.

Bruce

 

[danooxnard]

A few words of advice. The 4 pin connector has very small screws to hold the wires in place. They are very small phillips head, easy to over tighten and strip out. Then you cant remove them. they are also easy to drop and lose. layout a terry cloth towel under them while working on the connector will keep them from getting lost.
Dan

 

[shemandr]

Since the masthead (Anchor light) and steaming light are used independently you need four wires. So that suggests a four pin connector. I don't think it's a violation to anchor with both the anchor light and steaming light. Or to motor with the steaming light and anchor light but I'm not current in those rules. That is likely how your boat was wired. If so, to go to separate circuits you may need to run a new wire to one of the lights and add a circuit underneath to a switch. Does your panel have an extra switch? This seems to this lazy guy to be too much work for a small gain. How often do you motor at night?
BTW those thru deck connectors are notoriously unreliable. I had them on my first keelboat and there was no end to fiddling with them. On my second keelboat, a Ranger 29, I created a thru deck passage for wires within the footprint of the mast and using PVC pipe as a conduit standing proud of the deck by a few inches, The connectors were inside so I could do the disconnect when it was time to drop the mast. Otherwise the yard workers would cut the wires.