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Top Tips For Re-Wiring a Sailboat Mast

Transcript is auto-generated.

hello everyone jeff cote here with

boatingtechtalk.com

all right we have another question from

a fellow boater richard

richard has a corbin 39 center cockpit

pilot house catch a sailboat 39 feet

center cockpit all right so this is a

boat he says jeff we're preparing our

boat for a live aboard cruising

and what are your top tips for rewiring

a mast ours is removed and i'm preparing

to replace all the wires oh richard what

great question because i just did the

exact same thing

on my sailboats mast so this is a i saw

the question coming into my inbox i was

why not talk about this so when your

mast is off your boat and some of us

obviously take down their mass more

regular than others but here in the

pacific northwest

because most of the boats stay in the

water all throughout the year

it's pretty uncommon for us to take our

or d-mast of a sailboat so because it's

pretty uncommon to do that that means

that it rarely gets done

and so given the opportunity especially

if you're not planning on doing it again

or your frequency is every 5 10 15 or 20

or 30 years

besides obviously in my case you know

looking at all

the standing rigging all the fittings

and all the things that a rigger would

on the mat so in my instance you know

they looked at

obviously repainting you know redoing

all the metal fittings you know

making the right penetrations in the

mass all that stuff but then again

that's more sort of a rigor right

so um that you'll want to have do that

or you'll do it yourself but regardless

that's a skill on itself

here today i'm talking about the

electrical or the communications part

of what you do when your mass is down so

the first thing in my case especially if

your mass hasn't been touched in 20 30

years and my boat is in 1990 so nobody

had done this in since 1990 so we're

talking over about 30 years

i basically took every single piece of

wiring out of that mast

why because when the mass is down a

running wire in a mass is a joke

and wires compared to the cost of doing

when the mass is

upright is again a joke so took the

opportunity to literally clear out all

the coaxial cable to the vhf replace vhf

30 year old replaced anchor light

replaced steaming light replaced

spreader lights replaced all of it

why because now's the time everybody's

working at literally the best

sort of level which is at hip height you

put the mat

on us on a horse right i'm not sure what

name is in english sorry for my lack of

translation here folks

but you've got the mass on the ground

you're working at hip

level this is perfect this is a great

occasion to run

all new wires this is also in my mass

was an opportunity

to run a second conduit right so now we

had a one conduit that went all the way

to the top of the mass

then we had another conduit that was

running sort of from the bottom of the

mass to where the radar was going to be

installed because yes i decided to

install my radar on the mast

and so literally had the opportunity of

running a new conduit for the mast

inside so i have two conduits which was

again a new opportunity i don't think

you could ever do that with the mass

being upright and then having sure that

all the connections are done properly

now's your opportunity right why not and

then for me

and again this is some people are going

to say oh it's stupid no it's overkill

oh you don't need to do that and i'm not

disagreeing with you

i'm telling you about what i would have

done on my math which i just did

literally a month ago

right and it's not to say that i'm right

and someone else is wrong we don't need

make things polarized there's no right

or wrong here jeff cote's opinion

is take the opportunity when the mass is

down especially if it hasn't happened in

decades or ever and if your mass is 20

years old or 30 years old and the

wiring in that boat or in that mass is

when the mass is down take it all out

and remove everything on that mass even

if it's working

because you don't have to wait for

something to fail to change it

right and i do the same thing with my

engine i don't change my hoses when they

break i change my hoses based on a

recommendation that i've heard from

mechanics and i do a lot of

preventative maintenance and this would

be preventative maintenance

and what's more important think about

this than having a good vhf connection

so that you can reach the outside world

when you need to that's pretty up top of

a really good anchor light that works

because sometimes you're in an anchorage

that actually has

traffic at night and then you want

visibility what about a steaming light

that allows that alerts other boats when

you're underway knowing that you're

under power what's more important than

actually a deck light at night so that

when you actually are fixing your anchor

or something and it's terrible that you

want to see what you're doing

or a spreader light maybe you're

installing a radar that's one of the

reasons i did it now you're installing a

radar you're making sure the bracket

all those reasons are good reasons to

not have to worry

and when we're out boating my philosophy

has always been

take care of what you can sooner rather

because i can guarantee you that once

we're on the water things start failing

and the things that you didn't replace

are probably the things they're going to

start failing so you got to get yourself

ahead of the curve so

great question richard i love it and i

hope i don't upset too many people by

telling people to do a lot of

preventative maintenance with their mass

but i truly believe that it's worth

every penny

because being on the water is about

having a trouble free experience as much

as possible

mine aren't trouble free but i do reduce

the risk and the best way to do that is

preventative maintenance

so thanks for asking and thanks for

thank you for watching this pys video if

you've got further questions please

ask them below or send us an email via

the contact forms on our website

 and don't forget to subscribe

thanks again for watching

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• Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear

Revive Your Mast Like a Pro

Each spar section has unique signs of trouble to look for during inspection..

Unobtainium is the metal at the top of every Naval Architect’s wish list. It’s a perfect marine material; light, strong, stiff yet flexible—it’s as inert as gold, but costs only pennies per pound. Sadly, like the search for El Dorado, this metal quest remains more alchemy than chemistry.

For now, aluminum, especially the alloy 6061-T6, is the solid performer. It singlehandedly upstaged spruce as the mast material of choice, and for decades it’s done its job admirably. The alloy isn’t perfect, but by understanding its vulnerabilities, and mitigating those negative characteristics, the functional lifespan of an aluminum spar can be measured in decades not years.

Yes, carbon fiber spars are in many ways the next step forward. But for those intent on being cost effective and not in the hunt for a few tenths of a knot increase in boat speed, aluminum remains the cost effective alternative. In a future issue we’ll focus on carbon’s influence on spars, hulls, rigging, and sails.

Most metal masts are made from long, cylindrical billets of aluminum alloy. Each tube section is created using a powerful ram to force a heated billet (400-500 C) through a set of dies that squeeze and shape the billet into the cross section and wall thickness of a specific spar. Lots of lubricating release agent and 15,000 tons of ram pressure are used to reshape the malleable aluminum.

Billet residue is captured and recycled, while the tube shape undergoes quenching as it moves off on the runout table. The next stop in the line involves a process that draws (pulls) and straightens the tube section.

Once fully cooled, it goes through a T6 heat tempering process that elevates tensile strength from 35,000 to 45,000 psi. Lastly, spars can be anodized, painted, powder coated, or left uncoated. Some masts are extruded in half sections and machine-welded together lengthwise.

There are other aluminum alloys that are better suited to welded hull construction or used for metal casting purposes, but 6061-T6, containing small amounts of silicon, magnesium, and other trace elements, delivers the strength, stiffness and lightness that’s vital when it comes to making spars.

The “T6” alloy is weldable, but doing so anneals and weakens the area that’s welded. This is one of the reasons why, when splicing two sections together, a doubler is added internally that overlaps the junction. Excess heat buildup during the plug welding process that joins the sections is kept to a minimum. Some manufacturers mechanically fasten the junction using machine screws or heavy duty pop rivets.

