Navigation Light Switch
 

Greetings,

I'm easily confused when it comes to marine switches, so.............

My 13' Whaler has a cheap two position pull switch for the
navigation/anchor light(s) that is highly unreliable. I'd like to
replace it with a more waterproof, toggle style switch with weather
boot.

I've looked on several marine web sites, but I can't find a switch
that's indicated as being designed for this purpose. There are 100's
of various switches, 2 pole, 4 pole, 3 connector, 6 connector, etc.

What kind of switch do I need for this application?

If your switch has an off, anchor, and nav positions this can be duplicated
with a 2 pole on-off-on toggle switch. Both on's from one pole connect to
the white light. Only one on from the other pole connect to the red/green
light. Both center connections go to hot. The in the center everything is
off. In one direction only the white light is on, in the other direction
both the white and the red/green light are on.

wrote in message
...
Greetings,

I'm easily confused when it comes to marine switches, so.............

My 13' Whaler has a cheap two position pull switch for the
navigation/anchor light(s) that is highly unreliable. I'd like to
replace it with a more waterproof, toggle style switch with weather
boot.

I've looked on several marine web sites, but I can't find a switch
that's indicated as being designed for this purpose. There are 100's
of various switches, 2 pole, 4 pole, 3 connector, 6 connector, etc.

What kind of switch do I need for this application?

We all seem to hate those pull out switches but they do work. The act of
pulling and pushing actually cleans the contact. You will never get that much
wiping action with a snap switch like most toggles.
I just got in the habit of pulling mine all the way out and back a few times
before I finally set it to the halfway "run" position.
That did bring the USCG down on me once, I suppose them thinking that was the
"bring in the drugs" signal but it does work.

When you say you have a "two position pull switch"
does that mean is just OFF/ON or does it mean
it has a total of three positions??

The numbers below are West Marine
model numbers. Just go to WestMarine.com
and type the model number into the search box.


IF IT'S JUST OFF/ON here are two choices:
Pull Switch: 211722
Toggle Switch: 1945864
Basically for ON/OFF you want a
Single Pole, Single Throw (SPST) switch.


IF IT'S OFF, Nav-Lights-On, Anchor-Light-On:
Pull Switch: 379024 (See Note #1)
Toggle Switch: 3827052
Basically for OFF/ON/ON you want a
Double Pole, Double Throw (DPDT) switch.

Note #1: This switch is an OFF / ON#1 & #2 / ON #1 & #3 switch.
There may be better ways of doing it (better switches) but you could
have ON#1 connected to the back/white light. Then have the bow
light connected to #2. Nothing connected to #3.

Note #2: It seems some navigation lights have TWO SEPERATE
bulbs in them. I'm assuming that's not the case here. I'm assuming
you just have one white-light at the stern with one bulb and one
red-green light at the bow with one bulb.

Gary Warner wrote:
When you say you have a "two position pull switch"
does that mean is just OFF/ON or does it mean
it has a total of three positions??

The numbers below are West Marine
model numbers. Just go to WestMarine.com
and type the model number into the search box.


IF IT'S JUST OFF/ON here are two choices:
Pull Switch: 211722
Toggle Switch: 1945864
Basically for ON/OFF you want a
Single Pole, Single Throw (SPST) switch.


IF IT'S OFF, Nav-Lights-On, Anchor-Light-On:
Pull Switch: 379024 (See Note #1)
Toggle Switch: 3827052
Basically for OFF/ON/ON you want a
Double Pole, Double Throw (DPDT) switch.

Note #1: This switch is an OFF / ON#1 & #2 / ON #1 & #3 switch.
There may be better ways of doing it (better switches) but you could
have ON#1 connected to the back/white light. Then have the bow
light connected to #2. Nothing connected to #3.

Note #2: It seems some navigation lights have TWO SEPERATE
bulbs in them. I'm assuming that's not the case here. I'm assuming
you just have one white-light at the stern with one bulb and one
red-green light at the bow with one bulb.




It's no big trick. Some of my cabin lights had three way switches and
two bulbs... off- on white bulb-on red bulb.

--
We today have a president of the United States who looks like he is the
son of Howdy Doody or Alfred E. Newman, who isn't smarter than either of
them, who is arrogant about his ignorance, who is reckless and
incompetent, and whose backers are turning the United States into a pariah.

What, me worry?

Try West Marine .com for your switch with your description I found the
same style push pull but with - OFF ON - ON position -- Off would be
pushed in and the two ON _ ON would be clicks outward. here is the page I
was looking at. maybe this would help.
http://mastercatalog04.westmarine.com/0647.asp
Switch - M531, 3 Position, Off/On #1/ On #2 Part# 270868

$13.99
Regards,



Ron
wrote in message
...
Greetings,

I'm easily confused when it comes to marine switches, so.............

My 13' Whaler has a cheap two position pull switch for the
navigation/anchor light(s) that is highly unreliable. I'd like to
replace it with a more waterproof, toggle style switch with weather
boot.

I've looked on several marine web sites, but I can't find a switch
that's indicated as being designed for this purpose. There are 100's
of various switches, 2 pole, 4 pole, 3 connector, 6 connector, etc.

What kind of switch do I need for this application?

Try West Marine .com for your switch with your description I found the
same style push pull but with - OFF ON - ON position -- . here is the
page I
was looking at. maybe this would help.
West Marine
http://mastercatalog04.westmarine.com/0647.asp
Switch - M531, 3 Position, Off/On #1/ On #2 Part# 270868

$13.99
Regards,
Ron


wrote in message
...
Greetings,

I'm easily confused when it comes to marine switches, so.............

My 13' Whaler has a cheap two position pull switch for the
navigation/anchor light(s) that is highly unreliable. I'd like to
replace it with a more waterproof, toggle style switch with weather
boot.

I've looked on several marine web sites, but I can't find a switch
that's indicated as being designed for this purpose. There are 100's
of various switches, 2 pole, 4 pole, 3 connector, 6 connector, etc.

What kind of switch do I need for this application?

On Sat, 2 Oct 2004 13:13:47 -0400, "Gary Warner"
wrote:

When you say you have a "two position pull switch"
does that mean is just OFF/ON or does it mean
it has a total of three positions??

It is indeed a 3 position switch, off, pull one detent to the nav
lights, and another detent to the anchor light only.....

Maybe I'll just replace the switch with a better quality pull version
and go from there.......

Thanks for everyone for the input!!