H31 Mast Wiring Questions

Manly

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Jan 3, 2018
47
Hunter 31 St. Petersburg
So my 1984 Hunter 31 has wiring issues with the mast. To wit, there is no wiring inside the mast that connects to anything, and precious little wiring in there at all, from what I can see. I went up to the top of the mast last night and looked around.

I'll probably pay to have the mast pulled off so I can do all the work on the ground.

QUESTIONS:
1) Is the compression post underneath the mast hollow?
2) Where do the wires supposed to go after feeding through the cabintop: outwards along the hollow beam that runs under the mast, or directly downwards through the compression post somehow?
3) Is it easy to access the wires from inside the boat? It looks to me like there is a wooden facing both on the forward side of the compression post (facing the salon) AND on the aft side of the compression post (facing into the bathroom). Can I take these facings off without loosening all the shrouds?

Any insight would be helpful, thanks! I just want to get access to any wires feeding up the mast from the inside the boat.
 

pateco

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Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
Let me know what you find out. My anchor light is still flaky, and I need to check the connections at the base of the mast since I have already redone those at the masthead..
 
Mar 20, 2011
623
Hunter 31_83-87 New Orleans
I will send you pics tonight when i get home of what's inside the mast for a connection at the base plate. before taking down mast you may want to install a "window" similar to what Claude Auger did for his H34 in the link below (see pics)(https://forums.sailboatowners.com/i...t-rennovation-this-will-be-a-long-one.192017/) As for what's inside the boat, suggest you contact Mike T at HMT2 for his info. He pulled wires thru his mast and knows what's inside the compression post area.
 

DJAY

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Apr 16, 2018
38
Hunter 31 Saylorville Lake
You can pull off the trim from the forward side of the compression post. The actual compression post is inside the 'facing' and you don't need to loosen the rig to do so. The compression post, if original, has a channel cut into it on the forward face that you will be exposing. In mine, (1985) the wires come down from the mast through a conduit, down the channel and exit the post to the starboard side of the boat under the aft facing settee. From there they go below the sole. You may find your compression post in sad shape but repairing that isn't as big a deal as it sounds. LOTS of great guidance in this forum.
 
Sep 11, 2015
147
Hunter 31 Marina del Rey
H31 mast from inside.jpg On my H31, there are two plastic conduits, less than an inch in diameter, that run in the mast. The PO drilled an inch wide hole in the mast close to the base, from the front to be able to access the wires coming out of the conduits and feeding them in the plastic tube that goes to the cabin. I found a picture on the web that shows the look from the inside of the cabin once you take the compression post off.

On the H31, you do not need to take the compression post off, jut remove the head bulkhead, feed the wires in the plastic tube, then you can catch them from the halyard pulley openings, then pull them up the mast. Depending on the number of wires and halyards, it can get busy though. If you want to use the conduits (I think you must have them, they are just hard to see), you need to step the mast. There is no practical way for a wire to make the curve without stepping the mast.

 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Hey guys.
Even though you are both discussing the Hunter design, the concepts and problems of running wires through the deck are universal. With a mast step deck you need to stop water from running down the wire and through the holes in the mast step that leads to the inside of the boat. One technique is to use a raised tube and a drip loop.
Water runs down the wire drops off the wire near the mast base. The wire then goes up and then down a tube to get into the boat. The tube is sealed in the mast step. Water drops on to the mast step and runs out from under the mast through weep holes onto the deck and away.
Here is how I designed the step, tubes, and added a short length of tubing to encourage the wire to form the drip loop.
744AAF9D-4E90-4833-8E63-B661B23CA0CD.jpeg
9AC135F7-101D-4892-AA00-322F0E62EC28.jpeg

You will want to use the pvc conduit in the mast to carry the wires. That way the wires are not slapping back and forth inside the mast. Additionally the wires are kept separate from the halyards moving inside the mast.
 

Manly

.
Jan 3, 2018
47
Hunter 31 St. Petersburg
Wow guys, thanks much for the quick responses. I'll probably try to pull the facing off the compression post this weekend and see what I can see. I wasn't thinking there were conduits in my mast, but from the pictures I guess there must be.

