steaming light, running light, wiring

[yzlian]

hello all, my C37 (#260) has the steaming light and running light wired together and turned on and off with one button, yet on the 12v switch panel there is a separate switch for steaming light, which as far as i can tell is not useful. the hellamarine green-red steaming light is installed on the bow instead of halfway up the mast. is this the usual arrangement for C37? thanks.

[SVCarolena]

The steaming light is the white forward facing light that is generally about halfway up the mast. The running lights are the forward red and green lights for starboard and port, as well as the white stern light. The forward running lights are often mounted to the rail at the bow. You do want to be able to turn off the steaming light if you are under sail at night - under sail it is just the running lights, under power it is both running and steaming lights. It sounds like you may have some wires crossed.

[arisatx]

Originally Posted by yzlian

hello all, my C37 (#260) has the steaming light and running light wired together and turned on and off with one button, yet on the 12v switch panel there is a separate switch for steaming light, which as far as i can tell is not useful. the hellamarine green-red steaming light is installed on the bow instead of halfway up the mast. is this the usual arrangement for C37? thanks.

Your steaming light (white light halfway up your mast) needs to be on a separate circuit breaker to be used when under engine power.

Your "green-red steaming light" are not steaming lights. They are in the usual location for a C37. However, for vessel in the US <20m, you have the option of putting a tricolor at the mast head (but of course you can only use one set of tricolor lights at a time).

This resource may help, assuming you are in the US:
RULE 25: SAILING VESSELS UNDERWAY AND VESSELS UNDER OARS

[yzlian]

oops, got my terminology wrong, after not sailing at night for a couple years. now, it must be true that my steaming light (as pointed out, the one halfway up the mast pointing "forward") is not working. is it sitting right on top of the foredeck light? (latter is working alright.) if so, i'd have to climb up. it should be a 25W bulb, right? now if i want to change into LED using generic LED bulbs, what total wattage should i choose, and is that advisable?

[SVCarolena]

You won't know which bulb it takes until you open it up, unless you know the model of the fixture and can look it up. I suggest you search the threads regarding changing bulbs to LED for nav lights. Many people have done it, but many others point out that your insurance may decline coverage or you could be found at fault during a night accident if the light is not USCG certified, and for the most part there are only a very small handful of bulbs that are certified alone - most certify the fixture with a specific bulb (ie one that is built as ground up as LED). That said, the steaming light is the only one that I wouldn't replace with LED, as it is only used when the engine is running. In terms of bang for the buck, I would start with an LED anchor light, then cabin lights, then running lights (bow and stern). No need to change the steaming light. If you use the foredeck light a lot at anchor, you may want to swap that bulb for LED. Since the foredeck light isn't for navigation, there is no worry regarding USCG certifications.