Nav light wiring connection

[Solent Bombard]

What's the best way to make the wire connection along the wire for the nav light as I need to branch off the wire to goto the stbd light then carry onto the port light.

Or does everyone just go into the first light with the wire then come out of that one and on into the next.

Thanks

[Harrys Game]

Masthead, port and stbd light are all going to be on together so just wire in parallel, personally I would put them on a separate battery to the main battery and mount a separate switch for your anchor light. My way of doing it as I am paranoic about flattening the main battery. Regards Jim

[Solent Bombard]

Yep going to do a paralell setup but wondering what's the best way to branch off the main wire for each light but still keeping it waterproof/strong

[Solent Bombard]

Does everyone just run a individual pair of wires for each nav light then

[Trevor G]

Originally Posted by Solent Bombard

What's the best way to make the wire connection along the wire for the nav light as I need to branch off the wire to goto the stbd light then carry onto the port light.

I've used these Galactic Mammut gel connector blocks for where I've needed to join wires - especially where the join will get wet. One of the real advantages of them is if one of your nav lights fails, you can re-make the join with a new light without any special tools or a heat gun (like if you use heat shrink joins).
They are also really good for connecting bilge pumps as they can sit in water in the bilge without any problems, and when the pump fails are easy to re-make.
They are also relatively cheap .

Trev

[hamster]

Run one wire through and out them in parallel off each other. Worth putting a separate wire and light for the white so you can use it as a steaming light or anchor light.
Put it in parallel with the red and green and all three will come on if you also have it wired as an anchor light.

You've got to wire into the light anyway so might as well make your connections at the terminals in the light rather than having more connections elsewhere that can fail. That way you can run complete wires with no joint between the main components.


RYA Instructor, Trainer, Examiner and Skipper

[9D280]

Couple of high level thoughts:

wire to each lamp will mean should one chaffe through or get some drastic damage, you only loose one light.

Parallel and "daisychaining" means you are adding two possible failure points to the circuit.

I have an IPX7 rated box on my A- frame which I use for the connections between the "umbillical" to the console and the "local" wires in the frame. In there I have a big choc block (something like a 30A one) for the nav lights where I have bared probably tripe the length I would normally, and twisted all three lights and the supply together & looped back on itself inside the choc block (using both screws) to make sure it all stays together. So mine are in parallel in a "star" formation.


(I ran a 7 core trailer cable up there- and have 4 spare cores at the moment in case of problems afloat I can swap the items to an undamaged cable - niot that i've ever used it like that in anger!)