Outdoor Rocker Switch / Lighting Issues 2024 R025

DennisL

DennisL

Active member
Joined
Aug 11, 2025
Messages
25
Location
Seattle
Fluid Motion Model
R-25 (Outboard)
Vessel Name
Nancy Ann
Gang,
I have another issue I am hoping someone can help steer me on. The outdoor lights are acting up. The stern underwater lights no longer turn on, and the outdoor lights work but only if the stern light switch is turned off. And at that, the outdoor lights seem oddly dim. I am guessing it is an issue at the switch, because the switch seems to be shorting things out, so I was hoping to start by just replacing that. Does this issue sound familiar to anyone? Any tips on how to solve? Also - does anyone have a link to a replacement switch? I have looked online for the specific info through other threads but when I find the links, they do not appear to match what is on the boat. Its a simple 2 switch bank without any light up features.

Thanks so much in advance. Leaving Sunday for a week in the San Juans and hoping to solve as much as I can before then!!
Dennis
 
I found those switches on Amazon
 
watson1987 said:
Do you mean this switch?

Amazon.com : Seachoice Illuminated Rocker Switch, SPST, 3 Terminal, On/Off, Black : Wall Light Switches : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Seachoice Illuminated Rocker Switch, SPST, 3 Terminal, On/Off, Black : Wall Light Switches : Sports & Outdoors
www.amazon.com

My underwater lights were inconsistently working, replaced the switch (for the second time) and working again. I must be spraying too much water on these things while washing the cockpit. 5 minute job.
Click to expand...
It’s a double switch bank, so im not sure if that’s them or not… I was hoping to pull the little cluster out and replace with the same double switch. I’m guessing same for me I probably sprayed them
 
I have the identical issue on my 2023 R25.

Looking forward to hearing any follow-up. The switches on my boat are also not illuminated, so I am wondering if the ones referenced above at Amazon have the same wire connectors.

Also, do these switches just simply pull straight out? I'm not a fan of ignorantly exerting force to anything on the boat.

Thanks!
Adam
 
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Yes, the switches just pull straight out. There is nothing holding them in except a tight fit into the cutout. You'll find the underwater lights and the exterior courtesy lights are wired together and run back to a single 5amp fuse in the house fuse bank behind the helm. In my opinion wiring these together is a problem. I replaced the switches and redid the wiring on my 2024 R25 so that the underwater lights run to their own dedicated fuse. Since I also replaced the underwater lights with more powerful Lumitec lights, I used a larger fuse and higher gauge of wire.
 
P.S. the switches are just regular contura rocker switches. They are set into a housing made from two Blue Sea end mount pieces. I just removed the switches and re-used the mount with new switches.

Blue Sea 8267 End Mount Contura Switch Mounting Panel

8267Contura Switch Mounting PanelEnd Mounting PanelModular design permits easy assembly in groups of varying sizes Designed for mounting in 6 different panel thicknesses: 0.06" (1.57mm) 0.09" (2.36mm) 0.13" (3.17mm)0.19" (4.75mm) 0.25&
www.marinedepotdirect.com www.marinedepotdirect.com

The switch:

Blue Sea Switch Contura SPST Off-On Black | The GPS Store

The Blue Sea Switch Contura SPST Off-On Black turns a single circuit on and off. Available now at The GPS Store
www.thegpsstore.com www.thegpsstore.com
 
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Super helpful, thank you!
 
Agreed! this is so helpful @JMarshallR25 @Adam youll have to let me know how the fix goes for you. I noticed when I pulled my switches out of the fiberglass that the connector to one of them was still on the back of the switch, but the wire had pulled out of it. So now I've purchased a new wire connector kit and i just purchased two new switches. Ill have to carefully cut and strip the wire and put the new connector on it. None of the fuses on my fuse directory sheet say "outdoor lighting" is there something else ranger tug would call them? I just went through a massive project replacing my lenco autoglide trim tabs with a manual control after I had some weird electrical short in the autoglide system (removing fridge, a ton of wiring, etc) so now this project feels very manageable in comparison to that mess, but I still dont know if my issue is the lights themselves, the fuse, the switches, or the wiring but ill just go step by step until its solved. Also my boat lives in salt water in a slip in Seattle, so I dont think I can access the underwater lights until I pull it for service later this winter. Or is there a way to access them while its in the water? Thanks again!
 
