Aqua Signal 25 foredeck light: how high?

[floatsome]

I am trying to figure out how high up the mast to install our new Aqua Signal 25 foredeck light. Anyone have experience with brightness/height usng this product? The foredeck light half of this product is not a very strong bulb.

[badsanta]

Mine is just below the spreaders

[jarcher]

Mine is about 2/3 the way up the mast. The 20W halogen bulb is not super bright. You can add other lights to supplement it.

[floatsome]

Originally Posted by badsanta

Mine is just below the spreaders

How well does it light the foredeck at night?

[badsanta]

Its not like day light, but you can work. I dont think you want it so bright it blinds you to the shadows. I use a head lamp if I really need to see because everytime you bend over you cause a shadow.

[jarcher]

Originally Posted by floatsome

How well does it light the foredeck at night?

Not very well. It's 20 watts about 20 or so feet above. It will help you see where you're walking to avoid tripping and such, but if you need to do real work consider adding additional lighting. Its not hard to do. You can mount it to either the spreaders or the side of the mast. Use the same wiring. If the wiring is too small to support extra current, then add LED lights. Most likely the wires can support that.

[floatsome]

OK, that gives me sense of the strength of the foredeck light. The next question is whether the steaming light part should be at the lower third where the original steaming light hole is located, or whether I should go higher and drill a new hole at about 5 feet below the spreaders, which for some reason seems to be the more modern location when I look around at similar boats. I suppose the main issue is the jib wrapping around the front of the mast during tacks? Would it be less likely to drag over the fixture nearer half way up the mast than at the lower third? Is there some other factor to consider? (Boat is 27 foot sloop).

[jarcher]

Well a 27 foot sloop has what, a 30 or so foot mast? So you're saying the light is 10 feet up or so? I would leave it there. The requirement is that the steaming light be 1 meter (about 3 feet) above the red/green/stern lights, so you got that beat. As SD always points out, lights too high in a crowded harbor can confuse people who are not looking up, but 10 or so feet is not too high.

Also the lower it is the better the deck light will work, as long as the beam is not too narrow. But the Aqua Signal 25 deck light is not super directional.

And, I doubt the headsail passing over it will be an issue. There is nothing for it to catch on with this fixture. If you really want you could put one of those cages over it. My boat has one, but I would not have added it if it was not there when I bought it. All it does is make changing the festoon steaming bulb hard because the cage gets in the way of opening the fixture. Not fun while dangling from a halyard.

So don't make more work for yourself, just go ahead and install it and call it a day. Just my 2 cents, others may have a better idea but I think this is straightforward.

PS - I just happen to have my mast down right now and just went through more or less the same decision making process.

[jarcher]

Oh, one thing you might want to do is run a bead of silicon over the top and sides of the AS25 where it meets the mast, just to keep water from getting behind the fixture, and therefore inside it and/or the mast. Leave it alone near the bottom so any water that gets in can run out.

I know, silicon is evil, but for this application it is a good choice because it is cheap, easy to apply, flexible when cured and will easily come off the plastic fixture and aluminum mast when necessary.