Navigation Light Issue

[The_1]

Hello all, new to the site and first post. I have read a bunch of posts on the issue I have with my nav lights. But, I was hoping you could help answer a couple questions I have. First, I will tell you what I have and how I currently have them hooked up.

I have a 1983 19' Carolina Skiff. I have a positive and negative bus bar under the center console on my boat. Both with 6 awg leads from the battery to them. Positive has a inline fuse on it by the battery. So, what I currently have done was connect the positive wire from my bow nav light to the positive of my stern light, aka anchor light and did the same with the negative wires. With the negative wire going to the negative bus bar and the positive going to one switch on my switch panel.

My questions are. Can I hook both the stern and anchor positive wires together? Also, can they go to a single switch or do they need to go to individual switches?

Currently neither of the lights are working and I have changed the bulbs and cleaned the contacts and the inline fuse is still good. I am stumped. Sorry for the ignorant questions and thank you in advance.

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome aboard.

What is the other side of the switch connected to? It should be to the 12 volt buss.

Is any other device using the same busses working? Do you have 12 volts on the buss and does the ground buss have continuity to the battery?

As far as wiring the lights together, when you get them working, you will will have nav lights, but no anchor light (Stern light only)

 

[The_1]

I have a 6 switch panel. One switch is for my GPS/Fishfinder and another has my LED Interior lights routed to it and another switch is the 12v lead that runs to the bus bar. The LED Lights and GPS are working fine. The positive bus bar has 12v going to it and the ground bar has continuity as well.

I will be installing gauges as well, which is why I have a 6 panel switch and I have to hook up the Bilge as well. Just scratching my head on this one. I am no mechanical genius by any stretch of the imagination. But I would like to think I would know how to wire this up properly, LOL. But what do I know.

 

[GA_Boater]

Put a temporary jumper from the 12 volt buss to the positive wires to the lights. Should light up. That eliminates the switch.

 

[The_1]

Ok, I will try that. Really wanted them on a simple switch the click on and off. But at this point, I will try anything. Thanks a lot.

 

[gm280]

I some times find a picture better explains things. So I made a little diagram to show how it should be wired for any SPDT or DPDT toggle or rocker type switch with a center off position. You will need one switch and one diode. The diode is really easy to find and any 1N4000 series diode will work. That means a 1N4001, 1N4002, 1N4003 and so on, any type. Just wire it as shown in the diagram and you will be able to control both navigation and/or anchor lights with one switch.




Just make sure the banded end of the diode is facing the correct direction as shown and this will work... Hope this helps out some...

 

[Grandad]

So, what I currently have done was connect the positive wire from my bow nav light to the positive of my stern light, aka anchor light and did the same with the negative wires. With the negative wire going to the negative bus bar and the positive going to one switch on my switch panel.

Can I hook both the stern and anchor positive wires together? Also, can they go to a single switch or do they need to go to individual switches?

I'm not sure what other issues you may have, but directly connecting the white anchor light positive to the red/green nav light positive will cause them to operate together, both on and off. Properly wired, your white light should be on when anchored or running. The red and green lights should be off when anchored and on only when running. - Grandad

 

[jhebert]

There are no navigation lights called "bow lights." There is a navigation light called a sternlight but your boat probably does not have one.

Your boat most likely has a combined sidelight lamp installed at the bow, and a white all-round lamp at the stern.

The recommendation to use a steering diode in a navigation lamp illumination circuit is very bad. The voltage drop through the diode will cause the lamp light output to be reduced significantly. Avoid such a method.

Your white all-round lamp will be acceptable as an anchor light. If you don't plan to anchor your boat in a non-anchorage area during periods of darkness, you may not need to worry about being able to display an anchor light without showing the sidelights, too. However, most boats have the ability to show just the white all-round light, or to show both the sidelights and the white all-round light. If you can't figure out the wiring, and you really need to show just an anchor light, throw a baseball cap over the combined sidelight lamp at the bow.

 

[The_1]

Grandad, you are most certainly correct sir. I wasn't planning on anchoring and fishing at night. Maybe during the day, in which case I do not require the anchor light to be on. I believe I found the issue, I took GA_ Boaters advice and they still didn't work. which leads me to believe that "BOTH" lights are bad. Ahhhhhhhh, the joys of boat ownership. I wouldn't trade it for anything though.

Thank you guys so much for all your advice and help. I will buy some new lights and hook them up and see if that fixes the problem. I will keep you posted.

 

[gm280]

There are no navigation lights called "bow lights." There is a navigation light called a sternlight but your boat probably does not have one.

Your boat most likely has a combined sidelight lamp installed at the bow, and a white all-round lamp at the stern.

The recommendation to use a steering diode in a navigation lamp illumination circuit is very bad. The voltage drop through the diode will cause the lamp light output to be reduced significantly. Avoid such a method.

Your white all-round lamp will be acceptable as an anchor light. If you don't plan to anchor your boat in a non-anchorage area during periods of darkness, you may not need to worry about being able to display an anchor light without showing the sidelights, too. However, most boats have the ability to show just the white all-round light, or to show both the sidelights and the white all-round light. If you can't figure out the wiring, and you really need to show just an anchor light, throw a baseball cap over the combined sidelight lamp at the bow.

I have to disagree with your assumption about using a steering diode in the circuit provided. The diode will drop about .6 volts...this is true. However, if you think about when both lights would be used, the boat will be running and therefore the alternator will be charging the battery and so that .6 volts would be negated. That circuit works perfectly with no problems what so ever. And it does allow control of single or both lights from one SPDT switch. It is not a bad idea in the least!

 

[bruceb58]

I agree. Don't use a diode. Just use a DPDT switch. The concern of the voltage drop is not the issue. Just having something soldered on the leads of a switch is what i wouldn't want.

 

[NYBo]

Grandad, you are most certainly correct sir. I wasn't planning on anchoring and fishing at night. Maybe during the day, in which case I do not require the anchor light to be on.

The anchor light is necessary under ANY conditions of reduced visibility, like fog, smoke, heavy rain, etc. It won't take much effort to wire the lights properly, so why not do so?

 

[jhebert]

Incandescent light bulbs produce light at an intensity that varies with the Voltage applied to the exponent 3.4. This means that a small decrease in the voltage causes a substantial decrease in the light output.


Compare at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incande...t_and_lifetime

 

[2 Eagles]

Here is this is how to wire NAV/ANchor switchs. Hope it helps.
View attachment Boat Nav Light Switch Wiring.pdf

 

[The_1]

Ok guys. Thanks for all your help. I figured out the problem and it was all on my end. The base for the anchor light I installed had 3 wires. However, the anchor light itself only had 2 connecters. So, the black would have been the ground, if the pole had 3 connectors. But the blue wire is now the ground.

Also, the navigation light on the front had a piece fall off of it, that was attached the positive end of the light bulb. So, I bought a new light and hooked it up and it works great. I did put them on separate switch, instead of one switch. Thank you guys for all your help.