We've had a problem with our anchor light on the mast-head. It would work fine and then after an hour or so, it would short out (pop the breaker). If we reset the breaker at that point, it would pop again. If we waited for an hour or so, we could run it again for an hour before it would pop. Sounds like a short that only happens when the wire heats up, right? We removed the anchor light. It wasn't in great shape, and I was hoping that the problem would be there. However, there is still a 400 ohm continuity between the positive lamp wires and the mast. So I think the short is still there. Here's the problem. Normally, I'd want to replace the wires, but I can't get to them. There is a green wire coming off the breaker panel, but it's white at the mast light (actually it's two white positive wires with a black negative). There is no access to the mast wires that I can find. We've checked under the port-side cabin light that should be under where the wires pass between the mast and the breaker panel, but we can't find green or white wires there. Suggestions on how to replace these wires or otherwise get at the short? Thanks, Den Drown Hunter 34 Sailboat "Kojos'a" kojosxa@pobox.com
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David
Try this.....
There is a conector at the base of the mast that can only be accessed by removing the shives for the halyards. It's a tight fit but it can be done. Most likely the plug is the problem. David
There is a conector at the base of the mast that can only be accessed by removing the shives for the halyards. It's a tight fit but it can be done. Most likely the plug is the problem. David
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Colin
Had the same problem on my 335
The problem was found to be that the insulation on the wiring inside the mast had worn through and was intermitently shorting against the inside of the mast. I removed my mast and replaed the wire. On my boat there is a plug inside the bottom of the mast that plugs into a socket attached to the boat.
The problem was found to be that the insulation on the wiring inside the mast had worn through and was intermitently shorting against the inside of the mast. I removed my mast and replaed the wire. On my boat there is a plug inside the bottom of the mast that plugs into a socket attached to the boat.
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Fred Ficarra
Den, I think Colin is on the track you'll follow
A short is tough. You almost never can find the source unless you pull the wire and on the mast, you'll have to take it down. Check out the inspection cover we installed on our 34s' mast. You could try installing that. Get one from RigRite, but the joint at the base of the mast tends to corrode, not short, so it looks like you will have to do the deed.
A short is tough. You almost never can find the source unless you pull the wire and on the mast, you'll have to take it down. Check out the inspection cover we installed on our 34s' mast. You could try installing that. Get one from RigRite, but the joint at the base of the mast tends to corrode, not short, so it looks like you will have to do the deed.
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Richard Wallace
Mast Wiring
The interior mast wiring goes along the port side just above the shelf in a triangular shaped wiring run. It then goes to the mast through the ceiling rib that also hold the bulkhead aft of the sink. If you have a reading light mounted in that rib, you can remove it and you should be able to see the wires passing through. I agree with the others that the problem is most likely in the mast. Taking out the pulley sheaves may give you access to the connections. That will depend on how they are made. (I like the look of the access on Fred's mast.) One little trick if you do want to run a new wire to the mast head is to drop a bicycle chain on a thin line to get a messanger. The downside of this is that the rake of the mast will cause the chain to go down the back half of the mast rather than in the forward part of the mast. The internal halyards come down the back so the best thing if you do drop a wire would be to move it to the front of the mast when ever you take it down the next time.
The interior mast wiring goes along the port side just above the shelf in a triangular shaped wiring run. It then goes to the mast through the ceiling rib that also hold the bulkhead aft of the sink. If you have a reading light mounted in that rib, you can remove it and you should be able to see the wires passing through. I agree with the others that the problem is most likely in the mast. Taking out the pulley sheaves may give you access to the connections. That will depend on how they are made. (I like the look of the access on Fred's mast.) One little trick if you do want to run a new wire to the mast head is to drop a bicycle chain on a thin line to get a messanger. The downside of this is that the rake of the mast will cause the chain to go down the back half of the mast rather than in the forward part of the mast. The internal halyards come down the back so the best thing if you do drop a wire would be to move it to the front of the mast when ever you take it down the next time.
