Installing Replacement LED Lights Into A Hella Steaming Light
AND an AquaSignal Tri Light

Peter M. of Toronto first bought one of our lights a few years back (he's now ordered several times), and has been kind enough to share how he mounted his Volasiga 3nm LED Steaming (or Masthead) replacement light into a Hella fixture on his Contest 33, S/v 'Peregrine'.

Besides being able to better represent freshwater sailors on our site, we were very, very happy with his sharing on his conversion to LED on a Hella running-type light, as we didn't have an article up on mounting a light in this type of fixture.

This fixture is also the same as the Hella sidelights (it is just 'masked' differently), so all of the same techniques would apply. Here is the original fixture, with the 'plug' that carried the old incandescent socket removed.

As you can see, the ring of LEDs makes the Volasiga (or Masina 'Afa if you are installing side lights, a bit too large to make it into the hole at the bottom of the fixture.

Peter simply took a wood rasp and opened up the inside of the hole a little bit.

Peter glued the assembled Volasiga and spacer to the 'plug' using hot melt glue to form an assembly. He then he slid the completed assembly back into the fixture, and secured it into the base of the fixture using hot melt glue again (you can see a bit of the 'ooze' between the fixture, and around the circumference of the plug if you enlarge the photo). Peter says "To get the fixture in, I had to enlarge the hole for the plug slightly — I hot-glued it back in place (if I recall, it was pretty wobbly), which has held up fine for the 2007-08-09 sailing seasons, and uncovered in the winters on a mast rack. No sign that the hot glue is degrading."

After converting his Hella Masthead (Steaming) Light to LEDs, Peter also converted his Aqua-Signal Series 40 Masthead Tricolour Lamp with two of our Masina Malosi Lights (you might also want to reference Greg S.'s article for another take here).

First, Peter glued the adapter to the underside of the tricolor for the LED anchor light. Since this version of the Aquasignal doesn't have the strobe electronics, he pulled the pin assembly for the quick connector upwards and out of the base.

Peter directly connected the leads of both of the Masina Malosi marine LED light replacements to the pin assemble. As you can see, it's just a matter of loosening the 'grub' screws, pulling the old wire pigtails out, insert the new wires, and re-tighten.

Peter then finished gluing the LED lights into place.

And here is the light with the lens re-installed.

* 'Masina' is Samoan for moon (or month). A full moon is a strong moon, masina malosi, any other phase would be a masina vaivai (weak) moon. In venacular however, masina 'afa would be a half moon and masina kuaka is used for a quarter moon. 'Vevela' actually means 'hot', Masina Malosi Vevela Laititi Pa'epa'e would be the figurative translation of 'a warm white full moon' (lit.-moon strong, hot little, white), but we thought that this would be pushing the Samoan language lesson envelope a bit much!

Volasiga is Fijian for 'morning star'. Many apologies for crossing the languages on you, but we've spent a lot of time in both cultures, and each word feels more 'right' to us in these languages.