break in line to mast lights

[newboatowner]

The mast lights on my Catalian 30 are not working. The line from the harness up the mast is ok. The line from the panel to the lower harness must be broken somewhere. I do not want to take the mast down to make this repair. I am thinking of drilling a hole near the base of the mast, fishing a snake line in and grabbing the lower part of the wire so that I can cut it and splice a new lead. Is this a reasonable fix or is there some other way to correct this? Can I get to the line from directly below the mast in the cabin and uncover a part of the wire leading to the harnass?

 

[Maine Sail]

Avoid

You would be best served to not drill an extra hole into your mast hoping to fish out the wires. You'll likely be stuck with an unnecessary hole in your spar and lights that are still not working. Unless you already know exactly where the wires are, what they may be taped or zip tied to, how much slack you have in the wires and how big the connector is, I would opt to just leave it be until you can drop it and do it right..

 

[newboatowner]

You have given me sage advice. I should wait until the mast is down. Thank you for your input.

 

[caguy]

If you want to check the continuity of the wires and you can get to them and there is no exposed connection. I would put a pin through the insulation and check that way. If there is no continuity the problem is likely in the light fixture with corroded contacts or the bulb. If you can't find the wire but have one end of it you can hookup a signal generator and detect with the sensor. That will even help you locate the break, although I've never used mine through aluminum.
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