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Fred Ficarra
Richard, this Kenyon mast runs the wires just in
front of the mainsail track in their own extruded grove. The groove is accessed by first unstepping the mast, then unscrewing the retaining flathead machine bolts holding the plate in the front of the mainsail lug groove. Then the metal insert/plate is slid out of the end of the mast. Usually the bottom or the craine will have to be removed. Once access is gained to the wire chase (and that's ALL it is)then service is easy and straightforward. Note also the aluminum tube for the wires to the steaming light. It serves to protect those wires from halyards as does the wire chase. Vital for an internally reeved (halyards) mast.
front of the mainsail track in their own extruded grove. The groove is accessed by first unstepping the mast, then unscrewing the retaining flathead machine bolts holding the plate in the front of the mainsail lug groove. Then the metal insert/plate is slid out of the end of the mast. Usually the bottom or the craine will have to be removed. Once access is gained to the wire chase (and that's ALL it is)then service is easy and straightforward. Note also the aluminum tube for the wires to the steaming light. It serves to protect those wires from halyards as does the wire chase. Vital for an internally reeved (halyards) mast.
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Captain Ron
Gee! I Hope knot
I had the same problem with my 1985 Coincidentally my rigging guy said the deck around the mast seemed concave. Now for the bad news. Check compression post forums. Our compresion post setup crushed the wires and created the short. Any compression post forum will explain, however, get out the checkbook. Please remember B-O-A-T = bring on another thousand $$$$$$$$$$$$$ good luck!
I had the same problem with my 1985 Coincidentally my rigging guy said the deck around the mast seemed concave. Now for the bad news. Check compression post forums. Our compresion post setup crushed the wires and created the short. Any compression post forum will explain, however, get out the checkbook. Please remember B-O-A-T = bring on another thousand $$$$$$$$$$$$$ good luck!
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Fred Ficarra
Ron, don't freak out over what Richard said
I read those posts about compression post repairs. My boat needed repair too. What is wrong with the 34 is Hunter got sloppy! Wood inside the beam below the mast is suppose to fill the space COMPLETELY. On some victim boats (mine included) they used wood that was too thin. My buddies 34 (same year)is fine! If yours isn't suffering from the dreaded sag, your good to go. By sag, I mean either the deck or at the compression post.(inside, overhead) After studying the posts about sag repair, I decided on a different approach. I cut the main beam with a cutoff tool (dremel) just outside of the compression post foot print. (AT THE TOP, NOT THE BOTTOM) This gave me access to the culprit wood. It is fur. I chiseled it out completely. (STRAIGHT UP AND IN THE SAME SHAPE AS THE COMPRESSION POST) You will have to remove the post of course. That isn't hard. Next determine the height of the hole. Fill it with a suitable piece of wood so that it comes to the edge of the cutout in the main beam. Make it just a little shorter so the compression post is captured by your cutout. You can drill holes for the wire in the new wood plug as needed. Getting the wires out of the way is the hard part, not the chiseling if your tool is sharp. Some of the repair methods posted here have cost several thousands dollars. I found a scrap piece of teak in my wood bin. The entire cost was zero! Seatrials show the repair as perfect. I have a photo or two on my hard drive if you need one. Should probably post them here. Hey, the boat floats, haven't got anything else to do,,,
I read those posts about compression post repairs. My boat needed repair too. What is wrong with the 34 is Hunter got sloppy! Wood inside the beam below the mast is suppose to fill the space COMPLETELY. On some victim boats (mine included) they used wood that was too thin. My buddies 34 (same year)is fine! If yours isn't suffering from the dreaded sag, your good to go. By sag, I mean either the deck or at the compression post.(inside, overhead) After studying the posts about sag repair, I decided on a different approach. I cut the main beam with a cutoff tool (dremel) just outside of the compression post foot print. (AT THE TOP, NOT THE BOTTOM) This gave me access to the culprit wood. It is fur. I chiseled it out completely. (STRAIGHT UP AND IN THE SAME SHAPE AS THE COMPRESSION POST) You will have to remove the post of course. That isn't hard. Next determine the height of the hole. Fill it with a suitable piece of wood so that it comes to the edge of the cutout in the main beam. Make it just a little shorter so the compression post is captured by your cutout. You can drill holes for the wire in the new wood plug as needed. Getting the wires out of the way is the hard part, not the chiseling if your tool is sharp. Some of the repair methods posted here have cost several thousands dollars. I found a scrap piece of teak in my wood bin. The entire cost was zero! Seatrials show the repair as perfect. I have a photo or two on my hard drive if you need one. Should probably post them here. Hey, the boat floats, haven't got anything else to do,,,
J
John K Kudera
Sagging wiring
What I found was the mast wiring was fine,but broken off the lamp base. The wires for the anchor light and steaming light are run in a conduit as other posts explain, however in the 19 years they have been there, they simply slowly wiggled their way down. I had the mast pulled, the top of the mast removed, we found the wires were long on the bottom, we checked them and pulled them back into place, fitted new lights, then re assembled. We soldered the connections, and used waterproof grease on the plug at the base when we re assembled.
