[C38] C38 Dome light on cabin top

[Max Soto]

The only light that I have like yours is the one above the icebox, but none
of the others.
So, that's it, I was going to start tapping on the fiberglass overhead
looking for some hollow spot from a conduit, but now I'm not even going to
waste my time doing that.
I really hate the original lightning of my boat when I compared it to the
very bright interior on new boats, so what I was planning to do a long time
ago is to install a couple of  wood strips to route the wires across the
overhead (from port to starboard) and install the lights in their way. I
guess this and the plastic conduit are  the only way to install a light in
the overhead. I'll let you know how it goes.

Regards,

Max

2009/10/16 Tom T. <tdtron at earthlink.net>

>
> Hi gang,
>
> All of my cabin lights have molded in place wiring.
>
> I have:
> two in the v-berth
> one in the head
> one in the passageway outside the head
> one over the settee
> one over the dinette table
> one over the nav station
> one over the galley
> one over the quarter berth.
> one over the refrigerator
>
> All are original locations.
>
> They make surface mounted conduit secured by double stick foam that could
> be used to mount lights anywhere.  It won't look as good as molded in
> wiring but it would allow you the opportunity to upgrade the wiring to a
> large size and also make future wiring work much easier.  The molded in
> wiring cannot be changed without destroying the boat.  They didn't use
> conduit in the headliner so the wiring in my boat is there forever.  If
> Catalina had just used even cheap poly hose for conduit in the cabin top,
> it would have made it so much better for future wiring upgrades and
> repairs.
>
> The whole lightning harness was originally very light gage wire (16 or 18?)
> which I changed to 10 gage but I had to keep each individual light branch
> alone because there was no way to get the light gage wiring out of my
> overhead.
>
> Tom Troncalli
>
>
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: Steve Smolinske <SSmolinske at rainierrubber.com>
> > To: Catalina 38 Listserve <listserve at catalina38.org>
> > Date: 10/16/2009 12:43:48 AM
> > Subject: Re: [C38] C38 Dome light on cabin top
> >
> > Max, I noticed those sometime ago on Yachtworld I think it was original
> on earlier models.
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> > From: listserve-bounces at catalina38.org on behalf of Max Soto
> > Sent: Thu 10/15/2009 7:25 PM
> > To: Catalina 38 Listserve
> > Subject: [C38] C38 Dome light on cabin top
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi Tom,
> > I haven愒 seen that light in other C38s, in fact, is not even in the
> wiring diagram. I saw this light before in two   C38s  for sale and went
> looking for a closer look on my boat  but there were no sings of a previous
> installation.
> >
> > It definetely wasn't stock on my boat.
> > I agree that it is a very important light on a C38 and I'm trying to
> desing something to route the wires. Does your boat has other dome lights
> on the interior or only above the table???
> > How about the other C38愀 on the list??
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> >
> > Max
> >
> > 2009/10/15 Tom T. <tdtron at earthlink.net <mailto:tdtron at earthlink.net> >
> >
> >
> >       Hi Max,
> >
> >       That light position was original and the wiring is molded into the
> cabin
> top between the inner and outer fiberglass shells.  I upgraded the original
> light for a modern halogen light.  When I upgraded my wiring harness some
> years ago, it was a lot of trouble because Catalina only left a very little
> of the wiring showing at the harness inside the port cabinet over the
> dinette.  I had to surgically cut back the fiberglass to expose enough wire
> to solder on a longer lead to connect to my new 10 ga. harness.  The
> original harness was 16 or 18 ga. and connected to the light leaders by
> 3-way crimp connectors which don't last forever in salt air.
> >
> >       I'm surprised your boat doesn't have a light unless it went bad and
> the
> previous owner covered up the mounting holes to hide the fact there was a
> light missing.  You may want to try to expose your harness where the deck
> meets the hull inside the boat.  You may find you have a wiring branch
> going up into the headlinner.  If so, you can use a toner to follow the
> wire through the cabin top to expose where it should have a light.
> >
> >       That is a very important light on the 38 and I bet your boat had
> one at
> one time.  Just guessing.
> >
> >       Tom Troncalli
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
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