Unfortunately, aluminum isn’t quite the sequel to tomorrow’s Unobtainium . Aluminum, like steel alloys, show a proclivity to oxidize. But in the case of most steel alloys, oxidation is an ongoing process that only reaches completion when the object in question has become an unrecognizable pile of rust.

Bare aluminum, on the other hand, reveals a very different oxidation curve. A shiny new piece of aluminum develops a speckled, gray, oxidized coating that actually becomes a protective layer, preventing further oxidation. Ironically, this means that the ugliest looking mast in the marina, that non-anodized, unpainted one with the aesthetic appeal of dirty socks, is about as well protected from further deterioration as the spar on the gold-plater with the automotive finish. This is the reason why most commercial mariners restrain from painting the deck and topsides of their aluminum workboats.

The root cause of this aesthetic injustice is the way moisture, especially salt water, finds every microscopic void or coating imperfection and causes aluminum to oxidize around voids and spread beneath the paint layer. By the time blisters appear and paint begins to flake, the sub surface is covered with aluminum oxide and starting to pit.

There are several ways to tame the effect of chloride-rich seawater. But when it comes to a failing painted surface, thorough prep work is essential. Modern epoxy primers help hold corrosion at bay, and single and two-part urethane coatings seal the surface. Hard-anodized or powder coated spars are even better protected, but cost more and are more complicated to refinish when they finally fail.

GALVANIC CORROSION

Galvanic corrosion is aluminum’s second major nemesis, and it stems from an electrical interaction rather than oxidation. Metals are rated on a galvanic corrosion scale that places less reactive (more noble) metals at one end and more reactive (less noble) ones at the other end.

Platinum, beryllium and magnesium lean against one of the bookends of this scale. Magnesium, a plentiful element, is strong and light, 35 percent lighter than aluminum, but way too reactive in the marine environment. Platinum and gold sit at the opposite bookend of reactivity and are so inert that all other metals become anodic in their presence. The metals that lie in between these are relatively ranked according to their behavior in an electrolyte such as seawater.

When it comes to marine applications, there aren’t many platinum thru hulls, but silicon bronze is a pretty good compromise between cost and corrosion resistance. It’s rank on the galvanic scale is toward the more noble end and it behaves as a cathode to less noble metals like zinc, brass, and aluminum, which become anodes in the proximity of more noble metals.

Unfortunately, when dissimilar metals are in direct contact, all it takes is a little rain or morning dew to set up a temporary galvanic cell. Salt spray finds all the nooks and crannies on a sailboat and as the water evaporates it leaves behind crystalized sodium chloride (NaCl). Each raindrop, wave splash or drop of dew rehydrates the electrolyte. And as every galvanic cell demonstrates, wherever two or more dissimilar metals are immersed, a current flows and the less noble material (anode) corrodes causing electrons to flow toward the more noble metal (cathode). The net result is pitting and eventual destruction of the anode.

This prolonged, double-barrel assault on an aluminum spar is most noticeable in areas where dissimilar metals make contact.

There’s an old superstition about putting a couple of silver or copper coins under the mast step, just before stepping the spar. It may have been a good luck charm in the days of iron men and wooden masts. But today, placing a copper penny or silver eagle in a wet mast step completes a highly reactive galvanic cell and creates a corrosion experiment of the first order. The right answer is to do everything possible to separate dissimilar metals. Putting a Delrin strip or dielectric PTFE tape between the hardware and the mast wall really helps.

When installing larger stainless steel hardware on a mast, it’s easy to cut out a gasket from a sheet of 30 mil thick Teflon. Also be sure to use Tef-Gel or a similar dialecrtic grease or sealant on all screw threads.

MAST INSPECTION

Once the mast has been unstepped, positioned horizontally on horses and the headsail furling gear removed, it’s time to take a close look in all the nooks and crannies where things can go wrong. I prefer a bottom up approach and group the mast into four related subsets: base, column, spreaders, and masthead. If the mast is going to be painted, postpone this DIY inspection until all the rigging and hardware has been removed. In either case, scrutinize the spar, hardware and rigging attachment points, especially where high loads are focused.

It helps to have a good magnifying glass, a pick, knife and small scraper on hand to expose and inspect oxidized areas. Place a piece of contrasting color masking tape on each point of concern as you progress toward the masthead. Once the inspection is complete, use a digital camera or smartphone to document the more serious issues. These snapshots provide a record of the location and extent of all corrosion, deep pitting and any cracks emanating from fasteners or hardware. Also record all dents or other impact damage and any sign of ongoing abrasion. Serious damage can be caused by misled wire running rigging and the cycle loading wear linked to variations in tension. Naturally, all standing and running rigging should be thoroughly inspected at this time— a topic of a future article.

AT THE BASE

Keel-stepped masts aboard many cruisers and racers are hidden below the cabin sole and reside in a wet, corrosion prone, bilge ambiance. And it’s another reason why, when a mast is unstepped, the entire support structure, step and the heel fitting deserve a close look. Check for signs of corrosion and make sure the hardware that fastens the heel fitting to the grid or other transverse and fore-and-aft support is in good shape. This structure supports compression loads and also must respond to changes in backstay tension and side loading, not to mention the shock loads of a beat to windward in heavy seas. This is also the time to do what I call spar-oscopy. Take a compact LED flashlight and tape it to the end of a long, thin PVC tube or bamboo fishing pole that will be used to look at the mast interior.

This jury-rigged light on a pole, allows you see signs of internal corrosion and gives you a chance to locate abrasion points where halyards have been misled or are rubbing on hardware. A narrow spot beam will illuminate much of the inner wall of the mast, and if the running rigging has been replaced with thin messengers and the spreader “dog bones” (cross connecting supports) have been removed, you will have a clear sight line up the spar. This is a good time to sort out any halyard overlaps.

Riggers also look for an ailment called “elephant foot.” It’s a descriptive name for the partial crumpling of the spar near the base of the mast, It’s caused by over-compression and/or a wall section that is too thin. This wrinkling is usually just above the mast step, and it indicates a condition just shy of complete failure. It can be linked to prolonged ponding to windward with excessive backstay tension and overpressuring mast jacks. In some cases a new section can be spliced into the spar. By if it’s an older mast and other significant signs of deterioration are present, it may be time to opt for a new spar. Don’t bet the farm on an “it hasn’t failed yet” assumption; hire a skilled rigger to advise on the tough calls.

At first glance, the mechanical challenge linked to stripping hardware from a mast seems rather simple. All you need are a couple of screwdrivers and you’re ready to go. Unfortunately, the gods of galvanic corrosion have placed another obstacle in the sailor’s way.

The threads of those stainless steel screws attaching hardware to base plates or to the mast wall itself have become so corroded they are likely to be screwdriver-proof. Part of the blame goes to original hardware installers, who gave little attention to coating threads with an anti-seize compound and the effect it would have on future maintenance.

