Navigation Light

[Vic Suben]

Has anyone had to re-wire the navigation light mounted on the bow rail?  If so, how did you get the wire through the rail?

Thanks,

Vic

[Kevin Henderson]

HI Vic,

I have not the rewire myself but it just so happens that I was looking in that area this weekend investigating the future install of my bow cleats (seperate thread). 
If your setup is similar to mine, I would think you get get access to the wires through the beckson port in the anchor locker.  You could send a messenger from the light itself down the tube and it should come out somewhere in the vicinity of the beckson port somewhat to the portside of the locker.  I noticed that when I opened up my beckson that I had easy access to my wires coming from the bow.   

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

If possible use the old wire to pull in a new wire or a new messenger.

Mike

[Indian Falls]

If you have a roll of ss seizing wire you can use that to fish through, connect your new wire and pull it in with the siezing wire much like a conduit snake...  pull the wire toward the light.

That's if you lost the wire inside or already pulled it out... in the other case you should use the old wire to pull the new one in pull it toward the light.  Use a western union to join the wires due to the small diameter and strength of connection.

[2ndwish]

In a very similar vein to Indian Falls, I used a fiberglass fish tape to add a wire to the binnacle rail, which is a similar diameter to the pulpit. Had to watch carefully as the end of the tape went by the exit hole in the stainless tube. Hooked the end with a dentist tool and tied a messenger line to it which I used to pull the new wire. Going the other way , starting at  the exit hole (near the light in your case) did not work well because the fish tape had to turn too tight a bend.

[patrice]

HI,
You have better chance by removing the wood work in the Vberth.
Cause the wire are entering the pulpit on the side of locker.
I just rework the wiring in mine.
And when you'll thread the new wire, have someone pushing the wire, will the other one pull it.
You might be pulling to hard if all by yourself.

[Vic Suben]

Thanks for all the tips.  Actually going at it with ss seizing wire sounds like my best bet.  What gage seizing wire works best?

At the end of last season a hit-and-sail sailor ran into the bow rail.  The rail had to come off to be repaired and the welder had to remove the old wire for the bow light.  He did leave a messenger, but when I tried to pull the new wire through with the messenger, the wire became detached - hence the need to re-wire.

[Indian Falls]

Vic, it won't matter unless you cant bend it with your fingers.  Also I'm not sure that you'll have that many choices.
I had a small roll of this on the boat already and used it for 10 things other than siezing bolts and nuts...  I believe it's 20 or 24 ga.  not big   paper clip diameter or so.
Good luck!

[mregan]

Haven't tried it myself but someone once recommended fishing a piece of string with of knot on one end into one side of the pulpit.  On the other end/hole, attach a shop vac.  The suction should pull the string through the pulpit.

[Ed Shankle]

I had to replace my bow pulpit this year thanks to a hurricane Sandy crash in the fall. It came with the bow light wire pre-installed. Thank God for small favors. Anyway, before I received the new pulpit, I figured I'd be running a messenger so I thought about using a weight, like for a fishing rod or a nut, and some string. Since the pulpit wouldn't be attached yet, it could be manuevered so that the weight would find it's way through the tubes and eventually to the forward port foot. Then pull through the wire itself.
I'm assuming your pulpit hasn't been re-attached yet.

Ed

[Vic Suben]

The wire routing goes from the light around to the forward, port side vertical leg of the bow pulpit and then down to come out under the deck in the vicinity of the Beckson port. I was able to thread about 6' of wire from the light into the bow rail.  Unfortunately, the wire didn't make the turn to come down the leg of the pulpit.  I also tried sending seizing wire up the leg, but the wire wouldn't make the bend to get to the part of the rail with the light. 

Vic

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

You might try pushing some sash chain or beaded chain into the tube and gravity should let it drop into the vertical section. If it doesn't fall all the way through, you may be able to catch the end of it with a coat hanger with a small hook on the end. It's a shame you couldn't get the wire in before the bow pulpet was attached.

Mike

[2ndwish]

Work from below, use a fish tape. It will make that turn. You can get one for about 6 bucks at HFT.