Source for White All-round Navigation Pole Lamp with LED bulbs and Adjustable Height and Fits OEM Mounting Hardware

[MNBrooke]

I'd like to replace the [the WHITE ALL-ROUND NAVIGATION LAMP] that was original with my 1974 KATAMA 16.

I want a lamp that:

1. will work with the original mounting hardware on the 1974 KATAMA 16;
2. uses LED bulbs; and
3. is adjustable in height.

Give me a SOURCE for a replacement WHITE ALL-ROUND Navigation Lamp that meet the three criterion above.

[Moderator's note: had to clarify the article as it was asking for a "stern light." The KATAMA 16 never used a sternlight. It always used a white all-round lamp mounted on a pole. That navigation lamp is NOT a sternlight as defined in the Navigation Rules. ]

[jimh]

If you still have the original pole lamp, you can just replace the incandescent miniature lightbulb with an LED replacement, but, unfortunately, that will not give you a legitimate USCG approved navigation lamp. The LIGHT emitted by navigation lamps must be tested and certified to conform to the federal regulations for required display of navigation lights, so if you got some random. made-in-China, LED lightbulb, the color temperature of the light it emits and the intensity may not be appropriate for use as a navigation light source.

As for being adjustable in height, I do not understand how you could want this feature. In order to comply with the federal regulations, the position of the white all-round lamp must be elevated 1-meter higher than the lamps that produced the combined sidelight lights. See the cited regulation below that establishes this criterion.

You need to read the federal regulations about navigation lighting if you want to keep the boat legal. You can find the regulations applicable to navigation lighting at

33 CFR PART 84—ANNEX I: POSITIONING AND TECHNICAL DETAILS OF LIGHTS AND SHAPES
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/c ... -E/part-84

The most important criterion regarding the height of an all-round lamp is given in 33CFR84.02 subpart (d). That section specifies:

(d) The masthead light, or the all-round light described in Rule 23(d)(§ 83.23(d) of this chapter), of a power-driven vessel of less than 12 meters in length shall be carried at least one meter higher than the sidelights.

(Emphasis added.)

As for your requirement that the pole lamp for which you want readers to recommend MUST fit the OEM mounting hardware, you really should not put the burden onto the readers to FIGURE OUT what the mounting arrangement happens to be on your particular boat, and INSTEAD you should SPECIFY the details of the pole portion of the lamp, such as the DIAMETER of the pole, any particular wiring arrangement desired, and the LENGTH OF THE POLE necessary comply with federal regulations for the display of navigations light. Leaving all those IMPORTANT qualifications for the lamp you want to be inferred by the readers from you list of desired outcomes is not a very good method of giving specifications for the desired lamp, as exactly how readers would know the diameter wiring arrangement, and the pole length for your particular boat seems rather chancy and unreliable. In general I would NOT rely on readers to know all of those important characteristics from your rather simple requirement that the lamp they are to recommend would "fit the OEM" mounting on your boat.

[MNBrooke]

I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with nautical terms for specific pieces of hardware, nor do I know the most felicitous way to describe characteristics such as diameter wiring arrangements or the heat specifications of the lamp.

I appreciate your help in laying out some of the parameters of a successful post to this site, as well as alerting me that laws exist for the light I want to replace.

I have never needed to know these regulations since my family acquired the boat in 1974. I have always thought of a smallish run-around boat as more like owning a bicycle (for which features such as lights are practical options) and less like owning a registered automobile for which countless elements are regulated and inspected.

Similarly, I have thought of this site as friendly to novices -- and your detailed response with guidance about what information to include in a post is a friendly courtesy that helps me make better use of the site. Unfortunately, I don't have the necessary vocabulary or background knowledge to express my question in a way that does not require substantial inference on the part of the reader. For example, I cannot describe the diameter[,] wiring arrangements[,] and heat specifications of the original light in sufficient detail because I don't know how to measure these things.

I think my best bet is to take the boat to a shop where experts will be able to determine exactly what I need.

