Cruising Sailors Forum Archive

Bad engineering

After recently replacing my masthead tri-color/anchor combo, I'll tell you what I discovered. My original Lopo Light had the wiring terminal located in the top of the 'puck', under a covering cap. The connection was embedded in the resin and allowed water entry. I was surprised to find that there was NO gasket or O-ring to seal that cover over the connection. Technically, it might have been the builder's/installer's responsibility to put a dab of grease/goop/sealant over that connection before putting the cover back on but I'd say that the manufacturer should have (at a minimum) recommended doing so. My new replacement light (thank you Lopo Lights for standing by your product) has the wiring embedded in the 'puck' and the connection is mad several feet outside the light. Good news/bad news for a masthead location. Fortunately for me, the connection point can be hidden inside the top of the mast. (not having been the guy at the top and upon thinking about it in hindsight, I'm trying to remember if the wiring still came out under that cover..... I don't think so, I think it was on the bottom side of the light so it'll be much less apt to 'collect' water)

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