So after some years or decades, when it’s time to see what lies underneath the hardware, my first step is to clean all oxidation, paint and grime away from the screw slots and make sure that the chosen screwdriver fills the entire slot. A snug fit is the goal. Then, if a good counter clockwise twist fails to elicit any rotation, it’s time to add a wrench to the screw driver and deploy a good deal more torque.

If this also fails to loosen the bugger, I go to plan B before I ruin the screw slot. Step one is to use a pick to scrape away oxidation around the screw head perimeter. The next step is to douse the area with a penetrant such as PB Blaster, CRC’s Ultra Screwloose, Knocker Loose Plus, Gasoila Free-All or a similar product (see Inside Practical Sailor blog post, “More Boat Tips: Unsticking Stuck Nuts and Bolts”).

Before once again applying torque to the problem, I spend some time using a drift pin and a small ball-peen hammer to tap each chemically soaked fastener. Afterwards I add more penetrant around each screw head. Instead of immediately reverting to a brute force approach, which more often than not leads to a broken fastener or a damaged screw slot, I let the penetrant do its thing and return the next day with my portable impact driver and assortment of screw driver bits. The small Makita impact tool applies a pulsing torque. Combined with a little penetrant and a lot of patience, I’ve found this tool to be very effective on stubborn fasteners. Screw diameters of ¼ inch or less are not hard to snap so use pulsing torque is far better than more leverage and brute force.

If the screw slot is damaged it’s time to switch gears and be ready to drill out the head of the screw and pull the hardware off the remaining stud. A stud remover fitted to a socket wrench works better than vise grips when it comes to backing out a headless screw. But it requires a half-inch or more of the screw stem to be exposed.

The secret to drilling off the damaged head of a screw involves the use of a drill bit made for stainless steel. Place it in the chuck of a low-speed drill that delivers ample torque at slow speeds. Those using a dull bit and a high-speed drill are likely to work-harden the stainless steel screw head, making it even harder to drill. Applying cutting oil that both cools and lubricates a bit will make drilling more effective.

ALONG THE COLUMN

A sailboat mast is like a long electrical fuse: one bad spot and the show is over. Critical failures are usually linked to standing rigging failures and can occur at toggle or tang attachment points, on the spar itself or at spreader tips and roots. Upper shroud tang fittings, near the masthead, need a close look. Check clevis pin holes for elongation and Tball or stem ball cups for deformation.

Sight along the open spans of the spar, where no hardware is attached. It should be free of abrasion marks and signs of halyard shackle damage. It’s surprising how many painstakingly applied paint jobs are ruined by halyard slating cause by poorly set halyards. During this part of the inspection also check exit sheaves, winch bases/pads, mast steps, the bow light, radar bracket and other attached hardware.

The gooseneck fitting and boom vang points of attachment are highstress areas and prone to developing stress cracks. Just below this union, forces converge at the mast partners, the reinforced area where a keelstepped spar passes through the deck. Check here for stress-related damage as well as corrosion issues. If you find signs of extensive pitting or stress cracks, a cosmetic repair can be more harm than help. Have a local rigger with a good reputation take a close look at what you have uncovered.

The mainsail mast track should be straight and the slugs, slides or cars that run in or on them should slide freely. Take an extra slide or car and hand test the track, identifying any points where friction increases. Problems are often caused by burred or dented metal, oxidation in an internal track or misalignment at track joints. Most of these issues are easy to resolve while the spar is horizontal and access is optimized. In-mast or in-boom furling systems each have an inspection and maintenance routine outlined by the manufacturer. Maintaining optimum reliability revolves around following these guidelines. Care should be taken to avoid keeping paint and primer from hampering track function.

Search for causes of abrasion, eliminate the dings and dents from halyard shackles by solving lead problems. And be on the lookout for hairline cracks emanating from fasteners on the leading edge of the mast. Modern spar design accounts for backstay tensioning that induces bend in the mast to adust headsail shape. This bending results in an intentional tension increase on the spar’s leading edge, adding new stress to a column already in compression. Small cracks emanating from fasteners on the leading edge of the mast can be enlarged as the mast is intentionally bowed.

Every sailor who’s painted anything on their boat has plenty of tips to share. But when it comes to useful insider advice, pay more attention to the pros who have learned what works over many years. The good news is that although paint brand allegiance may vary, generic mast prep and painting techniques have a high degree of correlation.

When it comes to the first step in the prep process, every expert sings the same refrain. Remove the hardware if possible, especially if there’s any sign of blistering or paint failure around the edges. If there’s no sign of any corrosion at all, and the fasteners are likely to snap rather than release, carefully prep and tape around the hardware.

Sand, wire brush or sand/soda blast all areas where corrosion has pitted or left the surface covered with white aluminum oxide. Take a close look at the heel of the mast and the mast step itself. Both need to be free of corrosion and not damaged by metal loss or physical damage. The same goes for the area where spreaders, stays and shrouds attach. The masthead fitting also deserves close scrutiny. Inspect the aluminum around where the sheave axle(s) attach. A corroded aluminum masthead truck, with deterioration around the support for headstay or backstay toggles, can spell disaster. This corrosion inspection is a good time to catch pending problems.

In most cases, OEM painted spars hold up quite well, especially those that have been carefully prepped, epoxyprimed and LPU top coated. Eventually, weathering causes the gloss to disappear, but the paint retains excellent adhesive quality. If you’re facing such a challenge and there’s little or no sign of physical damage or corrosion around hardware, there’s nothing wrong with simply renewing the top coat.

In such cases, begin with a wash and/ dewax cleanup, sand with 220/320, remove dust, tape off hardware, solvent wipe and apply of two coats of the same (or similar type) topcoat, scuff-sand between coats.

However, if there are dings, scrapes or areas where corrosion has damaged the coating or areas where paint adhesion is failing, a decision must be made between spot repairs and complete mast redo. The latter involves removal of most or all of the hardware and stripping off every bit of the old paint. A spot repair approach is much less labor intensive, but if corrosion is rampant, spot repairing can be counterproductive.

During the prep process it’s essential to clean and degrease the surface before doing any sanding or other abrasive work. I prefer to use the solvent/cleaner of the paint manufacturer I’ve chosen. Clean cotton rags work best, and by meticulously wet wiping the surface you eliminate contaminants that can be forced into the substrate during sanding.

In the case of a repair and recoat effort, once the corrosion and flaking paint have been removed, feather in the adjacent painted mast surface with 60- 80 grit paper to achieve a toothy grip for the epoxy primer that follows. When doing a spot repair, this taper zone becomes an important test of one’s ability to feather an edge and hide the old to new paint junction. Seamless blending of the primer sets the stage for a successful, smooth transition spot repair. If, as you sand the boundary, the old paint continues to flake rather than allow you to feather the edge, It time to switch gears and consider removing all the paint.

An important step in painting aluminum is to get an epoxy primer on a freshly sanded and clean surface as soon as possible. When painting an entire spar, It helps if you can set up a way to hang the mast at waist level so it can be rotated in order to access all surfaces efficiently.