To address your point about why I'd want height adjustability: I seek it to make the pole taller than the original, not shorter. This concern came up when my wife noticed that most other boats on the lake last week had taller white all-round navigation poles than we do. (I now realize that's because the other boats were longer and-or had taller sidelights). Then when I looked on-line I saw that you can buy a pole that is extendible; that option struck me as more practical than a fixed height pole taller than what is required (the one that came with the boat appears to be at least one meter higher than the sidelights).

Thank you for your help with this problem.

[jimh]

I'm afraid that...do [not] I know the most felicitous way to describe characteristics such as diameter..

Generally any circular or cylindrical object will be described by its diameter.

Because the white all-round lamp is generally mounted on a pole, the pole is usually a tube, and thus the tube has a cylindrical form. Also, the tube or pole will typically be clamped or held or retained in some manner in the MOUNT. This is why I suggested if you could mention the diameter of the pole then readers could infer more about the mount. If you no longer have the original pole, you could measure the inside diameter of the mount.

The dimension of diameter is given in units of length, which for a boat made in the USA in 1974 will most likely be in inches.

The need to know about the mount come from the requirement you imposed on the replacement lamp: it had to fit the OEM mounting hardware.

[jimh]

I infer from your recent reply that you still have the original pole lamp. On that basis, the most expedient way to achieve that you are looking for is to just use the original lamp. If the lamp is not illuminating, the remedy could be as simple as replacing the miniature incandescent lightbulb in the fixture. A very close visual inspection of the lightbulb can reveal the actual filament of the lightbulb. If the filament is not broken, then the lightbulb should still be good. If the lightbulb is not illuminating, then cause may be that no current if flowing in the filament.

The cause for no current flowing in the filament could be a discontinuity in the electrical circuit. The discontinuity could be as simple as a bit of corrosion at the lightbulb base and at the lightbulb socket in the lamp. In low-voltage circuits, even a very minuscule layer of oxidation can stop the flow of an electrical current. Usually a gentle rubbing of the electrical contact surfaces with WD40 will restore conductivity.

If the lightbulb filament is broken, the remedy is to get a replacement lightbulb. Small lightbulbs are identified by a number on the base.

If you want to investigate the original lamp and see if you can get it working, more advice can be offered.

[jimh]

As for the colorimetry of the light produced by an LED replacement lightbulb, you don't really have to worry, as there is NO waterborne law-enforcement agency that can measure the colorimetry of the light, and as long as it appears as "white" to the human eye, you will be fine.

As for the intensity of the light, this is also unlikely to be measured in the field, but the regulations specify certain intensities for the visibility of the lights of vessels based on the size of the vessel. The general correlation between vessel size and visibility of the navigation lights emitted by the vessel is that bigger vessels must have navigation lights visible from greater distances. So if you have a little boat, which in the realm of navigation lights for a power-driven vessel will be any boat less than 12-meters (about 39-feet) its white all-round light must be visible at two-miles, while if you have a vessel longer than 50-meters the masthead light (which is required instead of a white all-round light) must be visible at six miles. I don't know if a navigation light whose intensity was greater than specified for the size vessel would be considered to be improper, but it would be rather silly to have a light visible at six miles on a 16-foot boat.

As for maintaining strict compliance with all the requirements of the Navigation Rules for proper display of navigation lights while underway, it is best to aim for compliance, but even the United States Coast Guard has operated some of its vessels with non-compliant navigation lighting. But errors like that tend to only garner attention when there is an accident on the water involving your vessel, and some investigatory agency wants to establish a possible contributory cause, such as a vessel had improper navigation lights and the accident occurred after dark. So your "bicycle theory" will be working in your favor.

ASIDE: you may find reading this article about a USCG boat involved in a collision in which the USCG boat and another commercial boat were both showing improper navigation lights to be interesting:

Re: Raising height of All-Round Pole Lamp
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... 138#p29554

[jimh]

Regarding the desire to change to an LED lightbulb from an incandescent lightbulb, the only really useful aspect of substituting an LED lightbulb for an incandescent lightbulb is the reduced electrical power consumption. Everything else about using an LED just adds complexity with almost zero return benefit.

