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Light Up Your Bimini
by Chris Caswell
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The little courtesy lights that boat builders scatter around the cockpit at ankle level are nice for evenings, but they don't add much useable light when you're under way in the dark.
On most express cruisers, there's no hardtop to allow you to attach a permanent light above the helm area. But looking around my boat, I realized that the stainless steel support arms of my Bimini top pass directly over the helm seat.
With that in mind, I found a small low-profile light at a marine hardware store, which I attached to one of the Bimini's bow-shaped arms with sheet metal screws. A small hole, hidden under the fixture, allowed me to thread the wiring inside the arm, for a neat installation.
I left enough slack at the hinge point of the bow-shaped arm so the wiring wouldn't get pulled out when the top is put down. Then, I connected the light wiring to a spare switch on the helm console.
Now, when I need a light at night, I don't have to juggle a flashlight. I just flip a switch and have a good reading light right where I need it.
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This article first appeared in the September 1, 1996 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
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