PRODUCT UPDATE

Interlux recommends doing the degrease wipe down with their 202 Solvent Wash prior to sanding. Then prime the spar using their InterProtect 2000E/2001E, thinned 15-20% with their brush or spray reducer. It’s a user friendly epoxy primer and easy to sand. Two coats makes the 60-80 grit sanding marks disappear. Both single-part Bright Sides and two part Perfection deliver a smooth glossy finish. The former is easier to apply and the latter is more durable and long lived.

Pettit offers a complete lineup of aluminum paint and prep products. Their approach kicks off with a solvent clean and a medium grit emery cloth sanding. When the residue has been removed, a thin coat of #6455 Primer should be applied. Two hours later, EZ Prime #6149 is applied and when it’s cured and sanded with 220 (repeat if necessary). Finish with two coats of Easypoxy.

Awl Grip recommends an initial cleaning with their surface cleaner T340 followed by a vigorous Scotchbrite scrubbing with Deoxidine and a thorough rinse to remove all residue. When dry prime with 30-Y-94 and within 3-6 hours, without sanding, apply 545 epoxy primer. Sand 220/320 and top coat with Awl Craft 2000.

If the spar was previously anodized precede the above with a 10-minute wash using a 33% solution of natrium hydroxide. Don’t let the solution dry on the spar. Immediately water-rinse and follow the prime and paint process above.

Spreader junctions are like a dangerous highway intersection, a point where competing forces interact and where there are no traffic lights to tame the flow. Rigging tension on the windward side of a sailboat cause compression loads to increase in the windward spreader(s) and decrease in the leeward spreader(s). Discontinuous standing rigging optimizes wire/rod diameter in each panel section, but it also complicates spreader tip hardware. All too often, spreader boots or a well-meaning taping effort, ends up looking like a response to an ankle injury. Even worse it creates a moisture-holding corrosion bath that enhances galvanic corrosion and oxidation. The goal is to avoid going overboard with padding and tape and making sure that water will not collect around spreader tip hardware.

Spreader bases are another realm of serious concern due to cycle loading, multidirectional forces and dissimilar metal contact. Swept back spreaders, especially those that eliminate the need for a backstay, cope with even greater loads. So when the rig is un-stepped, check how the spreader attachment was engineered. Was a doubler added to the mast wall and/ or were cutouts installed and hardware added to connect spreader pairs? In either case, corrosion in key load path areas can greatly decrease the spar’s ability to cope with the fluctuating loads. It’s no surprise that masts often break just above a set of spreaders.

AT THE MASTHEAD

Once launched, it’s hard to see what’s going on at the masthead. This means that when the spar is down it’s time to get a really close look at the mast truck and its associated fittings. Begin by disconnecting the standing rigging and checking the geometry of every hole that supports a clevis pin. The rule of thumb is: round is good, elliptical is bad. This goes for the tangs that connect upper shrouds to the spar as well as the holes in a welded aluminum masthead fitting. The loss of an upper shroud while beating to windward usually brings down the mast, so extra attention in this area is time well spent.

Carbon spar manufacturing mimics the engineering pioneered in the aerospace industry. They have become an essential component In the most competitive ranks of sailboat racing and caught on with cruising sailors who own lighter, more performance oriented sailboats.

Most spars are built on metal mandrels by carefully aligning layers of prepreg unidirectional and multi-axial carbon fiber from masthead to heel. Intermittently, a debulking process is used to squeeze the layers together, and after the laminate schedule has been carefully aligned, it’s placed in an autoclave. Here the epoxy prepreg in the carbon material becomes viscous and cures under controlled heat and air pressure. These materials are expensive, the labor is time-consuming and the quality control must be rigorous.

One of the major advantages of carbon mast building is the ability to engineer the layup to coincide with the load paths and stresses in the structure. Finite element analysis has helped identify how and where forces are transferred through the tube section. Weight is saved by only adding material where it is needed.

A cruising boat designer may opt for extra reinforcement that increases the safety factor by raising the breaking point of the material. Racing sailors have validated the performance uptick associated with carbon spars. Carbon/epoxy laminates do not suffer from corrosion but they are anything but immune to UV light. It’s one of the reasons a white primer and LPU topcoat is the sensible finish.

Minor impact damage and abrasion from poorly led running rigging is fairly straight forward to repair. But damage linked to sailing loads that cause major cracks in the laminate or interlayer delamination is another story altogether. In these cases, the spar builder or a composites shop engineer has some tough decisions to make. The big challenge is when a high-tech laminate bundle fails it’s very difficult to scarf in a new section that will handle all the loads in a manner that’s equivalent to, let alone, better than new. Some insurance companies put restrictions or higher premiums on coverage of carbon masts.

