With a trolling motor up front, I'm forced to install a new pole bow light every couple years, they just don't hold up like a permanent bow light might. I've never had an issue; new base, new light, two wires, seal as best you can and back in business. Picked up a new base and pole light from West Marine, wired temporarily a few weeks back to make sure the light was working. Also put on a new light on the T-top, it's working and the bow light isn't. Tested and I have 24V at the base, and pull cover off the light and nothing at the light. Thinking that's odd but every so often you get a defective one out of the package, so I order and get replacement and same problem. Now I know it's not the light, but I have power at the base, the base is for that light and the connection are good, what am I missing?

Is it LED?
They can only be wired one way.
You would test power there, but the wires are reversed.

Just a thought.

Van is correct.
If it's LED it has a diode and has to be wired one way.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Not LED, the pole light has red, green and and a white auxilary on a switch on the pole light. I thought West Marine and I had figured this out, because I bought the two post base and they had to order the matching pole light. It fit perfectly and I never noticed it had 3 female connections, so I picked up the 3 wire base and damn if it too won't work. I would think only having two wires from my panel would make a difference, figured I could combine the bow and auxiliary together or ignore the auxiliary wired all together, not matter how I wire stuff up and I can't get it working and I have 12v everytime I check. clearly im no electrician, does this require I pull a 3rd wire?

I'm thinking the wire is just intake enough to show 12V, but not intake enough to light the lamp; probably need to pull new wire.

Stumped.
Hard to help over the internet.

One feed wire should be plenty to run several lights.
Does not make sense.

Did you check the ground?

Take the boat wiring out of the equation. Wire the base directly to the battery and do all of your testing there. If it works, you may have a poor ground or corroded splice somewhere. It's takes virtually no current to show voltage on a meter. LED lights draw almost no current too but at 24V, any resistance can trip you up.

Edit: sorry, I misread your reply that it's NOT LED. Make sure you have marine grade wire in place. My boat came from the factory with lamp cord between the bow light and switch. It lasted about a year. The ends looked fine but I was having issues so I ripped it out and found the insulation all cracked and wire was green inside the insulation. I Replaced it with marine grade 18/8 - 2 for what I needed and the rest for a remote control spot light. No issues since and its been almost 10 years.

Take the boat wiring out of the equation. Wire the base directly to the battery and do all of your testing there. If it works, you may have a poor ground or corroded splice somewhere. It's takes virtually no current to show voltage on a meter. LED lights draw almost no current too but at 24V, any resistance can trip you up.

Edit: sorry, I misread your reply that it's NOT LED. Make sure you have marine grade wire in place. My boat came from the factory with lamp cord between the bow light and switch. It lasted about a year. The ends looked fine but I was having issues so I ripped it out and found the insulation all cracked and wire was green inside the insulation. I Replaced it with marine grade 18/8 - 2 for what I needed and the rest for a remote control spot light. No issues since and its been almost 10 years.

Yeah that's my plan over my vacation, in between things. I'm pretty sure now that if I wire that base to a battery, it will prove the wire is bad and I need to pull some marine grade wire. Not a hot one for me, as I do almost no night fishing, but I like to have it for the early am runs.