Has anyone put a little access panel at the bottom of the mast? Pizzazz, you mentioned a PO had put a 1" hole in the base of the mast. Do you feel that gave enough access to get at the wires?
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
@Manly There are individuals who have "CUT THEIR MAST":yikes:
to input an access hole. This can be a problem as it could weaken the mast base if not done properly and with understanding of the mast base.
Alternatively, riggers put extra length in the electrical lines (stuffed in the mast base) so that when the mast is lifted you can fish the wires out from beneath the suspended mast end and do any disconnecting necessary. That is similar to the way I have my electrical set up. Do the disconnect and then lift the mast up and away.
 
Mar 20, 2011
623
Hunter 31_83-87 New Orleans
M. Check my earlier post above for the link referencing an inspection port Claude put on his H34 mast. Looks to be a good solution for access
 

Manly

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Jan 3, 2018
47
Hunter 31 St. Petersburg
Despite the possibility of weakening the mast a bit, I think I’ll go ahead and put an access panel in the bottom of the mast. I work at a machine shop so can make a panel that could also fit inside the cutout for additional reinforcement. Right now money is tight and the nearby rigger wants $400 to lift the rig off, which I’m not keen on doing until it’s required.

As for inside the boat, I removed the forward trim piece from the compression post. Attached are a few pictures of what I found. The red and green wire with the two black wires are for the mast light and steaming light. The white wire is the coax. The black wire runs down to my keel bolt so I guess that is lightning ground. Does anyone know where that wire attaches up in the mast? I see a screw about 2 feet up from the bottom of the mast and guess it goes there?

As you can see in the pictures, the previous owner drilled a hole right through the deck and ran the red and green and black wires through that and then drilled some 1/2” holes in the fwd side of the mast and ran them back in. Why do PO’s have a propensity to fix things in this sort of way?? Anyways, I would like to have all the wires run through the plastic tube in the base of the mast. However, I’m a little surprised the tube is not any bigger than it is. It doesn’t look like there’s hardly enough room to put much more in there!
 

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Manly

.
Jan 3, 2018
47
Hunter 31 St. Petersburg
I put a slot in the base of the mast and was able to access the cables. There was crud in the base of the mast such as fishing lures, birds nest, candy wrappers, tree seeds. Believe it or not, there was an entire bird skeleton in there too! It all came out through the 1.5" wide, 3" high slot I put in the bottom.

Last night I went up the mast again and ran a spare halyard. Now I have 4 halyards installed, which makes me happy. Then it got dark and I was using a headlamp so decided to run new wires another evening.

@jssailem, what did you do for your VHF cable at the mast base? Does it disconnect? In your pictures I wasn't able to tell.

@Pizzazz, It seems like I only have 1 conduit running through the cabintop on my H31, not two as you described. Maybe they did two on some years, and one on others? Or perhaps there are two conduits and I'm just missing one. There ARE two conduits in the mast. I'm guessing one goes to the top, and other goes up to the steaming light.

QUESTION FOR ALL: Does anyone know how high the conduit in the mast runs up the mast? Does it go all the way to the top? When I was up there last night I couldn't see in the top great but didn't see (or feel) the conduit. Next time I go up the mast I'm going to try hooking up some stirrups so I can get higher and work inside the top easier.
 

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pateco

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Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
I put a slot in the base of the mast and was able to access the cables. There was crud in the base of the mast such as fishing lures, birds nest, candy wrappers, tree seeds. Oddly enough, there was a fairly good sized bird skeleton in there too. It all came out through the 1.5" wide, 3" high slot.
I was thinking about his, but was worried about weakening the mast.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
@Manly very observant. I decided I wanted to minimize the signal loss as the VHF & AIS share the one antenna.( It worked. Very low signal loss.) I ran the line solid like the radar into the boat.

When it comes time (hopefully not in my lifetime) to remove the mast the line would need to be clipped and a male/female connector added when reattaching the mast. Alternatively one could attach messenger lines to the lines in the mast and use them to pull the cables back up. I made a log note. And will give the next owner the log.
 

Manly

.
Jan 3, 2018
47
Hunter 31 St. Petersburg
Update: this morning I went up the mast for the 4th time in this project. So far what I've got accomplished (with the mast up, and with support from below from my wife and a few patient friends) is:
1) Ran another halyard, so now I have 4 halyards installed
2) Installed a new mast light (held with a L-bracket that I pop-riveted to the mast)
3) Installed a new antenna
4) Ran new 16 awg, tinned wire for the mast light inside the conduit in the mast (what a pain!)
5) Also ran a new VHF cable through the same conduit. At the top I looped it so it's not suspended on the connector. Also put heat shrink around where it enters the 1/2" hole in the side of the mast.

