380: Nav lights/steaming lights

[SDsailing]

I have a switch that controls nav lights and steaming lights. It is a 3 way switch, nav lights, off, steaming lights. When I turn on circuit steaming lights, I need the lights from nav lights to turn on also, but they aren't. When I turn on nav lights, steaming lights does not turn on, as desired. My questions is; if I trace the line that is energized when I turn on steaming lights and then cross connect it with the lights on nav lights to correct this problem, is there an issue with me sending voltage to the control panel as well as the lights? Do I need a diode to prevent this? This is a 12v system and the lights draw minimal amperage. I believe this is a known issue on 380s, but I'm not well versed enough in electrical to know whether a diode is needed.

[capt jgw]

Normally the nav lights and steaming light are on separate switches, not a three-way. The steaming light is only to be lit when the engine is propelling the boat and never when sailing without the engine. You can't do that with a three-way switch.

[SDsailing]

@captjgw, thank you for the response. I think I maybe didn't make my original point clear. When I turn on my steaming lights, my red/green bow lights are not energized, nor is my stern white light. So I'm having red/green bow lights and rear at one side of the switch, off in the middle, or steaming light on mast only with no bow or stern lights. Is this ideal or the way it should be, no. I agree, this should not be on the 3 way switch, but this is the way Lagoon did it.

So my question is if I cross connect the energized line for steaming to the bow and stern lights, this will also backfeed the switch that controls the bow and stern lights, and I think this could present problems. This is therefore why I wanted to know if installing an inline diode would be the correct solution to this problem to prevent the backfeeding of the switch itself.

[Spot]

On my boat, navigation lights and anchor light share a circuit and an on-off-on switch as both shouldn't run at the same time. Steaming will have its own switch. Plan was to dingle it off of the nav circuit but I may opt for a single circuit just for steam.