Tripping breaker on lights

[fsh4fun05]

I was out at Quail last weekend and we were still catching fish even though it was getting dark so I turned the lights on and the back light came on (white light on back of boat) I flipped the switch the other way to turn the red & green light on also. It turned on, faded and tripped the breaker. Apparently there is something wrong.
I hate electricity, I am a pipefitter by trade and have a pretty decent knowledge base about general construction and I'm pretty good at figuring stuff out once I get into it but I was looking for any pointers or places to start. Anything specific to look for as far as a certain color, etc. ANYTHING you could give me advice on would help even if you think it should be something I already know.
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[NatefromOgden]

Start with the light bulb and see if it has failed. Go with the easy stuff first. If the bulb is good but the breaker still trips, there is a short someplace causing too much electricity to flow causing the trip. So look at the fittings on the light assembly and trace the wires back to the switch and the breaker. You may find a place where the insulation has chafed through and some electricians tape can fix that up.

The circuit breaker can fail too, so you might try moving the light wires off that breaker and installing them on the next one over. If doing that makes the lights work ok, replace the breaker, another simple and cheap task. Good luck.
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[NatefromOgden]

Did you get those lights fixed yet?
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