Mast light fixture wiring tips?

[goldenstate]

I'm planning to attach my new masthead anchor light and mid-mast-mounted steaming and deck light tomorrow and wondering if anyone has any good wiring tips/tricks I should be aware of. The mast is down now and easy to work on, but it will be a huge pain if I get a bad connection or some issue once the stick is back in the hull/keel.

Both fixtures have wire pigtails at present. I have my new tinned replacement wire.

My hypothetical process will be:

1. Run the new wires to appropriate locations.
2. Slide on larger heatshrink wrap for entire outer insulation casing.
3. Slide on small heatshrink tubes for individual wires.
4. Flux and solder wire connection.
5. Test with plug-in 12V tester unit. If working ->
6. Heatshrink wrap the individual conductor wires. (Test lights)
7. Heatshrink wrap the outer insulation, (test lights)
8. Electrical tape over the outer heatshrink.

My anchor light connection will occur inside of the mast. I have a mounting plate that can be unscrewed from the masthead (held in my left hand below). I should add some sort of wire hanger, I think, so that the weight of the 40' of conductor wire is not straining on my solder connection. Does anyone have an elegant way of doing this? I was thinking a small inverted SS eye from which the wire would be supported in the mast, before terminating in the anchor light fixture.



The Steaming/Deck Combo Light solder connection will have to happen outside the mast, under the mounted fixture itself. In my old removed Perko fixtures, I had spade connectors screwed into integral terminals on the fixture. My new fixture has wire stubs (pigtails) so I'll be soldering and heat-shrink wrapping them. The weight of the wire of this lower fixture will be arrested by the turn the wire makes while exiting the front of the mast.

Any other suggestions or tips? I plan to test everything multiple times while working.

 

[Rocinante33]

Tom,

With new LED, low current draw lights you are able to use smaller gauge wire than the original, I would think. It is always good to save weight aloft, if possible.

I like your idea of a small eye to support wire weight. Make sure to put drip loops in the wire wherever it is outside of the mast, as at the streaming, deck combo light. That way excess rain won’t run down the wire into the mast.

You may consider using tie wraps at about 2’ intervals around the wire with each alternating wrap terminating 120 degrees from the one before it, and do not trim the ends off. The tie wrap ends can supply a bit of support for the wire and can keep wires centered in the mast so they won’t slap when at anchor or in a wind blown slip.Halyards can still pass the tie wrap ends.

 

[Kenneth K]

Maybe an "inverted" drip loop above the deck/combo light. Mine apparently has none and is a source of persistent leakage through the inside of the outer-jacket of the three strand wire.


The little paper towel wraps taped to the wires proved that no water was leaking down the outside of the wire--the paper towel stayed dry.

On my list to replace this summer...

 

[markvone]

The Steaming/Deck Combo Light ........ The weight of the wire of this lower fixture will be arrested by the turn the wire makes while exiting the front of the mast.

Any other suggestions or tips? I plan to test everything multiple times while working.

Tom,
Protect this wire from chafe at the mast exit with a grommet for the mast hole or extra layers of shrink wrap.

If your mast is painted, which I think it is since it looks white, you can buff and polish that paint so it shines. The hull buff and polish thread posted by MaineSail (RC Collins) works on the mast paint too. The process just takes longer because the paint is harder than gelcoat. My black painted mast improved 90% and looked good for 5 years after hand buffing. A white mast will look good much longer.

Mark

 

[frick]

Be sure to us anti-ox or some other dielectric grease on the bottom of your bulbs... they will stay perfect for YEARS.

 

[goldenstate]

Tom,
Protect this wire from chafe at the mast exit with a grommet for the mast hole or extra layers of shrink wrap.

If your mast is painted, which I think it is since it looks white, you can buff and polish that paint so it shines. The hull buff and polish thread posted by MaineSail (RC Collins) works on the mast paint too. The process just takes longer because the paint is harder than gelcoat. My black painted mast improved 90% and looked good for 5 years after hand buffing. A white mast will look good much longer.

Mark

I did this last week (buffing/cleaning the mast paint) and will add a short blurb about it on on my Mast Work blog entry, thank you!