My steaming lite does not work on my '82 33ft Cherubini; I have installed a new light fixture, plus new bulb, however do not get any 'juice' to the lite.The switch at the main switch plate is hot. The hot wire and ground wire appear to come out from between the deck and the cabin ceiling at the forward bulkhead. The ground has been rewired at that point, but may not be making a good connection as the segment protruding from the ceiling appears to be too short to make a good connection. It looks to me that I may need to pull a new wire from the switch panal...and that looks like it could be a horendous job. Has anyone had to deal with a similar problem with the wiring layout? Are there any alternative routes to the forward bulkhead ? Thanks....
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light
Someone has already rewired the boat. The original wiring enters the compression post at the bilge and then through the post and into the mast step. My steaming light is also out. What I have done until I can pull the boat and unstep the mast is to run an alternate light off the spinnaker rig on the mast. I have run the wires from the switch box under the oven and counter then under the port seat into the locker and then to the front berth. Then out the hatch and with a cord holder to the mast. I use a small white auto fog light. The set up works well with ample light. You may wish to consider it as a temporary fix until you can get at the connection between the mast step and the mast. Pulling wire between the deck and cabin ceiling will also work. If you are going that route you might wish to check the connection by running a test wire though the cabin to check if the mast wires are good.
Someone has already rewired the boat. The original wiring enters the compression post at the bilge and then through the post and into the mast step. My steaming light is also out. What I have done until I can pull the boat and unstep the mast is to run an alternate light off the spinnaker rig on the mast. I have run the wires from the switch box under the oven and counter then under the port seat into the locker and then to the front berth. Then out the hatch and with a cord holder to the mast. I use a small white auto fog light. The set up works well with ample light. You may wish to consider it as a temporary fix until you can get at the connection between the mast step and the mast. Pulling wire between the deck and cabin ceiling will also work. If you are going that route you might wish to check the connection by running a test wire though the cabin to check if the mast wires are good.
Masts jerk and wiggle!
THE BAD NEWS: I have had the same problem almost exactly. Here's what I've learned so far on my 79 H30: First, check the breaker switch with a mutimeter (Harbor Frieght Tools has them cheap, but they work OK for checking 12v circuit current) if you have 12.0 v +/- current when you attach leads to the pos. and grnd. posts on that breaker for the circuit, go to the first splice/connecting point in the wire set. In my case it's at the overhead, behind a teak facia board in the head,just behind the Mast support. Test current there. If you get a 12.0 v +/- reading, your half way home. If not, check connections at the breaker and/or replace breaker itself, and/or, check the wire from the breaker to the first splice Then check continuity of the wires that go vertical through the over head to the mast head light. If you don't get a reading, you either have a break in the wire from inside the boat to the deck connector fitting (or internal fitting in the mast) or from the connector fitting to the light fixture. Check the deck fitting connector for current (with breaker switch 'on'), then check continuity from the deck plug to the fixture... If the test fails, remember, with the mast banging, wiggleing, bending etc. you may have a broken bulb (Most likely situation) or a broken wire connection to the fixture. THE GOOD NEWS: I found an easy teporary fix myself: A good quality Hikers Headlamp with a Xenon bulb. Since the lens on the headlamp is recessed, look for one of many sizes of bottled water with faceted bottom, cut the bottom 2" off , check fit over the lens/housing, trim as necessary, tape add-on 'lens' on with clear duct tape (Lowes). Then loosen head strap and re-attach to mast as high as you can reach. If you are steaming for more than six hours, simply unstrap, exchange batts, and re-mount. It actually meets USCG regs. and is brighter than OEM installed steaming lights of the past. Hope this helps... George
THE BAD NEWS: I have had the same problem almost exactly. Here's what I've learned so far on my 79 H30: First, check the breaker switch with a mutimeter (Harbor Frieght Tools has them cheap, but they work OK for checking 12v circuit current) if you have 12.0 v +/- current when you attach leads to the pos. and grnd. posts on that breaker for the circuit, go to the first splice/connecting point in the wire set. In my case it's at the overhead, behind a teak facia board in the head,just behind the Mast support. Test current there. If you get a 12.0 v +/- reading, your half way home. If not, check connections at the breaker and/or replace breaker itself, and/or, check the wire from the breaker to the first splice Then check continuity of the wires that go vertical through the over head to the mast head light. If you don't get a reading, you either have a break in the wire from inside the boat to the deck connector fitting (or internal fitting in the mast) or from the connector fitting to the light fixture. Check the deck fitting connector for current (with breaker switch 'on'), then check continuity from the deck plug to the fixture... If the test fails, remember, with the mast banging, wiggleing, bending etc. you may have a broken bulb (Most likely situation) or a broken wire connection to the fixture. THE GOOD NEWS: I found an easy teporary fix myself: A good quality Hikers Headlamp with a Xenon bulb. Since the lens on the headlamp is recessed, look for one of many sizes of bottled water with faceted bottom, cut the bottom 2" off , check fit over the lens/housing, trim as necessary, tape add-on 'lens' on with clear duct tape (Lowes). Then loosen head strap and re-attach to mast as high as you can reach. If you are steaming for more than six hours, simply unstrap, exchange batts, and re-mount. It actually meets USCG regs. and is brighter than OEM installed steaming lights of the past. Hope this helps... George
Steaming light NG
Several years ago on my H33 I had NO lights on the mast, at all. In my case I found a splice in the mast light wiring located in the bilge, and water had crept into the splices and corroded the wiring. Fortunately there was enough good wire left from the splice foward to the mast step that I didn't have to rewire the mast. I cut the harness ahead of the corroded area and replaced it from there back to the breaker panel with tinned braided wire, spliced with glue lined heat shrink crimp connectors (Ancor brand}. Guess that splice was there to make the assembly process easier?
Several years ago on my H33 I had NO lights on the mast, at all. In my case I found a splice in the mast light wiring located in the bilge, and water had crept into the splices and corroded the wiring. Fortunately there was enough good wire left from the splice foward to the mast step that I didn't have to rewire the mast. I cut the harness ahead of the corroded area and replaced it from there back to the breaker panel with tinned braided wire, spliced with glue lined heat shrink crimp connectors (Ancor brand}. Guess that splice was there to make the assembly process easier?
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