Bow lights getting plunged. Does it matter? BFS

[Bene505]

OK so my bow light gets plunged into the ocean on those days when there a hint of BFS in the air. The first time, the thing quit for 15 minutes before it started shining again. This was not an academic problem as it was night in the shipping channel in Delaware Bay. (Ah Delaware Bay, where the waves come off the ocean, the current runs against the waves, and the bottom gets shallow right next to the channel.)

Has anyone replaced their bow lights to avoid having them frequently submerged? I was originally thinking of putting lights off the sides, aft of the bow a bit. (This would also reduce the red/green glare coming right back at you off the stainless steel bowsprit, in the exact direction you are looking the most.) But then that would mean the light would get submerged whenever the rail gets buried. And when heeling, a low light on the lee side might not show up well to other boats and ships.

Is the only recourse to get a masthead light? I plan on having the mast down 2 winters from now, not this winter. Next winter I'm planning to keep the boat in the water -- maybe take some on-the-hard sailnetters for some winter sails. So installing the masthead would have to wait 2 more years, right? Or can it be done with the mast up? Or maybe I just need a new, better-sealed bow light.

Anyone have any ideas?

[tommays]

On my friends 35' he went with and led unit that mounted on the pulpit and it has been fine i dont like the masthead units as i am generaly not looking 60' up when i am sailing at night


On my J24 they get salted all the time and are 27 years old ,I use super lube dielectric grease on the bulb contacts as they seem to do fine

[CharlieCobra]

Oh Joy has hers mounted in sculpted wind on the cabin top side forward. They still get dunked but that's just me.

[TheFrog]

Originally Posted by tommays

On my friends 35' he went with and led unit that mounted on the pulpit and it has been fine i dont like the masthead units as i am generaly not looking 60' up when i am sailing at night


On my J24 they get salted all the time and are 27 years old ,I use super lube dielectric grease on the bulb contacts as they seem to do fine

These are both quality suggestions. Th dielectric grease on the contacts should be the trick to keep the sea water from corroding the contacts or shorting out the bulb. Liberally coat any bare metal contacts with the grease. If that doesn't work my guess is there is another problem and you may want to look into a well sealed LED unit.

[sailingdog]

If you're talking about sailing off shore, you really need to use a masthead light. But you need deck-level lights for use in coastal and harbor, more settled conditions.

[Bene505]

Where can I get this dielectric grease? That sounds very useful.

[sailingdog]

BENE-

Look HERE

BTW, Google is your friend...

[Vasco]

Dielectric grease on the inside. Lots of silicone sealant on the outside.

[Bene505]

Speaking of Google being your friend, I found a great little video on youtube of how to use dielectric grease:

YouTube - Dielectric Grease Review - etrailer.com

I found other sites which pretty much answered some other questions that I had. I'm getting some.

[camaraderie]

Yup...leave em where they are Bene...just make sure the wire is good and clean at the connections and then load it up with grease and silicon so they are water tight...at least for a few months. A constant battle...which is why if you ever re-wire it is good to leave a nice long spare loop to draw on in the future. I would get a mast top tri-color as an ALTERNATIVE when you tak the mast down, but would keep it on a separate circuit for sea duty only.