[Rhodes22-list] steaming light

[Peter Nyberg]

Jesse,

Regarding your question about accessing the wires behind the switch panel…

It’s been several years since I first disassembled that area.  I can clearly recall wondering how to get access to the wiring behind the panel.  Like you, I removed the screws holding the panel in place, and attempted to pull it out to get to the wires.  There didn’t seem to be enough slack in the wires.  I disassembled some other parts of the galley, but nothing was getting me closer to those hidden wires.  I finally came to the conclusion that the only way the panel could have been installed was that wiring connections were made with the panel removed, and then the panel was pushed into place and attached.  Therefore, it must be that the panel could be removed by reversing the process. So I just pulled harder on the panel, and it came out far enough that I could detach the wires from the back side.

That’s how I remember it, anyway.

But that would only get you so far.  If you want to run a new wire into that area behind the panel, from my experience I’d say that there’s no option but to disassemble the entire galley.

Best of Luck,

Peter Nyberg
Coventry, CT
s/v Silverheels (1988/2016)

> On Jun 20, 2020, at 9:47 AM, Jesse Shumaker <jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I replaced my masthead light last winter and changed it from a steaming
> light to an all around anchor light in the process.  My new masthead light
> has separate hot wires so the front and back can be powered independently
> but I don't have the wiring and switches in place to do that.  I considered
> doing the work to make that possible.  I unscrewed the switch panel in the
> cockpit, but it is hard to get a good look back there since all the wires
> are fairly tight and I could not pull out the switch panel far.  Would it
> be necessary to remove the galley to get back there and access all the
> wires?
> 
> Since I now have an all around anchor light but no steaming light, I had
> been thinking about a workaround until I want to do some wiring work and
> add another switch for the rear portion of my masthead light.
> 
> At Home Depot, I saw a battery powered LED strip by Milwaukee tools that is
> water, dust, and impact resistant.  On the low setting (100 lumens), it
> will last 16 hours on 2 AA batteries.  One of these lights cost $20.
> https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-300-Lumens-LED-Magnetic-Flood-Light-2108/306261360
> 
> 
> I picked up 3 of these lights: one to face forward, one to face starboard,
> and one to face port.  I used a velcro strip to run through the hooks on
> the back of the lights and over the boom.  It's easy to put them on around
> the mast temporarily and then wrap them up in a bundle for storage in the
> cabin when not in use.
> 
> Preferable options would be to wire up separate switches to the front and
> back lights on my masthead light, or wire up a separate steaming light 2/3
> of the way up the mast as you typically see.  If you don't want to mess
> with the wiring, the setup described in this post is a simple battery
> powered work around for a steaming light to go along with the running
> lights.
> 
> I know some people will use the masthead light just facing forward as a
> steaming light and then use a lantern for an anchor light.  My reasoning
> was that I would prefer to have the anchor light running off the boat
> battery since that is on for awhile (though it is LED and low draw), but
> the steaming lights would not be used for long periods so it was a better
> fit for smaller batteries.
> 
> While I was at this, I put some reflective tape on the mast just above the
> boom.  It really lights up when a flashlight is shown on it and can make it
> more distinctive and easy to spot in anchorage.
> 
> I attached a few photos for reference.
> 
> I'm curious if others have both a steaming and all around anchor light
> wired up on their boats.
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