Light Switch Wiring on 1961 Fiberform Runabout

I took on a project of restoring a family heirloom, an old 16 food Fiberform runabout. It was in really bad condition. floor and transom were completely rotted. The unique compound bend windshield was particularly difficult to get replacement for. Anyway the boat is completely restored and I'm working on final details. Among those details is getting the wiring set up as best it should be. This boat originally had 2 push/pull switches. One turned on the windshield wiper. The other has a 2 stage light switch, which is the focus of this post...

I believe the first stage is supposed to turn on the stern light (pole). The second stage I think, is supposed to turn on the bow (red and green) light as well as the stern light. Originally for instrumentation, there was just very rough ammeter gauge and even more rough red overtemp light. Since this boat is used a lot, I have installed several additional gauges, which all work nicely and accurately. The issue is that these gauges all have lights. I've wired them up, but the question is which switch setting to connect these to. What is "normal"? I think turning on these gauge lights when the bow and stern lights together, occurs. Is that the way this should be wired?

Ayuh,...... Stage 1,....

OK. Lets say there is stage 0 (OFF), Stage 1 (Stern Light (light pole), and Stage 2 (Bow light(red/green) and stern light).

I can see uses of the stern light for fishing at night when anchored. That does not require the bow light, just the stern light/light pole. That use does not require gauges, as the motor is off. So gauge lights would not be necessary, would they?

Stage 2 needs the bow light, stern light and gauges, as this is intended for travelling at night.


Am I missing or misunderstanding something you said, in your relatively short answer?

I think its a matter of personal preference....you could always add a separate switch for the gauge lights...

When I re-wired my old C-Hawk I installed a fused switch panel on the console that lets me control the lights separately. The simple on-off rocker switches allow me to individually control the bow light, anchor light, gauge lights, cabin lights, spreader lights, cabin fan, bilge pump. You can get those panels in a variety of sizes - typically 4, 6, 8, and 10 rockers. If you do that, get the kind that lights up when it is in the "on" position.

That is a really good idea! I'd rather be able to individually turn on/off what I need at the time...

Thank you!