Stern light question

KathyD19

KathyD19

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I just got a "Jetson-style" stern light and unlike the original stern light on my 1965 boat, which has wires coming directly out of the pole bottom, this has the solid base with two holes. Am I correct in assuming this plugs into something or were there wires on there that have been cut off for some reason? If it is a plug-in pole, what part am I missing that it plugs into and I wire to the boat? What's the reason/benefit of this style of being plug in versus hard wired? Thanks!

DSCN4202.jpg
 
Bondo

Bondo

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Re: Stern light question

KathyD19 said:
I just got a "Jetson-style" stern light and unlike the original stern light on my 1965 boat, which has wires coming directly out of the pole bottom, this has the solid base with two holes. Am I correct in assuming this plugs into something or were there wires on there that have been cut off for some reason? If it is a plug-in pole, what part am I missing that it plugs into and I wire to the boat? What's the reason/benefit of this style of being plug in versus hard wired? Thanks!

View attachment 171902
Click to expand...

Ayuh,... That stern light drops into a stern light socket...

It's so you can store it out of the way, til ya need it...
 
Bondo

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KathyD19

KathyD19

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Re: Stern light question

Thanks. Any idea where I can purchase the base that I need?
 
G

glenn property of pam

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Re: Stern light question

any marine place and some hardware stores sell them and you can take your light in with you to make sure you get the right one. watch out for the 3 pins models if you have a 2 pin light
 
snowman48047

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Re: Stern light question

I have this on my Lund and it is awful. I do regular maintainance, and this light has always been the victim of bad connections. The 2 pins have to be a tight fit and they get loose over time. You can tighten it by spreading the 2 sides of each pin, but they will loosen again. The result is a stern light that constantly flickers or is off bouncing over the waves. I would not reccomend this set up.

I am looking to wire something with a trailer light like plug that can be replaced as needed cheaply. At $30-$50 for light and socket I want a cheaper and better connection.
 
KathyD19

KathyD19

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Re: Stern light question

dlngr said:
I got mine at Walmart. Not that I like Walmart ,though!
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LOL, no one likes Walmart, but we're all stuck shopping there, huh? Thanks for the info everyone, I'll look for it next time I head to my local Wally World. And Snowman, I won't really ever need to use it except to show that I do have working lights in order to get my lake sticker. I wanted it for it's vintage look because my boat is a 1965 and the motor is a 1956 so that will look awesome on the old setup. Sorry you've had so many problems with yours. I wonder if maybe if you could find a vintage plug/base that it might work better than the new stuff they make these days. That older equipment was built to last unlike the junk out there today. :(
 
Fleetwin

Fleetwin

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Re: Stern light question

snowman48047 said:
I have this on my Lund and it is awful. I do regular maintainance, and this light has always been the victim of bad connections. The 2 pins have to be a tight fit and they get loose over time. You can tighten it by spreading the 2 sides of each pin, but they will loosen again. The result is a stern light that constantly flickers or is off bouncing over the waves. I would not reccomend this set up.

I am looking to wire something with a trailer light like plug that can be replaced as needed cheaply. At $30-$50 for light and socket I want a cheaper and better connection.
Click to expand...

That was a terribble design from the get go. But, the marine industry adopted it, for convenience.

That's what I did. A 2-pole trailer type connector.

I had to "pop/drill out" the underside of the light receptical (in boat) to snake the wires through. But, I now know it will always work. From topside, it looks the same.

Since I anchor a lot, to fish, I need to know my anchor light works.

BTW-pick up, a couple extra bulbs, or go LED like I did. Less battery draw and brighter.
 
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