How to mount anchor light to this...

[cyrano138]

I'm new to anchor lights, mast-related repairs in general. Most of the anchor lights I've found look like they need to be mounted to a flat surface. Does anybody know of one designed to mount to this masthead cap? This is what I have.

[Kelkara]

I have a little 90deg angle bracket bolted onto the side of the masthead, with the light mounted onto that.

[BWCY420RS]

Kelkara’s advice is good. That’s what I had on my last boat.

[cyrano138]

Thanks guys. I thought that might be it but i was a little worried about putting a hole through the cheeks (?) and possi weakening them.

[boatman61]

Why not switch the cotter pin in the middle for a stainless bolt, fit your mounting platform then place and tighten the nut.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Why not switch the cotter pin in the middle for a stainless bolt, fit your mounting platform then place and tighten the nut.

Oooooh! How practical! Thanks, Boatie.

[cyrano138]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Why not switch the cotter pin in the middle for a stainless bolt, fit your mounting platform then place and tighten the nut.

It's a good thought -- if I can find a bolt with a long enough unthreaded shank (I'm thinking the threads might damage the sheave), and if I can drill the end to install a cotter pin so it doesn't get worked loose.



It's a project for sure, but might be a better option. I'm also just trying not to overthink it.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Why not switch the cotter pin in the middle for a stainless bolt, fit your mounting platform then place and tighten the nut.

Because you may crack the casting or make it bind on the sheave when tightening the nut. If you go that way use a prevailing torque locknut. For the bolt err on the side of longer bolt/fewer threads and either add external washers or use a threading die to bring the threads down to where you want them.


If it were my boat I would just rivet a short piece of 3/4" (or whatever size fits the space best) aluminum angle on the side of the masttop fitting, flush with the top facing out, with two or three 1/8" rivets. For a larger all-around light you could put 3/4" angle on each side, to make a wider platform. The rivets won't come loose and are easy to install.

[Nekton73]

Mine is attached via machine screws, holes are drilled and tapped into the masthead truck. A quick and easy install.



Please ignore the split ring and barely sufficient spread on the cotter pin. I was in the process of removing and replacing sheaves and stay when this picture was taken and they were just holding the pins in.



Re: using a bolt... the longer the bolt the longer the shank. On my truck I recently installed a spin bale and used bolts to replace the pins that hold it on. (I'm sure someone will chime in here about pins vs bolts, and I'd love to hear more opinions/facts although I'm comfortable with my decision) In my case, a 5" bolt had a shank long enough to go completely through the truck with the thread starting just past the outside face. I use nylock to secure, and cut off the excess thread (leaving a few extra and filing down the sharp edges of course). I considered using a castle nut and drilling the bolt to accept a cotter pin, or even a double nut as a lock, but ultimately settled on nylock. So far no issues, and I can inspect every fall when I drop the stick for winter storage.



Here's a pic of two of the three bolts installed, and me measuring the hole centers for the bale cheeks. The sheave pin is now a bolt as well.

[psk125]

You can also hoist an anchor light in the foretriangle. It doesn't have to be wired in.

[cyrano138]

Originally Posted by psk125

You can also hoist an anchor light in the foretriangle. It doesn't have to be wired in.

How does that work?

[cyrano138]

Originally Posted by Nekton73

Attachment 268782


Mine is attached via machine screws, holes are drilled and tapped into the masthead truck. A quick and easy install.



Please ignore the split ring and barely sufficient spread on the cotter pin. I was in the process of removing and replacing sheaves and stay when this picture was taken and they were just holding the pins in.



Re: using a bolt... the longer the bolt the longer the shank. On my truck I recently installed a spin bale and used bolts to replace the pins that hold it on. (I'm sure someone will chime in here about pins vs bolts, and I'd love to hear more opinions/facts although I'm comfortable with my decision) In my case, a 5" bolt had a shank long enough to go completely through the truck with the thread starting just past the outside face. I use nylock to secure, and cut off the excess thread (leaving a few extra and filing down the sharp edges of course). I considered using a castle nut and drilling the bolt to accept a cotter pin, or even a double nut as a lock, but ultimately settled on nylock. So far no issues, and I can inspect every fall when I drop the stick for winter storage.