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> > Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. 03-03-2024, 05:01   Boat: Scanmar 35 Scanmar 35 and I'm now working on some improvements and fixes. One of things I need to do is to install new wires in (VHF and cables). I have Isomat NG51 with cable conduits already installed. Mast is stepped and I will need to remove it from time to time for . What is unclear to me how to fasten near top of the mast where they exit cable conduits. So that there is some kind of support and all cable weight doesn't rest on cable connectors to lamps etc. I also had noticed that new cable that was installed by previous owner already is chafed against halyards that are inside mast. So I need to somehow protect wires between cable conduit end and masthead (cable conduits end approx 1 meter from top). If somebody also could share pictures of your near mast it would be really helpful. 03-03-2024, 06:11   Boat: Beneteau 432, C&C Landfall 42, Roberts Offshore 38 and this was attached to the inside of the mast at the mast to to some protruding bolts that held the upper shrouds. The " harness" was simple to make. I simple wrapped the twine around the cable many times and formed a loop at the end. To make sure, everything would not or decay, I slathered it all in some proof grease. Years later, after I had the , the masts were taken down for transport and I had an opportunity to inspect my "harness" which still looked like the day I made it. 03-03-2024, 09:19   Boat: Scanmar 35 . I would also additionally need to drill bigger hole - approx 25 mm so I can pass through connector. Do I risk weakening mast with such additional larger hole? 03-03-2024, 09:19   Boat: Tartan 3800 03-03-2024, 09:23   Boat: Tartan 3800   03-03-2024, 09:35   Boat: Tartan 3800 . I would also additionally need to drill bigger hole - approx 25 mm so I can pass through connector. Do I risk weakening mast with such additional larger hole? 03-03-2024, 10:28   Boat: Columbia 36 03-03-2024, 11:06   Boat: Former owner of a Valiant V40 lights, forward facing , other new sensors, additional colored light (helps find your boat in a crowded anchorage at night), etc ??? 03-03-2024, 17:28   Boat: Beneteau 432, C&C Landfall 42, Roberts Offshore 38 that's exactly what 1 did using my twine, worked great. I would not be drilling a 25 mm hole...1"...that's for sure. I'd make the hole just big enough to fit the cable thru'. If you are concerned about abrasion, wrap the cable in some tape or duck tape, or even a plastic sleeve, slit open so you can get it around the cable. , Thread Tools Rate This Thread : Posting Rules post new threads post replies post attachments edit your posts is are code is are are are Similar Threads Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post BrettB Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 22 29-04-2019 00:30 Shanaly Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 5 14-08-2012 05:15 sec906 Health, Safety & Related Gear 2 18-07-2010 17:43 teneicm Navigation 3 26-06-2010 14:05 bryan and wendy Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 20 14-01-2010 08:42 - - - - - - - Privacy Guaranteed - your email is never shared with anyone, opt out any time. Forum Listing Marketplace Advanced Search All Topics Sailing General Sailing Discussions SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more! Ideas on securing wires inside mast? Add to quote If your halyards are external I read somewhere that wire ties along the bundle with the tails sticking out will keep the wires from slapping.   That's the solution that Don Casey suggests, sounds like a simple solution. At copacabana: How do you hold the PVC against the wall of the mast for riveting? And why riveting, instead of some other method? ie screws   Travlineasy, Your best option is a 3/4 inch PVC pipe conduit inside the mast, riveted to the inside of the mast wall. This way your wires won't interfere with your halyards and vice versa. I don't know why you think this will be expensive. I did mine last July when I hauled out. I bought PVC pipe at the hardware store and did the labour myself (2 or 3 hours). The hardest part is getting the pipe pressed against the mast wall to drill and rivet it in place. If your halyards are internal, there really is no other permanent solution that I'm aware of.   Once you get the PVC close enough to grab, the rivet will pull it tight against the mast. Putting a screw in will always be trying to push the PVC away until/if it 'grabs'. The 'wire straps left long' may even work with internal halyards, but best if the halyards are there first.. threading a new halyard or messenger through might be interesting... Either method requires pulling the cables and refeeding them - either into the conduit or with the wire ties attached.   The issue is, that the best solutions require taking the mast down. When I installed some extra accessories at the top of my Coronado's mast, I wrapped all the wires in closed-cell foam pipe insulation. This is not that nasty, black rubber foam that gets wet and disintigrates, this was a plastic-based foam that is extremely cheap at Home Despot, and very durable, and immune to humidity. I had the mast at home on saw-horses where I covered all the cables, pulled them up into the mast, and voila!- Silence. No drilling, no PVC conduit.   First I removed some mast hardware to have a few free holes available. Then I used screwdrivers to push the pipe against the wall of the mast. It takes 2 people. One holds it and another drills and rivets. Start at one end of the mast and after the second fixing point the pipe stays pretty much in place, although you still need to push it firmly against the mast wall to rivet it. It's not exactly easy, but it's also not rocket science. It just takes patience. Riveting is the easiest and strongest method, but I suppose screws could work (or would they eventualy loosen in the pvc?). I suppose a good glue might also work (like 5200) if you roughened the PVC pipe with coarse sandpaper. The problem with Don Casey's method is that you haven't eliminated the greater problem of having wires (and now a bunch of wire ties) and halyards loose in the mast together. Eventually the rope chafes the wires or something gets tangled. I replaced all my mast wires when I put in the PVC conduit and all had a few big chafe points. The PVC pipe protects the wires and is a smooth surface that won't chafe your halyards. It's a cheap and easy upgrade.   I did the conduit with pop-rivets as told by knothead were you drill one small hole to hold the conduit in place with a bent coat hanger and then drill the second through the conduit and rivit it It worked really well and i was able to have a hole in the conduit at the combo steam/deck light were those wires exited the mast mid level   If you’re gonna install a PVC conduit, I think securing it with an adhesive like 5200 is a far simpler way to go, and it saves the drilling of unnecessary holes in the mast… I did this about 15 years ago, mine’s held up fine… Simply assemble the conduit (I did one from the bottom, another from the top, to allow a break at the spreaders for spreader, steaming, and foredeck lights) and run a heavy bead of 5200 or similar along the conduit, then slide it in the mast (keeping the bead from making contact with the mast wall until you have it properly positioned, of course) Then, simply rotate the conduit to where you want it… Don't forget to run some sort of messenger line inside the conduit, especially if you're leaving a break somewhere, as I did... You'll be happy you did so when it comes time to run the wires, you can trust me on this (grin) Then, to insure you’ve got a consistent and adequate distribution of the sealant, slide an equivalent length of heavy, black iron pipe up inside the conduit to weigh it down, and ensure a good, solid connection with the mast wall… Let it sit until the adhesive cures, remove the black pipe, you’re done…   I've got the same problem. Jon's method above sounds good. I've got a long length of rebar that could be used in place of iron pipe. One thing I question is how do you satisfy the AYBC requirement of supporting the wire every 18 inches (to satisfy you would need a wire tie support every 18 inches coming down the mast, otherwise all of wires weight is supported from one point at the top). With wire in the mast seems nearly impossible. And how do you adequately support 40 feet or more of wire from the mast head? My wire just swing around and rub inside the mast, surprised they still work and have not broken loose from the top of the mast.   "One thing I question is how do you satisfy the AYBC requirement of supporting the wire every 18 inches " I suppose that means doing what the utility companies do on powerlines. Run a separate steel cable, secure the other wires to it every 18". Oh did I forget? To mention do that while the mast is down, now insert the whole bundle in your conduit and secure it from the top, let the steel cable take all the weight. Sometimes there's no easy or practical way to retrofit.   