Reduced power consumption might be important if you were planning to operate a sailboat on a long passage of a month or more, and the reduced power consumption of LED lightbulbs would avoid draining the ship's battery. On a power-driven vessel which has an engine that also generates electrical power, the notion of cutting the power consumption of the navigation lamps is not a particularly great worry.

ASIDE: the white all-round lamp on my c.1990 boat uses an incandescent lightbulb, and as far as I know, it is the original bulb from c.1990, so it is will working after 34-years of marine service.

[MNBrooke]

Thanks for persisting with my question.

It's kind of amazing how complex this discussion has been given that the only part of my current all-round navigation light that is inoperable is the plastic screw-on cap that covers the bulb -- somehow, it went missing last week at the lake (after being in place for 50 years!). The light continues to work, but I didn't like the way the bulb was totally unprotected, and I didn't think I could find a replacement cap by itself, so I figured it was time to replace the whole rig, perhaps with one that was a little taller for better vision and one with an LED bulb which should be more durable than the incandescent bulbs I have used (during towing, I take the lamp pole down and place it on the deck, which puts the bulb in some danger of breaking). I was hoping for some kind of simple plug'n'play option where I'd buy a pole and light that fits the existing mount, and just do the rewiring myself. There's a West Marine not too far from home; I may go out there this weekend with the existing pole and see what they have that would fit.

Thanks again for your help with this. I found the article about the boat collision interesting, though I was a little confused by the report that the sidelights on the Bayside Blaster "were not properly screened, resulting in arcs of visibility approximately 30' greater than required". Why would having a larger-than-required arc of visibility be a problem?

[fno]

I've been reluctant to comment as JimH is usually spot on with the rules and regulations and his vast knowledge of many things electrical.

West Marine as far as I know is and has been selling LED bulbs that meet the requirements for use on an uninspected vessel. Are they Coast Guard approved? I think not because they are not in the habit of approving bulbs themselves, only the desired effect.

I chose LED's a long time ago for both their energy savings and longevity. I happen to boat at night quite often and that is another consideration.

The other problem I encountered with festoon type bulbs, incandescent or LED is the crappy installation method. For five to seven years I was replacing bulbs, cleaning contacts, replacing fixtures because of corrosion and poor connections. My solution was to replace the fixtures to get clean copper contacts, use LED festoon bulbs that meet USCG luminosity requirements, and solder them in place so corrosion cannot be my enemy.

Ten years later, lights still light every time and no problems with the LED bulbs.

As for twist in socket type bulbs, I have yet to conquer those pieces of crap. But those are only on the trailer.

Good luck with the search for a correct pole for your lamp.

I suggest you find a Harbor Freight and buy one of their digital calipers. They are extremely cheap compared to Starret but they do work for a while and most will not wear them out in a lifetime. They are extremely handy around the shop. Keep them out of the house though because they might be used as C-clamps or picture hanging brackets by others in the family.

[jimh]

...the only part of my current all-round navigation light that is inoperable is the plastic screw-on cap that covers the bulb -- somehow, it went missing last week at the lake (after being in place for 50 years!).

That may be the hardest part to replace.

You might want to browse through the PERKO navigation lamp catalog to see if there is an exact replacement lens.

Here is a link:
https://www.perko.com/catalog/category/ ... are_parts/

Maybe this is the missing lens:
https://www.perko.com/catalog/spare_par ... nd_lights/

Here is a better catalogue page:

https://www.perko.com/images/catalog/ca ... f/R-60.pdf
Fig. 0201

[jimh]

The reason Frank (fno) and I have had different experiences with incandescent light bulbs in navigation lamps probably comes down to two things:

• Frank does a lot of boating at night, and I hardly ever do any night boating; about the only time I use a navigation lamp is when anchored out overnight and displaying a white all-round light as an anchor light;
• Frank is a saltwater boater--I think--and I am now 100-percent freshwater.

Another peculiarity with my boating: it is all done in a short span of Summer, usually mostly in July, August, and perhaps a bit in September. And now it is all done almost always north of 45-degrees N latitude. This means that sunset is often as late as 9:33 p.m. local time, and true darkness does not occur until after 11 p.m.

