Bebi's Greek Adventure
'Lulu'		'Masina'

Mounting Replacement LED Lights into A Lalizas Tri-Color/Anchor
Light Combo Fixture

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The Lalizas Masthead Tricolor and Anchor Light fixture is a fairly common in both the Pacific, but less often seen elsewhere, but so as not to leave you out if you have one, we thought we would create a photo-essay of installing LED lights into your light fixture.

I show the complete light being disassembled and 'improved' (the quotes are because tastes differ!), there is no real reason on the electrical connections that you couldn't use crimp connectors to make the process simpler, I just prefer the extra electrical security of soldering my connectors in addition to a mechanical joint.

If you would like to use only a single switch and set of wires to control either the tricolor or the anchor light in the combo fixture, please follow this link to see a wiring diagram.

The original Tricolor assembly with the lens.	Complete masthead lamp assembly with the lens removed.

Top view of the tricolor light 'shelf' with the socket screws and the rail nuts removed. If you wanted, you could just connect the Masina Malosi LED tricolor navigation replacement under the nuts with crimp-type connectors.

Anchor light positive wire disconnected from the socket. This is what you will be attaching the red wire from the Owl anchor light to. Note that it leads directly from the molded pins directly to the lamp socket, the negative wire on the socket attaches to the clamp (shown on the viewers left) in these pictures.

Using a piece of what is called braising rod (it's really bronze, not brass!), I make a small bail to hang the Owl LED anchor light in the lower chamber of the fixture. I've found that a few pieces of braising rod to be invaluable around the boat for a plentitude of uses.

Insert the eye of the screw eye into the bail and put the bail with the eye screw into the hole on the tricolor floor'...

...and screw the Owl into the eyescrew from underneath. A bit out of sequence, but you can also see that I lead the wires from the upper Masina Malosi down the supports to reduce the number of electrical connections. I will also use a pair of wire ties from the vent holes around the rails to secure the Owl from swinging and the light is mounted.

For the tricolor lens, the 25mm spacer included with our Masina LED running lights is to center the LEDs into the centre of the tricolour lens (if you are curious, yes, it was cut from a length of 32mm (1-1/4") diameter Schedule 40 PVC pipe). The four small holes centered around the perimeter, are to ensure cooling of the current regulator. Until May 2008, we used to recommend bonding it to the bottom of the Masina and to the top of the tricolour platform, until...

...we were given a suggestion from John L aboard S/V 'Active Transport', to add three holes for the wire ties (included with the light) for a 'belt and suspenders' attachment in addition to the adhesive (such as 4200 or an elastomeric sealant) between the Masina and the spacer. We have had no reports of failure with only adhesive, but his idea was such an obvious improvement that we adopted it almost immediately.

Here is the Masina Malosi mounted on top of the tri-color navigation light platform. This yacht needed their light the next day to cruise Fiji (something we heartily suggest and endorse!), so I also led a wire tie thru two of the ventilation holes of the spacer as well as the two holes in the top of the tricolour platform. Similar to the wireties for the LED fixture itself, it isn't strictly necessary with the adhesive, but it did allow them to put it up as soon as I was finished.

The finished product!

Reassembled and ready to hang. As you can see, the disassembly was only needed to as to move the connectors from the top of the fixture to the bottom, so as everything can be more secure.