DennisL said:
Agreed! this is so helpful @JMarshallR25 @Adam youll have to let me know how the fix goes for you. I noticed when I pulled my switches out of the fiberglass that the connector to one of them was still on the back of the switch, but the wire had pulled out of it. So now I've purchased a new wire connector kit and i just purchased two new switches. Ill have to carefully cut and strip the wire and put the new connector on it. None of the fuses on my fuse directory sheet say "outdoor lighting" is there something else ranger tug would call them? I just went through a massive project replacing my lenco autoglide trim tabs with a manual control after I had some weird electrical short in the autoglide system (removing fridge, a ton of wiring, etc) so now this project feels very manageable in comparison to that mess, but I still dont know if my issue is the lights themselves, the fuse, the switches, or the wiring but ill just go step by step until its solved. Also my boat lives in salt water in a slip in Seattle, so I dont think I can access the underwater lights until I pull it for service later this winter. Or is there a way to access them while its in the water? Thanks again!
Click to expand...
The fuse is the one labeled "cockpit lt." Look how many lights are wired to this one 5 amp fuse. The Hella courtesy lights are very low draw, but I suspect the underwater lights draw an amp or two each.

1788302409351.png


Another problematic factor is the outdoor switches (while corrosion resistant) are not protected from water intrusion at all, and the connectors on the switches will eventually corrode, creating resistance.
 
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JMarshallR25 said:
The fuse is the one labeled "cockpit lt." Look how many lights are wired to this one 5 amp fuse. The Hella courtesy lights are very low draw, but I suspect the underwater lights draw an amp or two each.

View attachment 28019

Another problematic factor is the outdoor switches (while corrosion resistant) are not protected from water intrusion at all, and the connectors on the switches will eventually corrode, creating resistance.
Click to expand...
Interesting - so you opted to rewire this entire setup with a bigger fuse??? I'm wondering what the complexity of that project is - I work in construction (management) but am no stranger to basic electrical work having spent some time as a kid working as an electrical apprentice, the part I find hard on the boat is that it seems you need to pull things apart to access most of this - wondering if its a project I should explore. I ordered the switches so Ill start there - if Im still not seeing lights, ill check back on what the best starting point would be. Wondering if a small bead of caulk or silicon would be smart to put around the new switch bank...?
 
DennisL said:
Interesting - so you opted to rewire this entire setup with a bigger fuse??? I'm wondering what the complexity of that project is - I work in construction (management) but am no stranger to basic electrical work having spent some time as a kid working as an electrical apprentice, the part I find hard on the boat is that it seems you need to pull things apart to access most of this - wondering if its a project I should explore. I ordered the switches so Ill start there - if Im still not seeing lights, ill check back on what the best starting point would be. Wondering if a small bead of caulk or silicon would be smart to put around the new switch bank...?
Click to expand...
I rewired the underwater lights because I added larger Lumitec lights that draw more power. Everything was fairly accessible. I have the underwater lights completely separate from the courtesy lights now. The courtesy lights are still on the 5A fuse in the helm fuse block. I’ll send a picture later.
 
Here is the new underwater light wiring on the starboard side of the center lazarette. They are completely isolated from the courtesy lights. I have power running from the 24/7 fuse block to the cockpit switch. The power then runs to this bus bar and then to the lights. There’s a 3d printed tab on the switch itself to prevent the lights accidentally being left on and draining the battery. (This would be a concern, even if the underwater lights were still powered by the house bank, because I leave house power on 24/7 to keep the fridge cold. The solar panel keeps up with the fridge, but could not keep up with the fridge plus the underwater lights).

IMG_0909.jpeg
 
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Quick update, I ordered the switches that jrmarshallr25 posted, thanks! I found them at Amazon and they were an exact replacement:

Amazon.com: AMAB-8282 Blue Sea Contura Switch - Black (On-Off SPST) : Automotive

Buy AMAB-8282 Blue Sea Contura Switch - Black (On-Off SPST): Switches - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
a.co

Unfortunately, the issue is not resolved. No underwater lights, the courtesy lights come on at about 50% brightness and go out entirely when I turn on the trim tab lights.

I wish I had a wiring diagram for the boat. I am assuming there is a poor connection somewhere that can not handle the amperage, will look at the fuse block behind the helm next. If you figure it out DennisL, I'd love to hear what you found.

Thanks
 
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