Know as a messager cable. Good idea. Maybe use a 1/16 inch AmSteel line instead of steel cable.   No, a messenger cable is used strictly to move other wires from "this end" to "that end". It isn't used to secure them in place. A messenger cable needs to be at least twice as long as the wire run, so it can go back and forth, and still not be lost at either end. And available to move, without moving any existing wiring that remains in place.   You previous description was for a messenger cable: Cable Construction Details The above definition is for a cable puller: Engineer's Corner -- Installing Communications Cable in Conduit: Pulling Lubricants, Blowing, Tension Calculations, Software, Fiber Optics, Friction Reduction   travlineasy said: (snip) I talked with a couple marinas and they recommended installing a PVC conduit in the mast, which would really be expensive. (snip) Has anyone else experienced this problem, and if so, I could sure use a solution. Thanks in advance, Gary Click to expand... Just a thought for consideration- if you are ok with drilling some holes in the mast, maybe consider injecting some expanding foam insulation at various points to anchor the wires? Could easily be removed down the road if necessary. ??? Looks like my PO had done something similar. If foam is not exposed to UV should hold up just fine.   Casey, Belden ought to know their stuff but I've always been taught, always heard the usage, of a "messenger line" (cable, etc.) as being the line you string between here and there, and use to pull other cables or wires back and forth. By riggers, electricians, anyone who has run one. And a "cable puller" from the electricians I know, is the thing (gizmo or single cable itself) you attach to one end of a cable, to pull it through. And then you need to run a new messenger line to run another new cable, because you've just pulled out the one that was there before. Does a "northerly" wind blow fom the north or the south? Despite all the definitions both ways, a northerly wind blows TOWARD not FROM the north. A North wind blows rom the north. A "northerly" one doesn't. Same same I suspect, just as so many people have taken to saying they will "insure" that something gets done, when they mean "ensure". Go back 20 years and the differences were clear, but today the meaning has been largely lost. Call me stubborn, adamant (two sides of the same coin) or simply wrong, but I'll stand by the only usage I've ever heard all these years and call Belden wrong on this one. Even if it is right in their internal industry jargon.   I was looking at my mast last night. I have enough holes here and there to pull the wire out the side of the mast and attach a thick wire tie that is say 1 foot long. I would leave the tail on and that would restrict the movement of the wire some, and maybe enough to silence. Maybe you could try this. If you jam in the foam, what if you need to run wire in the future. Can they be removed? What about internal halyards?   Gary, wait until you have to take down your mast at a future date and do it right with the PVC pipe then. It's something you can do yourself with one helper. It's not quite as complicated as you describe. In the mean time the foam blocks should do the trick, especially as you have all external halyards. Cheers!   The last boat we installed a conduit in was a Pearson 33'. The mast was to be painted so we stripped the mast and installed the conduit. That took four hours. At 75.00 per hour, plus the conduit and rivets that came to about 300.60. Add in the crane fee, 150.00 each way, that comes to about 660.00 . We ended up doing a complete rerig, complete rewiring, added a led anchor light, spartite and a bunch of extra stuff so the final bill was more like 4 grand. FWIW.   You don't need pipe at all. Just take some zip ties and wrap them around your bundle of wires about every 3'. Leave the protruding ends of the zip ties on, and point them in different directions. You can even do this with the mast still on. Just pull all the wires out the top of the mast, and add the zip ties as you push the wire bundle down the mast again. Zip Ties. These will keep your wires from knocking against the inside of the mast. I've done this and it worked perfectly.   You don't need pipe at all. Just take some zip ties and wrap them around your bundle of wires about every 3'. Leave the protruding ends of the zip ties on, and point them in different directions. You can even do this with the mast still on. Just pull all the wires out the top of the mast, and add the zip ties as you push the wire bundle down the mast again. Zip Ties. These will keep your wires from knocking against the inside of the mast. I've done this and it worked perfectly. Click to expand... Knothead, not quite. You can pull the whole wire bundle out the top, cut the zip ties and then drop a new bundle down again, if you ever need to add or change a wire. I've done this. Because the wires are still free inside the mast, I can't see much chance for chafing with a halyard. they will just move out of the way. I've used this method for 7 years and have not faced either of the problems you mentioned. Perhaps someone else has.   Why not put the wires in some PVC conduit and then wrap the zip-ties around the conduit to keep it from rattling? You would have to use more and/or heavier zip-ties because of the mass of the conduit. But, the wires would be protected from the halyards and you wouldn't have to drill holes in the mast. Might be awkward getting the conduit into the mast without dropping the rig to do it, however. Oh, and leave a messenger in the conduit for any future additions. EDIT: Oops. Never mind. I forgot about getting wires out of the conduit at intermediate places along the mast (spreader lights, steaming light, radar). Anytime a wire came out of the conduit, if the conduit wasn't firmly anchored to the inside wall of the mast, the wire would be subject to chafe.   Gary, My mast is down and I'm going to do the same thing I did on last boat that I was very happy with. I have internal halyards too and slapping wires and halyards keep me awake. So I bought 50 feet of black poly spiral wrap from McMaster Carr and wrapped the cables in that making a nice neat bundle. Then I got so 2" thick Ethafoam polyethylene foam 2" thick. Its used for packaging things like LCD TVs and such on the corners. It is NOT styrofoam which is ridgid and breaks. I hold it against the end of the mast and trace around the mast with a marker, Then I use a sharp knife to cut out the oval to the outside dimension of the mast. I cut a small notch at the front edge for the wire bundle. I sharpen the edge on a sink tailpiece pipe to cut a round hole in the middle. The halyards all go up the center holes. I then use my whisker pole to push them in from both ends, spaced about 3 feet apart. Ahhh! Silent halyards! Life is good. Gary H. Lucas   I got a dumpster full of that stuff. You can have it but we are 5,000 miles away from each other. One thing I question, the foam seems to be open cell. This would absorb water and stay wet for a long time. Could also get salt water for the blue water sailors. Once it gets salt in it, it will stay damp, and potential corrode your mast in the areas the foam is located.   My halyards are external (I made them that way during the refit). I went with expanding foam every two feet. Solid as a rock, and I can "yank" them out whenever/if the need arises. Worked out great (so far). I made sure not to fully fill the areas so water will drain down..   ?             176.3K members Top Contributors this Month Search forums Practical Boat Owner's Reader to Reader External mast conduit Thread starter webcraft Start date 1 May 2018 Well-known member . I want to run an external conduit down the mast on Avy-J for cables. What material is best and how to attach it? _ W   Assuming it's an aluminium mast with no space left inside, rather than a solid wooden one. I think it would have to be some kind of aluminium channel profile - plastic conduit is generally PVC and I'd expect it to go brittle after a few years and then crack when a halyard or sail whacks it. Both stainless and ordinary steel will be heavy and harder to work with; plain steel will rust and stainless will probably be quite expensive. Attach it with aluminium rivets (no need for great strength). Pete   rogerthebodger webcraft said: . I want to run an external conduit down the mast on Avy-J for cables. What material is best and how to attach it? _ W Click to expand... fredrussell Was thinking of doing the same - would like to run a cable from tv aerial mounted on spreader down to deck.   fredrussell said: Was thinking of doing the same - would like to run a cable from tv aerial mounted on spreader down to deck. Click to expand... At the moment the tricolor & Vhf cables are run externally in clips. I need to replace Vhf & fit steaming light. No access to inside of mast - would have to take the base off somehow. Also don't want cable slap in inside the mast. —W   Should the only option be for external conduit, then an alumin(i)um protective conduit seems the easiest way, secured by blind fasteners, As mentioned, PVC conduit will degrade under UV, and break off eventually. Such alumin(i)um will need its own coating of protection - possibly spray-on. Should the mast be hollow, then it is certainly possible to run the cables inside. Guidance on where and how to cut access holes, and 'make good', should be gained online from the likes of AllSpars or Selden, or even here. It's not a new requirement. Internal 'mast slap' may be prevented by fastening cheap cable ties tightly, at intervals, in a 3-star, configuration at short intervals around the cable bundle.   