Anchor Light

[Papawads]

We have a 2001 Jeanneau SO 43DS.

I'm uncomfortable with heights, but absolutely terrified of having my wife controlling the winch, for when I change the anchor light. She's doubled the life insurance and is pestering me to get started!

So I'd really like to arrive at the mast top, with everything I need. Does anyone know how I can determine whether i can move to LED by just changing the bulb? Maybe which one to buy? Or is this a whole light replacement. Maybe after 22 years, that would be good??

Thoughts welcome. If you see a boat like mine for sale in Corfu soon, with an Irish widow, call then police.

[Jammer]

The first Fact to Consider is that you do not need an anchor light at the top of your mast. You can hang an anchor light in the foretriangle instead, and there's a case to be made that this is more readily seen by other boats. Look at the battery powered Sofirn LT1 or LT1s or the Lumentop CL2.


Or you can power it from 12v with a cord. Hoistable 12v anchor lights with a cord used to be readily available but have mostly disappeared from the market. You can easily modify many of the lights on the market to add upper and lower bails and a cord.


This is the Aqua Signal 40 one, which doesn't appear to be for sale any longer:

[Jammer]

Lopolight makes one, but it's crazy expensive.

[gs41escapade]

Depending on the bulb fixture itself, Google says that there are now some drop-in LED replacement bulbs that may work.

[Jammer]

If you use a hoistable light for now, you can replace the mast-top light the next time you have the mast down or there's someone up there for other reasons. The main advantage of having the anchor light at the top of the mast is convenience -- you do not have to do anything but flip a switch to use it.

The second Fact to Consider is that you can use ascenders and single rope technique to go up the mast without anyone using the winch to move you up and down:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-rope_technique


Then, answering your question, it is my experience that the anchor lights made 20 years ago are usually completely shot, with the lens deteriorated from sunlight exposure, and the bulb socket corroded. For some popular anchor lights, notably the Perko ones, you can get replacement lenses. You can clean up the socket with sandpaper or wire brushes. LED conversion bulbs are available and do work. I did this once and on my next boat I just replaced the whole fixture with a good quality, sealed, LED one.

[Marathon1150]

Until a few days ago we had two boats. All of the lights on the boat just sold were LED except for the anchor light. So to save power, we hung a light in the foretriangle as per the suggestion above. It was connected to a 12V outlet and had a light sensor such that it came on a dusk and turned off at dawn.

Here is a link to one supplier:

http://ca.binnacle.com/p3213/Davis-3...duct_info.html

This one is battery operated and is USCG approved (not sure about the Davis light):

https://ca.binnacle.com/p10576/Navis...duct_info.html

Our remaining boat has an LED trilight/anchor light at the top of the mast. The anchor light is controlled by a sensor - on at dusk and off at dawn. As noted in a previous post, this is super convenient.

[Ryban]

Even when you know what you're doing, and have all the parts you need, it almost never takes a single trip up the mast to get a job done. Keep that in mind. Off topic a little, but I also use climbing ascenders and harness to climb my mast without anyone on a winch. I feel safer that way, as I'm using two separate halyards that are both tied off. It also makes working on top of the mast easier as you can stand up in your foot straps.

As for light replacement, it really depends on what is up there right now. I would bring an assortment of LED versions of common navigation/anchor light bulbs if you only want to make the trip once.

[hugosalt]

If you decide to deprive your wife of all that insurance money...

Portable led anchor light from Marinebeam comes with 15 ft. cigarette plug cord,
with on and off/dusk to dawn photocell.
$35.
Can hard wire, have used for years.

[Montanan]

Solution suggestion:

Send your wife up the mast to replace the bulb while you attend to the winch, [or attend to a wench]. Just a recommendation.

[MicHughV]

Portable led anchor light from Marinebeam comes with 15 ft. cigarette plug cord,
with on and off/dusk to dawn photocell.
$35.
Can hard wire, have used for years.

ditto....simple to use...inexpensive....readily visible at eye level..etc....
mine hangs underneath the boom....it's got a Fresnel lens, I can always spot mine from half a mile away...

[hpeer]

I completely agree with replacing entire fixture. Hopefully you can reuse the existing wire. Plan on that, but keep in mind it may not work.

I replaced incandescent with LED, but not the whole fitting. Mistake. I latter replaced the whole unit with a completely sealed combination anchor/tri-color with an option to flash at anchor. I occasionally use that so I can find my boat in a crowded anchorage at night, or if someone is trying to find me.

I have mast steps, and the top steps are extra high so I can get good room to work. And I am comfortable up there and have myself strapped so I can use both hands and can not fall. With all of that it took me at least 2 trips and a few hours.

I too am terrified of my Wife on the winch, so I go up and down on the steps with TWO color coded tethers so I can transfer above a spreader before unhooking below. I also have myself on a halyard with my Wife on the winch. And every time I go up and come down she is assisting. Very slowly she is becoming more competent. Now I trust her to lower me from about the half way point. It is a good exercise for both of you.

You may want to buy a big sack of potatoes and have her hoist them up to the top and then let them down. See how she does. Let her get some feel for it first with you standing next to her.

It is doable and a good thing to develop skills. I suspect your biggest challenge will be getting high enough to work effectively without putting yourself in a very poor safety position.

Maybe someone else can comment on that aspect.

[MicHughV]

I'm a big fan of the mast steps....some people don't like 'em...but for a world cruising boat.....should almost be mandatory..

Besides fixing things on the mast, a quick trip up to the spreaders makes for a wonderful platform to navigate iffy cuts, etc.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Papawads

We have a 2001 Jeanneau SO 43DS.

I'm uncomfortable with heights, but absolutely terrified of having my wife controlling the winch, for when I change the anchor light. She's doubled the life insurance and is pestering me to get started!

So I'd really like to arrive at the mast top, with everything I need. Does anyone know how I can determine whether i can move to LED by just changing the bulb? Maybe which one to buy? Or is this a whole light replacement. Maybe after 22 years, that would be good??

Thoughts welcome. If you see a boat like mine for sale in Corfu soon, with an Irish widow, call then police.

Regarding your fear of having your wife control your ascent and descent (hopefully controlled descent):

Keep in mind that it is best practice to have two lines (halyards) attached to your chair, one primary and one safety, and have a second person minding the safety line. Some handy neighbor may be willing to be the second person.
(I went aloft on a single halyard for years but after having a halyard fail (on a sail, not me) scared me. Not ready to die, so I use a safety line now).

Second point, an electric winch, electric winch handle, or an anchor windlass to raise you up will really be better than expecting your wife to winch you up by hand, you may kill her through heart failure.

Thirdly, you should probably not expect to fix that light in one trip. You SHOULD expect that you'll find something unexpected when you go up

Finally, hanging a light in the foretriangle makes all these problems go away.

[thinwater]

There is nothing wrong with letting someone else do it.

• I climb masts. My other hobbies include rock and ice climbing.
• I pay someone to do my taxes.
• I do electrical and fiberglass work.
• I pay someone to do sewing that requires a machine.

Being nervous can lead anyone to mistakes. Is it worth learning and getting the gear (not cheap to do it right, and very expensive to do it wrong) for something you will do very rarely? Perhaps not.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by hpeer

I latter replaced the whole unit with a completely sealed combination anchor/tri-color with an option to flash at anchor. I occasionally use that so I can find my boat in a crowded anchorage at night, or if someone is trying to find me.

A flashing light in the US, and perhaps internationally, is an official distress signal. Leaving that on while you go ashore or using it to help someone find you is just as illegal as setting off a flare to help somebody find you.