Here's a pic of two of the three bolts installed, and me measuring the hole centers for the bale cheeks. The sheave pin is now a bolt as well.


Attachment 268783

I'll have it in the water year round, so I might want to drill. I also might stick with the cotter pin and use some nylon washers under the head to make it snug enough.



Can you comment on the light in that picture? I see one like it on west Marine that I like, but it has a photo sensor I don't really need. I'd rather just switch it on at night.



Finally, question for anyone, how do you keep water out of the hole in the mast for the wires? Do people generally run the wires through the masthead cap or through the side of the mast?


Thanks again for all the help!

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by cyrano138

How does that work?

The way it works is you get a Sofirn LT1s or similar and attach it to your spin halyard (or jib halyard) along with a downhaul so you can get it back.





I have one aboard as a hedge against electrical system problems. There is also a case to be made that a light in the foretriangle about 15' above deck is more visible.


You can also look at the Lumentop CL2, which has the advantage that it will run all night on AA batteries, if that's your thing. I have one of those too in my stack of stuff on shore.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by cyrano138

Finally, question for anyone, how do you keep water out of the hole in the mast for the wires? Do people generally run the wires through the masthead cap or through the side of the mast?

Rain will always get inside the mast.


Re wires you can do it either way. Make sure the wires won't chafe, either use a grommet or be sure the edges of the hole are rounded.

[Nekton73]

Yes my light is a photosensor LED light, but it is also switched. I switch it off when at the dock (as there is no need for an anchor light while docked) and turn it on when at anchor or on a mooring. The photosensor doesn't care whether you switch it on or off, it just controls whether/when the light comes on based on the amount of ambient light it senses. I'm happy to let it decide when to come on, one less thing for me to worry about, particularly if I'm ashore or visiting another boat when darkness falls and I don't have to go back to my boat to turn it on. I'm sure you can find a non-sensor light if that's what you prefer. This one has served well for 7 years. I can't remember if the metal bracket came with it or if I adapted from another light. But whatever, it's just an L shaped bracket, you can fab one easily enough.



As already stated, rain already gets into your mast, unless you have a hermetically sealed masthead truck. Mine is completely open at the top. My mast is deck stepped so any water running down makes its way out the bottom eventually, or evaporates. No problem so far, and when I drop the mast each fall I've never had a rush of trapped water come out the bottom, nor are any of my halyards wet and moldy, or wires corroded.



I would recommend making the effort to run a conduit, or wrap your internal wiring with pipe insulation, or add zip tie standoffs, or one of the many solutions that stop the wires from moving around inside the mast. I did not do this when I ran new wires for anchor, steam, spreader lights and VHF, and when things are rolly on the hook they clang about inside. I've gotten used to it but it drove me crazy for a couple of seasons. It is on my project list to solve. I'm sure there are threads on this forum describing various fixes. I've watched the installation of both the conduit and pipe insulation solutions to other masts in my club since I did mine and both worked well. I'm just putting it off because it's a fiddly time consuming process and I always have other things that need doing. But if I was running new wires again I wouldn't be lazy and not do it like I was the first time.



Just to be clear, the bolts I installed to replace my sheave and stay pins are not tightened snugly against the truck. The shank passes completely through and the thread starts about 1/8" past the outside face. So the full shank of the bolt bears on the holes in the truck. My locknut bottoms out on the thread so that the bolt will still spin in the hole, just like the original pin. If your outside to outside distance doesn't perfectly match up to a standard shank length like mine you can just choose a slightly longer one and pack out each side with a washer or other spacer, perhaps teflon or PTFE, to take up the difference. My original pins had some 'slop' between the holes where the cotter pins secured them and the outside face of the truck, so clearly this was not considered an issue by the original designer.



I made the bolts fit loosely intentionally so that there would be no compression on the cast aluminum of the truck, and so the bolt would roll as would the originally designed pin. I don't know if this makes a difference but I figured it has worked well for 40 years so why change it. If the sheave ever binds on the bolt then it will roll like the original pin, and hopefully I will notice the increased friction/effort, or hear some noise or something.