I don't think my boat has been underway in "darkness" for a long time, although we have been underway on some rather dark and gloomy mornings where it was prudent to show navigation lights.

[jimh]

Regarding maintenance on navigation lamps, I did have the white all-round pole lamp on my boat apart for a bit of general inspection and maintenance about two years ago (in 2022). I published a very detailed write up about the lamp, and all the components in the fixture. See

White All-round PERKO Lamp
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7422

In that article there is a hyperlink to an older printed catalogue from PERKO that has amazing detail about older navigation lamps they made back in the day. That link still works, and the catalogue is a great source for information about their lamps and replacement parts.

[jimh]

Another common problem with the white all-round lamp on a pole is the electrical connection. For a long time Boston Whaler used a rubber-body two-pole polarized connector set with bronze or some copper alloy contacts, made by Cole-Hersee and identified as their M-121 connector. This connector is still made and is still listed in the catalogue, although Cole-Hersee is now part of the LITTLEFUSE conglomerate. See

https://www.littelfuse.com/products/oth ... m_121.aspx


Fig. 1. A Cole-Hersee set of M-121 connectors as used in many Boston Whaler pole lamp circuits.

The two connectors were often left unconnected, and also unprotected from the weather. The outcome was a very unreliable connection due to oxidation of the contacts.

Ages ago there was a long discussion about a better connector for these lamps. Like just about every old discussion, this topic is still in the achives and still on-line. See

Navigation Lamp Connectors
https://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/002500.html

The above thread goes on for many comments,

I settled on my own solution, which was to use Deutsch DT-series two-pole connectors with silver contacts, adding hoods to the cable ends to both connectors to provide better protection against water splashes, and to buy mating dummy plugs to use as covers when the connectors were not mated. The silver connectors are better because if oxidation occurs, silver oxide is still a conductor; with copper or bronze, the oxide is not a conductor, which is the real cause of all the problems with the M-121 connectors. I switched to the Deutsch connectors in 2009, so I can say that in 2024, after 15-years in service, they work perfectly and exactly as they did on the first day I installed them.

The two connectors are the DT04-2P (house for male terminals) and its mate, DT06-2P (housing for female terminals). I used the silver terminals and soldered the conductors instead of crimping them (as I was not sure I had a proper crimp tool for these particular contacts). The wedge locks and individual contacts are ordered as separate components. You will need a W2S and a W2P wedge lock, and for silver contacts, you have to buy them individually.


Here is a list with part numbers
Contacts are
2 x PIN = 0460-202-16141 - SOLID PIN - SIZE 16 - 16-20 AWG - 13 AMPS - NICKEL = $0.55
2 x SOCKET = 0462-201-16141 - SOLID SOCKET - SIZE 16 - 16-20 AWG - 13 AMPS - NICKEL PLATED = $0.69

The boots are
DT2S-BT - DT SERIES - 2 CAVITY PLUG BOOT - GRAY = $1.40
DT2P-BT - DT SERIES - 2 CAVITY RECEPTACLE BOOT - GRAY = $1.60

Connector housings are
DT06-2S - DT SERIES - 2 SOCKET PLUG - GRAY = $1.39
DT04-2P - DT SERIES - 2 PIN RECEPTACLE - GRAY = $1.21

The dust caps are

1011-344-0205 - DT SERIES - DUST CAP FOR 2 CAVITY PLUG - BLACK = $1.08
[No dust cap for receptacle listed.]

I think the dummy sealing plugs I ordered 15-years ago are no longer a standard part; but I presume you could just order a mating housing and use a bit of sealant at the wire entrance seals to prevent any ingress of water from the back of the connector body.

[MNBrooke]

Thanks to all for this highly detailed, very helpful information! Much appreciated.

ASIDE: I may return with another question: how to find someone to service my 2014 E-TEC outboard engine?

[jimh]

I may return with another question: how to find someone to service my 2014 E-TEC outboard engine?

That is a fine topic, but please start a new thread for that discussion. When seeking reference for service providers, post in THE GAM forum.