Will the mast not have a conduit for cables inside it? The Kemp mast for my 1980 Sadler 25 did. I wanted to fit a steaming light and ended up replacing the two core cable to the masthead with a tri, then ran a two core cable from there down to the new steaming light. The masthead cable up the conduit and the twin down inside the mast but outside the conduit. I obviously had to remove both the base and head bits...   PuffTheMagicDragon Active member. webcraft said: Also don't want cable slap in inside the mast. —W Click to expand... If it were me I'd go for a plan A of unstepping the mast and trying to run the cables internally. Obviously it won't be easy without a mouse down the cable conduit but you could get one of those cheap endoscope type cameras so you can see what you're doing internally. Maybe even fancier kit is available from tool hire shops. Once done it'll be a lot better job than external wiring conduits. It looks bad enough on old houses never mind a boat.   . I don't think my mast has a cable conduit, nor do I think there is any easy way ot check. all indications are that cables have never been run inside this mast. But I will investigate further,l maybe post some photos. - W   Are there any odd rivets visible on the mast that don't seem to be doing anything? It is just possible that a conduit, if present, might be attached that way. There's a thread from 2007 here: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?116316-Wiring-a-Selden-mast&p=1197437#post1197437 It seems some masts have more than one conduit... What kind of boat/mast is it Webbie?   A1Sailor said: Are there any odd rivets visible on the mast that don't seem to be doing anything? It is just possible that a conduit, if present, might be attached that way. There's a thread from 2007 here: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?116316-Wiring-a-Selden-mast&p=1197437#post1197437 It seems some masts have more than one conduit... What kind of boat/mast is it Webbie? Click to expand... A1Sailor said: Are there any odd rivets visible on the mast that don't seem to be doing anything? It is just possible that a conduit, if present, might be attached that way. Click to expand... I would avoid using lots of rivets in the mast. It's May already, time to crack on with a quick fix. Dare I suggest running the cables up the back stay? Lots of dinghies have the luff rope track glued to the mast, as an alternative option. Plastic conduit will probably die of UV, even in Scotland, but it's not expensive to replace every few years, or when you drop the mast and sort an internal conduit. UV resistant plastic conduit is around, but it's usually black. A coat of white paint will help UV proof it anyway. Is it a luff-groove section, not a slider-track? I've seen cables glued in the corners of the luff groove when there's space.   I've experienced external conduit - plastic and aluminium and found it worthwhile to cable internally. The plastic was a UV disaster and the sight of a long section of alloy spearing into the sea with the resultant flapping of cables in the breeze convinced me the only way was up the inside. I guess all the halyards are external and you have no existing orifices to probe through - cables may be led through intenal ducts in the extrusion so counting rivets isn't always an option. I guess the mast is coming down anyway, so if the foot (or truck) can't be removed due to white powder syndrome, drilling a hole in the base will allow investigation - there should be one for drainage anyway.   If you must run a conduit externally, there's plenty of ally tube around such as here which can be fixed with saddles - https://www.metals4u.co.uk/aluminiu...-1voRNwEhKqcWC_i6bMLBcuD82mCX_CBoCY0kQAvD_BwE   lpdsn said: If it were me I'd go for a plan A of unstepping the mast and trying to run the cables internally. Obviously it won't be easy without a mouse down the cable conduit but you could get one of those cheap endoscope type cameras so you can see what you're doing internally. Maybe even fancier kit is available from tool hire shops. Once done it'll be a lot better job than external wiring conduits. It looks bad enough on old houses never mind a boat. Click to expand... You could add a layer of heatshrink tubing to reduce UV degradation. IME, mast cables don't last forever due to water ingress and corrosion anyway. You can buy UV rated co-ax and other cable. I would guess the lights are wired with 3 core, + for white, + for tricolour and -ve. But there are variations!   Members online Fr J Hackett AntarcticPilot snowbird30ds jamiepyoung Irish Rover Wandering Star James_Calvert Windy Andros EssexPrincess Sailing newbie selsey Guillemot592 Baggywrinkle John_Silver lonederanger Share this page Forums New posts Unanswered threads Register Top Posts Email What's new New posts New Posts (legacy) Latest activity New media Media New media New comments Boat Info Downloads Weekly Quiz Topic FAQ 10000boatnames.com Classifieds Sell Your Boat Used Gear for Sale Parts General Marine Parts Hunter Beneteau Catalina MacGregor Oday Help Terms of Use Monday Mail Subscribe Monday Mail Unsubscribe Electrical connections for the mast Thread starter fred1diver Start date Jan 16, 2020 Forums for All Owners Ask All Sailors Hey everyone, wondering how you all make the mast electrical connections? what do you think of a waterproof connection box? or do you prefer a wire thru hull? I’m leaning towards a waterproof box   justsomeguy fred1diver said: not sure if that is any good Click to expand Ok, good to know, thanks   Captain Larry-DH fred1diver said: yes that is what I was thinking of, but I also saw this model View attachment 174127 not sure if that is any good Click to expand Yeah I’m not familiar with those Not sure how you get the wires through the deck with that   rgranger said: Not sure how you get the wires through the deck with that Click to expand I have 3 water tight deck connections at the mast base (lights, wind vane, VHF). There is an access panel beneath the deck stepped mast and the cables are connected in one of the “water tight” junction boxes there. The VHF actually has its own through deck connecter. A drip loop in each of the wires above deck along with the through deck connecters keeps any water from running into the access area. I only take the mast down every couple of years, not as if I am a trailer sailer or have to take the mast down for winter storage. If I was a trailer sailer, I would definitely be looking for a more expedient way of disconnecting and reconnecting.   Assuming your mast is deck stepped you could consider this. Make a hole in the deck within the footprint of the mast step big enough to put a 1/4" or so PVC pipe. Be mindful of where this will be in the cabin. Epoxy a piece of the PVC pipe through the deck so that the pipe stands proud of the deck about an inch. That is to keep rainwater out. Thread your wires through the pipe and goop it up enough to prevent chafing. You probably want to have a junction box somewhere near the pipe inside the cabin. That will allow you to un-step the mast without cutting the wires. You'll want to be pretty certain that there isn't core rot where you want to put the hole. And you should probably remove 1/4' or so of core around the hole and fill with thickened epoxy a la Don Casey. I had through deck connectors on my Mark 25 and was wholly unsatisfied with them.   rgranger said: I assume you are talking about the electric wire that goes to the anchor/steaming light on the mast. If that is correct, I use one of these View attachment 174124 View attachment 174125 View attachment 174126 If that is what you are looking for, do a search for 12v marine watertight deck connection Click to expand My C&C27 with deck stepped mast has 2 of the chrome plated glands shown on the right in post #2. One for the VHF antenna and one for the mast lights. The wire comes through the deck gland then to a connector - N-type for the VHF then a 4 pin water resistant plug for the mast lights. It ends up looking sort of like post #13 in the other thread but with a chrome plated feed through gland Deck to mast electrical connection   Serenity on Hudson I have the first connector in use for my solar panel which I take into the cabin while sailing and it sitting in the cockpit charging the battery while at dock. I also used one for my autopilot. After 5 years of plugging-unplugging the autopilot connection began to fail. I spread the prongs to get a better connection until the smaller one just broke off. Don't use the autopilot on my Capri 22 as it balances so well that I can leave the tiller for a couple of minutes without any significant course variation (as long as the wind is steady and not varying in amplitude or direction significantly). May add the autopilot this year so I can eat lunch while I sail without worry. Or use the facilities other than over the side. My last TP-10 would not calibrate on my Hunter 23.5. I burned out a TP-10 every two years on the Hunter because of excessive weather helm I just couldn't get rid of no matter how focused on sail trim. Water ballast just not a good choice for good sailing characteristics. Good for launch though.   