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QUESTION
Has anyone re-wired their mast and added a light for the fore deck. My running rigging runs on the outside of the mast and I due not plan to change this. The type of wire, ideas on anything to keep the wire form slapping the inside of the mast. I may replace the VHF cable as well.
Walt
s/v Star Voyager
REPLY #1
We rewired our mast a few years ago and ran our wires through 20 feet of 3/4 inch pipe insulation. The closed foam type you can get in 6 foot lengths at any hardware store.
Omay
REPLY #2
All of my masthead wiring on Baby Grand is outside the mast -tucked beneath the sail track- It comes out at the top in a tight loop and enters the mast at the bottom of the sail track just above the gooseneck, exiting at 3"-4" above the tabernacle top. No "slapping of wires occurs and no abrasion is caused, since nothing rubs. This involves taking off the sail track and rebolting or pop-riveting it back, but appears to be a permanent (19 years so far) fix.
Alternately, if you run these wires inside the mast, I have seen folk "bundle " them together with plastic cable ties in the form of a "star" ( 3 or 4 ties together radiating out in different directions) three or four feet apart. Leave the "tails" on. Feed these up the mast. The tails act as standoff springs. No rattling.
Good luck with the project.
Jock
REPLY #3
The wires in African Moon's mast are held in place with foam pads taped to the wire at 1 ft. intervals. The foam pads are large enough to fill the diameter of the mast and prevent the wire from slapping inside the mast, as well as slipping down the mast.
REPLY #4
We replaced all wiring and fixtures on PUFFIN'S mast when we rerigged and had the spars painted. We mounted new tricolor light, new VHF radio antenna, new steaming/foredeck light and ran new electrical cable and antenna wire. Once we had measured the wiring and laid it out, we loosely bundled the wires with plastic ties and then wrapped them in pipe insulation. This has worked well thus far. If we have to pull a wire, it should slide out of the bundle, after removing whatever end fitting it may have on it. The foredeck light/steaming light fixture is a AquaSignal series 25 combination light. The foredeck light makes evening anchor drills a bit easier.
Yours aye,
Hunter
Rod Bruckdorfer
©: copyright 2000 Rod Bruckdorfer
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