Search Light ....

jrudge

jrudge

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The only thing I am aware of that does not work on my boat is the searchlight.

It can be controlled from the upper and lower helm, twist, tilt and so on.

I have not attempted to mend it. The light does not work and it moves ( I think ) left and right but not up and down. Light could be the bulb but i have previously read some are sealed units and hence not even looked.

Getting to it is a pain so it falls into the too hard and likely to need replacement costing some silly amount of money category.

The bigger point .... other than to light up the boat next door or dock when I bought a boat for the purile fun of it I have never used one for any legitimate purpose. I cant see that changing as the light is fixed and at sea the boat will roll so my trusty and ridiculously powerful LED torch with LiIon batter from homebase is actually far more useful if looking for a bouy you dont want to hit when moving at night - ie in practical terms I cannot see anyone ever actually using one.

I just wondered what other thought. If I remove it I can fit another Raymarine RL70 ( which is useful), but I dont want someone to say the boat legally must have a light etc at a later date.

I could of course man up and fix the thing!
 
First mobo I bought, I remember saying to the sales guy: what's the point of that? (indicating said light). "Search me" he said...

As you say, it comes into the category of ashtray on a motorbike, chocolate fireguard etc.

So there probably is a regulation saying you have to have one. But it's not one that I'm aware of.
 
jrudge said:
The only thing I am aware of that does not work on my boat is the searchlight.

It can be controlled from the upper and lower helm, twist, tilt and so on.

I have not attempted to mend it. The light does not work and it moves ( I think ) left and right but not up and down. Light could be the bulb but i have previously read some are sealed units and hence not even looked.

Getting to it is a pain so it falls into the too hard and likely to need replacement costing some silly amount of money category.

The bigger point .... other than to light up the boat next door or dock when I bought a boat for the purile fun of it I have never used one for any legitimate purpose. I cant see that changing as the light is fixed and at sea the boat will roll so my trusty and ridiculously powerful LED torch with LiIon batter from homebase is actually far more useful if looking for a bouy you dont want to hit when moving at night - ie in practical terms I cannot see anyone ever actually using one.

I just wondered what other thought. If I remove it I can fit another Raymarine RL70 ( which is useful), but I dont want someone to say the boat legally must have a light etc at a later date.

I could of course man up and fix the thing!
Click to expand...

I'm in the same situation as the light on my radar arch doesn't work either (ie. doesn't move to any direction and the bulb is in pieces).

As you, I haven't found a legitimate reason to try to fix it, as a permanently installed light is not required by local regulations and using it would be a pain anyway.

I see it as a bunch of wires going to the radar arch, ready to be utilised for something useful should the need arise.
 
Mine is broken too (it moves with the joystick but lamp is bust). Must say it's a the bottom of the "things to be fixed list" but I would like to get EVERYTHING on the boat working.

Can anyone remember the make of the Fairline OEM spotlights?

Pete
 
I had one on the sunys radar arch along with a nice set of controls like you describe + wide or narrow beam .
From memory excuse the spell , “ Sanshui “ or something sounding like that ?
It worked and continued to work , but apart from periodic illuminating neighbours in the marina never found a practical use .I did try running @ night but as the boat pitched up the beam just diluted away into the distance , then I thought what other vessels ,oncoming might think if the thing was possibly obscuring the normal Nav lights - confusing them .
After that silly experiment it just occupied a space on the radar arch .

.There are lot of “ open “ boats about similar to mine and like radar can,t say I miss it .
I can’t see any regulatory requirement in the EU / Med .
Not sure about the US market ?
 
Dorset Dan said:
Pete, I am on my second replacement already as the first (from Norway, plus import duty!!) the lamp fell off the base. Yet to fit the second item but it is a new boxed item so should be good. It is a Guest 22200 which is discontinued - here is a link to the item, but not in stock https://www.starmarinedepot.com/guest-22200-halogen-spotlight.html

Good luck hunting for one
Click to expand...

That's the one Dan. Would you be able to scan or take a photo of the page in the manual that shows how to change the bulb?
 
To my knowledge it's a docking light (that's what they are named on my switch pannel at least) and actually illegal to use when under way. I have two fixed, mounted in the bow, and a controllable one that has been removed from the deck. None actually work and and when I repaired one with a replacement bulb it blinded my night vision and lasted a year until I next tried switching it on and the bulb had gone. Useless AFAIC
 
jrudge said:
The only thing I am aware of that does not work on my boat is the searchlight.

It can be controlled from the upper and lower helm, twist, tilt and so on.

I have not attempted to mend it. The light does not work and it moves ( I think ) left and right but not up and down. Light could be the bulb but i have previously read some are sealed units and hence not even looked.

Getting to it is a pain so it falls into the too hard and likely to need replacement costing some silly amount of money category.

The bigger point .... other than to light up the boat next door or dock when I bought a boat for the purile fun of it I have never used one for any legitimate purpose. I cant see that changing as the light is fixed and at sea the boat will roll so my trusty and ridiculously powerful LED torch with LiIon batter from homebase is actually far more useful if looking for a bouy you dont want to hit when moving at night - ie in practical terms I cannot see anyone ever actually using one.

I just wondered what other thought. If I remove it I can fit another Raymarine RL70 ( which is useful), but I dont want someone to say the boat legally must have a light etc at a later date.

I could of course man up and fix the thing!
Click to expand...

The up-down movement not working is almost certainly the joystick, they are very prone to failure, and cost a bomb to replace.
 
petem said:
That's the one Dan. Would you be able to scan or take a photo of the page in the manual that shows how to change the bulb?
Click to expand...

Pete, it's (another) one of those things that you can just figure out for yourself when it's in front of you. Just have a go at it and see how you get on.
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
Pete, it's (another) one of those things that you can just figure out for yourself when it's in front of you. Just have a go at it and see how you get on.
Click to expand...

The only way it will be in front of me is I climb up the radar arch!

I'll have a quick look in the next few days (already have a higher priority job list - rear power socket and windlass).
 
Airport runway light bulbs are 28 volts and mains voltage depending on whether they are used as emergency landing lights during power cuts so they can be used from a standard airport GPU. Many have been replaced with LED variants for lower running costs.

I built my own using model components and a Xenon light unit which uses 1500W to power, but gives out nearly 3000W when compared to a halogen bulb.

To power it up and down uses a micro motor and to swing it side to side uses another micro motor and these are seriously geared down for precision control over the side to side, and up and down motion, the unit I used was also another micro motor to move the lens in and out to vary between a wide or narrow beam. These components can be salvaged from car door mirrors which have smashed glasses in 12V guise, smashed lorry mirrors in 24V guise, or simply bought new for very little money.
 
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