My bow light wasn't working well so I went into it today over lunch, I started off with my red light working and the green not, ended up with the green working and the red not. shows you how good I am at troubleshooting I'm sure if I took a few more min to clean contacts and maybe replace a bulb I could get them both working again but the question is for how long....
I think the bulb holders are original and they are a bit corroded so I am thinking that the best path is to replace them and get LED bulbs while I am at it.
Does anyone know if this is a stock size holder or if one needs to buy something similar and tweak it to make it work?
The issue I found is water intrusion under the lenses. Corrodes the contacts and fries the LEDs. I now use a gasket to seal between the lens base and the housing...seems to work. Installing the snap ring compresses the gasket foam to make a good seal. The sockets are standard - match to the bulb.
I don't know where to get a replacement cap. If Hi Tide doesn't have them I would try McMaster-carr for something that "works".
Cam
1963 Bertram 25
1973 Boston Whaler 13 - sold!
1998 Scout 172 SF - beach taxi
I messed with it some more, one bulb is bad, swapped good to other side and it worked, I am not sure based upon what you said if it is worth getting LED bulbs or just get a new set of incandesent.
You need to scroll through some of the posts to get to it.
I purchased a red and green bulb since I read that the White LED is really blue and distorts the red and green color. I have to say, it is really red and really green when lit.
If you follow what he did, it creates a really snug seal once the top is back on.
You need to scroll through some of the posts to get to it.
I purchased a red and green bulb since I read that the White LED is really blue and distorts the red and green color. I have to say, it is really red and really green when lit.
If you follow what he did, it creates a really snug seal once the top is back on.
That's the basic method I used except I didn't have the gasketing material, so I installed a foam gasket on the base of the lens. I tried the same LEDs Jason used, but before I had a good seal - failed in a couple of months. I keep a spare set of LEDs and snap ring pliers on board now.
1963 Bertram 25
1973 Boston Whaler 13 - sold!
1998 Scout 172 SF - beach taxi
I'm going to kick the can down the road.... $7 got me a pair of new incandescent bulbs, I could find the same bayonet but not the same size glass and these are bigger so hopefully they last.
I'm sure if I took a few more min to clean contacts and maybe replace a bulb I could get them both working again but the question is for how long....
