Electrical Problems Are Organic and Grow

[sailorboy1]

All I wanted to do was get my bow nav lights to work.

My first time at bat on it was when it was on the hard this past winter, but my ladder wasn't long enough and hanging over the edge was just too much when looking down at the ground I would land on.

Next atempt was in the water trying to hang off the bow working around the genny/forestay. Couldn't really get to the lens cover.

Third was in the dingy doing a limbo as it moved around with me avoiding the anchor and mooring lines, but on this one I found that it was a corrosion problem inside the cover for the connection. Cleaned it and it worked afterwards. But 2 weeks later it stopped again. So since it was 22 years old and the lens was pretty clouded up I decide to replace the whole thing.

Fourth attempt was both hanging off the bow and working from the dingy to replace it. Turned out you just can not drill new holes though the bow bracket this way with a battery powered drill. And the hot wire was looking kind of short. So I stuck out again.

Fifth attempt today; after making a bracket to mount to the old hole in the bow bracket for mounting the new light and splicing the wire I decided to check the voltage before doing the final connections to the light. Only to have the breaker trip. After battling this a while I decided that the old hot wire must have rubbed though it's insulation and it grounding. This wire of course runs though the bow purpit and the only way I'm going to be able to replace the wire is to put the purpit off.

So now my story is going to be ..................... I didn't want to replace or fix the bow nav light, I just figured that since I was rebedding the bow purpit that I would take the opportunnity to replace the wiring and the light for the bow nav light.

[sailstoo]

Someone named "Lucas" with electrical problems. Certain irony, or well chosen psuedonym, here. We called Lucas Electrical, the Brit electrical parts mfr., the "Prince of Darkness". Lucas stands for "Loose, Unsoldered Connections and Splices". "I've had a Lucas pacemaker for years, it's fine. Nothing ever happ..."

[marc2012]

On boats there aint no easy fix.My steaming light and I haave similar probems,lucky hate to run at night.marc

[rwidman]

Some things are beyond my abilities, be it mental or physical. That's where I call in the professionals. Not often, but a few times. Airconditioning, fiberglass repair, and bottom painting so far. And I pay a pro to dive and clean the boat's bottom.

You might consider doing the same. The pro has done it before and what may be a real challenge for you is all in a day's work for him.

[DeepFrz]

Can't you attach a new wire to the old one and then gently pull it through. You may have to do this in several places until you get back to the cct. breaker. Unless you really want to take off your "purpit".

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

This wire of course runs though the bow purpit and the only way I'm going to be able to replace the wire is to put the purpit off.

Why not splice the new wire to the old and use the old to pull the new one through?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

Why not splice the new wire to the old and use the old to pull the new one through?

I already pulled on both ends to see if it would slide either way, it wouldn't.

[Sailmonkey]

Heat up the pulpit with a high powered heat gun (not a blow dryer) if it's some sort of a silicone or similar sealant it'll give up and let you have the wire......or some of it.

[Boracay]

Navigation lights are a real pain in the !@@. If they weren't necessary no one would have them.

You may need to do it all the hard way. Remove the pulpit, clean everything out, run new correct spec tinned wiring, make new brackets for waterproof LEDs, install, reinforce pulpit mounting areas, weld new bolts on the pulpit, replace with quality mastic, forget for next 20 years.

Or make a varnished wood bracket for LEDs and run the wiring outside the tubing.

If you resign yourself to it being a 100 hour job that you hate it might be just bearable. Or you could pay a professional the mega boat bucks needed.

Seems kinda silly for a $50 part, but it's got to be done.

[Blue Stocking]

Don,

Steven Hawking says that time only exists in order to provide a development track for the origin of the universe. (paraphased)
Some of that time is for fixing damn bowlights.
Don't sell yourself short, only those of us who take on the challenge, will get the reward of successful acomplishment of the task.
Now, back to my Friday night Vodka and Lime.