SOoo, progress is being made, slowly but surely. It doesn't sound like much, but I've already sat perched atop the mast about 4 hours!

One thing I found very helpful for getting up a bit higher to work on the very top was a step I made from a 2"x4" board and suspended from the top by first wrapping a line around the mast a few times. I can step on this board and haul myself up to where my head is about 2' over the top of the mast so I can reach down inside. Works great.

FYI, the starboard conduit in the mast runs to within about 1' of the top of the mast. I ended up starting with a messenger string through the conduit, which I then chased through with a messenger 1/4" nylon braided line. Then I ran the new mast light wire and VHF cable through at the same time. To smoothly transition from the 1/4" line to the cables, I used the plastic tip from a tube of caulk.

Also FYI, the lightning wire that goes to my keel bolts is screwed into the base of the mast on the inside. It appears undersized for carrying a lightning bolt.

Next project is replacing the steaming light, which should be much easier since it's lower.

I attached a picture of my current steaming light. It's up high at the 2nd spreader. It is missing the bulb AND the bulb holder AND the wire. I'm planning to replace it with a steaming light/deck light combo. However, how on earth am I supposed to feed a new line through that little hole down into the steaming light conduit??? This should be interesting... Somehow I've got to get a messenger line through.

Can anyone confirm the second conduit runs up to the top spreaders?
 

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pateco

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Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
Is anyone familiar with the stock steaming light on the H31? I attached a picture of it. It's up high at the 2nd spreader. Mine is missing the bulb and bulb holder and there is no wire at the bottom so that must be broke too. I'm planning to replace it with a steaming light/deck light combo and run a new wire as well, but am curious if anyone thinks the stock steaming light is worth keeping for any reason?
I still have my stock fixture. I replaced the bulb with a Festoon style LED, and it has been working great.
Steaming light.jpg
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Way to go @Manly. I think that climbing the mast may be how sailors got the moniker "Sailing the High Seas". 4 Hours on the mast should qualify you.
We had not discussed the hole in the mast for your cable. I am sorry it slipped my mind. I used Self-Amalgamating tape to wrap the cable and seal the hole reducing water intrusion (http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/self_amalg.htm). Should you have to venture aloft again you might consider the product. It will give you a few additional layers of protection for your VHF cable and the hole (sharp edge) in the aluminum mast.
 

Manly

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Jan 3, 2018
47
Hunter 31 St. Petersburg
@pateco , your steaming light looks in great condition. Interestingly, it is lower than mine, which is right at the level of my second spreaders.

To run a new steaming light wire, I'm thinking about trying to push a fish tape up from the bottom through the port conduit, then try to find it with a magnet poking through the hole at my steaming light fixture. We'll see if that works.

@jssailem , thanks for the link to the Self-Amalgamating tape, that looks like just the stuff for protection. I'm comfortable enough now going up and down it's pretty easy, so maybe I'll add that at a later date.

I've got the going up and down system to where I can do it by myself. I use a 4:1 pulley system on the main halyard that I pull myself up on, and for backup safety slide a short line up and down my other aft halyard with a prussik knot. Then I just need someone at the bottom to help hand up tools.
 
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Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
To run a new steaming light wire
Can you attache the new wire or a messenger line to the wires at the light. Then have someone on the deck pull the old wire out while you feed in the new wire? That way no fish tape, No magnet, and you get gravity to work for you.

Just a thought.
 

Manly

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Jan 3, 2018
47
Hunter 31 St. Petersburg
@jssailem Unfortunately, there is no old wire at the steaming light. You can see my current steaming light fixture in the attached picture. The small hole in the mast where the wire is supposed to go is visible. Inside the mast there should be a conduit just below this hole to one side. That conduit is visible from the bottom, and is empty.

The other conduit in the mast runs all the way to the top and has our new VHF cable and anchor light cable.

Both conduits are visible in the photos @jmce1587 posted above.

For reference, my current steaming light fixture in the attached picture is at my highest spreaders, facing forward on the mast.
 

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