Serenity on Hudson said: ... Don't use the autopilot on my Capri 22 as it balances so well that I can leave the tiller for a couple of minutes without any significant course variation (as long as the wind is steady and not varying in amplitude or direction significantly)... Click to expand SRWK 2015   This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Accept Learn more… 111 COMMENTS When Replacing Electrical Items in the Mast Next, install the fixtures permanently using a sealant as an isolation barrier. Pull out any remaining slack at the butt of the mast. Trim all of your cables to a neat and even length. Leave enough slack for service lengths. Finally test all of the light fixtures through the mast and label the cables accordingly. Episode 13 "Installing Electrical Conduit in a Sailboat Mast" In this episode I show you step by step how I install conduit in sailboat masts.. *****DISCLAIMER Just because I showed you how to do it does not make you an... Conduit in masts? You don't want conduit loose in the mast - particularly if you have internal halyards. You could pre drill the conduit.. mark the mast and drill the first hole and secure the conduit... the other holes should align with your marks. Assemble the conduit... tape to the outside of the mast. Drill the holes through the pvc conduit and though the mast. Installing a conduit in the mast--Worth it? 270 posts · Joined 2006. #4 · Apr 1, 2014. would standard pipe insulation work instead of a plastic conduit, start at the bottom and slide the insulation up the mast and tape the insulation together at each of the butt ends with the wire inside. The insulation might lower or eliminate the noise of the wire hitting the mast. electrical conduit loose inside mast Pop a new rivet into the conduit and move on to the next rivet. repeat the process until the conduit is secure again. Fill the off line holes with short aluminum rivets to complete the repair.u000bu000bIf you are very lucky the conduit will be loose at the bottom of the mast and still attached at the top. Mast electrical conduit Does anyone have a suggestion for securing a PVC conduit inside the mast for wires? If I rivet in place is there an easy way to hold the conduit in place while I drill the hole? Craig Tern #1519 Top Tips For Re-Wiring a Sailboat Mast Seminar: Basic Marine Electrical. Boating Tech Talk. Boating Tech Talk. Pacific Yacht Systems can design and install exactly what you need, so that you feel safe and enjoy your boat to its full potential. We offer design, installation, service, and support for marine electronics and electrical services. Mast conduit--is it worth the effort? Apr 1, 2014. #12. Many of you will find that your mast sections have a "T" or "C" shaped part of the extrusion that accepts a PVC conduit and holds it in place for the entire length of the conduit. Isomat, Sparcraft, Spartan, the MORC Sections from Dwyer, some Kenyon extrusions accept the conduit. Installing Conduit In Mast My mast has two slots which run full length beside the internal sail track. I ran 1" round PVC conduit from the mast base to 6" short of the masthead. It is held in place with a series of mast slides attached to the conduit every 12" by double cable ties attached at 45° angles. The conduit is bolted at the base through the mast track. How to Install the Wiring in a Sailboat Mast Depending on the size of the wires and the conduit to be used, these holes could be between 1/2 inch and 1 inch. If there is an internal conduit, install the wiring as detailed in Step 3. If there is no conduit, go to Step 2. Insert a PVC conduit into the mast through the hole at the top. Drill holes through the mast and conduit about every 4 ... Installing a Conduit in an Aluminum Mast Images: 3. Re: Installing a Conduit in an Aluminum Mast. Use 1" or 1-1/4" PVC pipe riveted every couple feet or so along the forward face of the mast. Since it's not really load-bearing, you can use aluminum rivets. Make sure you cut the pipe in two near the location of your steaming and fore-deck lights so the wiring can exit easily. Mast Conduit Mark for the u-bolts and drill. Put the u-bolts over the conduit and into the holes. Glue the u-bolts to the conduit (your choice of glue). Roll the mast so the holes are now down. Pick up the whole mess and slide it inside the mast with the u-bolt legs toward the center. A Smart, Easy Way to Rewire Start about 1.5 inches away from the end of the fish and tightly spiral-wrap the electrical tape toward the end until youre about a half-inch past the wire end. Fold the excess tape down over the wire end and spiral the tape in the other direction. Now, bend each end of your newly wrapped wire about 10 degrees. Mast electrical conduit Not yet having my mast off I assume that the VHF and wind instrument cables travel thru a pvc conduit. Does anyone know if those cables are free or fastened? I would like to run my new wind instrument by going aloft and using the old cable to pull the new one down. Doug 1990 C30 Revive Your Mast Like a Pro A sailboat mast is like a long electrical fuse: one bad spot and the show is over. Critical failures are usually linked to standing rigging failures and can occur at toggle or tang attachment points, on the spar itself or at spreader tips and roots. Upper shroud tang fittings, near the masthead, need a close look. Electrical cable In mast Re: Electrical cable In mast. Drop a strong string down the mast with a small ring or some split shot fishing weights on it. From the base use a stiff wire with the end bent into a hook to fish the string out. From there you can pull your new cable and just abandon the old cable. 07-05-2019, 10:16. Rewiring the mast? Mast base electrical plug had some corrosion, but more disturbing was that all the wires reveal green corrosion after being stripped. It looks like the original wiring, 32 years old. I think I need to rewire the mast and also replace the panel to mast wiring. So questions arise. Does the mast wiring run in a conduit on a Newport 30 mast? Rewiring mast conduit or not? SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John. If you have running rigging in the mast then thin walled PVC conduit would be recommended to keep electrical lines separate from wet halyards. Attach the conduit to the the inside of the mast away from the fairlead of the halyards and not in line with the sail tracks. How to wire mast cables correctly? Some choices: 1) Feed the cables down through the mast step if possible. 2) Use a smaller diameter VHF connector, such as a TNC connector. 3) Use a bulkhead connector instead of a grommet for the VHF, see photo showing the mast cable for my previous boat with bulkhead connectors on both ends: Attached Thumbnails. __________________. Ideas on securing wires inside mast? The last boat we installed a conduit in was a Pearson 33'. The mast was to be painted so we stripped the mast and installed the conduit. That took four hours. At 75.00 per hour, plus the conduit and rivets that came to about 300.60. Add in the crane fee, 150.00 each way, that comes to about 660.00. Internal mast electrical conduit size? The conduit appeared to be a very light wall 1/2" pipe. All but 2 of the pop rivers mounting the conduit had broken thru the conduit. I replaced it with PVC conduit, I think that it was 3/4" sch 40. I ran my wiring harness and antenna coax thru it. Those pop rivers protrude into the conduit and eat up some of the space, so bigger is better. External mast conduit 6,058. Visit site. Should the only option be for external conduit, then an alumin (i)um protective conduit seems the easiest way, secured by blind fasteners, As mentioned, PVC conduit will degrade under UV, and break off eventually. Such alumin (i)um will need its own coating of protection - possibly spray-on. Should the mast be hollow, then it ... Electrical connections for the mast 2,242. Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI. Jan 17, 2020. #9. I have 3 water tight deck connections at the mast base (lights, wind vane, VHF). There is an access panel beneath the deck stepped mast and the cables are connected in one of the "water tight" junction boxes there. The VHF actually has its own through deck connecter. catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht