johnno Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 Hi As the weekend was fast approaching and wanting to get out on the water this weekend (legal). NO time to go to the shops find a anchor light to suit then pull the old one out.etc etc Easy fix what i have and to suit what i need. Step 1 check what the pole is made off mine 20mm OD fibreglass 18mm ID Step 2 check length needed Step 3 you need some wires to extend the cables in tube. So off i went to bunnings and got some ally tube 20mm 18mm ID 3 metres long which i only needed 1.5metres. So i called a mate who had the same light as I. Then i called round and picked his up and 3.0metres black cable and red he had lying around. total cost $9.15 per light now 1.5 metres high 1 I removed the bottom screw to get to plug 2 Once plug is removed i could unscrew the terminals to remove the wiring 3 Drill pop rivet out of to light stem 4 Measure height down of top hole,Then mark to other tube 5 Drill 1/8 hole (or hole to suit your pop rivet). Now we need to mark a vertical line down the pole so the bottom screw hole is inline. Easy put tube in cnr,Put pencil against wall and rotate the tube until the centre of the hole lines up with the pencil. Hold the tube and don,t let it move. Go to other end put pencil against the wall and mark a line on the tube. This now given you a vertical line that is pretty accurate. 6 Measure height of bottom hole Transfer onto the vertically marked tube drill holes 7 Cut wire hanging from light to a length you wish crimp/twist wires together and solder then cover with heat shrink or tape etc (i used heat shrink as it won,t fall off) or disconnect at light termination and terminate new wires slide the wires into tube and hang out bottom. Pop rivet the top light on. 8 Cut wires to length and terminate into bottom plug. Insert back into tube and screw on Now your done This is only a guide for making your light longer I had lots of this stuff on hand to make the repairs/mods to the project If you wish to spray it black etc you can do so once it is all drilled prior to assemble. It maybe cheaper for some people to go and buy a new one rather then modify there old one. My light is now 1.5mteres in length rather then 600mm which is well above the height required but also the light is higher then me standing in the boat and will not shine directly into my eyes. I hope this has helped some people. Hope people can understand as it has been a super long day and may not read right please forgive me. cheers johnno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james7 Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 You should write "instruction books" Johnno. You've given me another option to make my boat "light legal". I think a lot of boats will be booked this summer for not having the correct lights if they're out between sunset and sunrise. Thanks and cheers Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelican Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 (edited) Some pedantic officers will not care if you are only out in daylight and will try the "ïf it is on your boat it must work and be legal". So only going out in daylight may not solve peoples problem and may get a warning. Not sure but in QLD they were checking baots at ramps and if Nav lights were fitted and didn't work they would issue a warning and not let boat away at ramp and the same for ones that weren't legal. Used the old "what if conditions deterioate and you need your lights on" story .. Don't know if they can but .... Well done on the modification Johnno Edited October 17, 2008 by pelican Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnno Posted October 17, 2008 Author Share Posted October 17, 2008 I will take some better pics this arvo and add into post of finished and unfinished product Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgey Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Great stuff Johnno Money saved on a project like this can be converted into more tackle! Thank you for the time and effort you put into the post ... it's most appreciated Cheers Hodgey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemmm Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 Nice job Johnno but what ever happened to the aussie "she'll be right, close enough is good enough" approach. You used a bloody vernier gauge. I would have just "judged it". But then I would have three goes at getting it right. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hambly99 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Top post, now if only i could do the soldering side of things hmmm haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flightmanager Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Add the heat to the wires , not the solder . This is called tinning . There are two ways of doing it , tin each connection , then join twist them together , then apply soldering iron to fuse the two wires together . Or , twist the bare conductors together , then heat them ( not the solder ) with the soldering iron . Touch solder to the hot wires and Voila !! One neatly soldered joint!! Dont overheat the joint , or you will melt the insulation !! Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brickman Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 that's a fancy chipping hammer you have got there johno great step by step instructions cherrs gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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