What I found was the mast wiring was fine,but broken off the lamp base. The wires for the anchor light and steaming light are run in a conduit as other posts explain, however in the 19 years they have been there, they simply slowly wiggled their way down. I had the mast pulled, the top of the mast removed, we found the wires were long on the bottom, we checked them and pulled them back into place, fitted new lights, then re assembled. We soldered the connections, and used waterproof grease on the plug at the base when we re assembled.
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Den Drown
Thank you, and more questions...
Thanks to all of you who responded to my question. You have given me a much better understanding of what's going on here, as well as several options to pursue to fix my problem. I was trying to avoid unstepping the mast, and was strongly considering putting in an access port similar to the one Fred put in his 34. You can see it at: http://members.tscnet.com/pages/ss427/EpitomesRebuild.html What I had thought about doing was getting at one end of the wires from that port, checking the junction there, and possibly using the existing wires as a messenger to feed new wires. If we feed new wires, I want to put a junction box at the top of the mast with a couple of feet of extra wire for the next time. Here is my first question. To facilitate this installation, can I pull the top plate off the mast by drilling out the two rivits (see atached photo) without disturbing the feeds for the halyards (which will be holding my butt up there). It looks like there is a halyard-sheave assembly which bolts in the top of the mast, and then that plate just sits on top. Am I correct that I can remove that w/o problems? Question number two should be: does anyone have any idea what that little, lonely rusty screw was for? I just found it sitting there, half-way in, not doing anything when I went up. Unimportant (I hope). The last couple of questions now seem to represent the big problem because it looks like I do have that dreaded mast compression-depression problem. On deck, it is slightly concave around the mast...enough to collect just a bit of water and to have made three small cracks in the gelcoat. Underneath the mast, the cross-beam sinks about 1/4 inch around the mast support (like a small inverted-bowl effect). Is this amount of concavity enough to put me in the danger zone? Do I need to fix this right away? I need to find that chain of decompression post messages in this forum to get more information. Fred, I am assuming that you had the mast down when you did your procedure. If so, I'd like to take you up on the offer to get the pictures you took and will probably want to ask a few more details about the situation. I am planning on hauling the boat in December to install an arch, sonar, and do a bottom-paint job as well as a few other odds and ends. Do you guys recommend that I unstep the mast at this time to take care of all? Thank you again for your help. Den Drown Hunter 34 "Kojos'a" kojosxa@pobox.com
Thanks to all of you who responded to my question. You have given me a much better understanding of what's going on here, as well as several options to pursue to fix my problem. I was trying to avoid unstepping the mast, and was strongly considering putting in an access port similar to the one Fred put in his 34. You can see it at: http://members.tscnet.com/pages/ss427/EpitomesRebuild.html What I had thought about doing was getting at one end of the wires from that port, checking the junction there, and possibly using the existing wires as a messenger to feed new wires. If we feed new wires, I want to put a junction box at the top of the mast with a couple of feet of extra wire for the next time. Here is my first question. To facilitate this installation, can I pull the top plate off the mast by drilling out the two rivits (see atached photo) without disturbing the feeds for the halyards (which will be holding my butt up there). It looks like there is a halyard-sheave assembly which bolts in the top of the mast, and then that plate just sits on top. Am I correct that I can remove that w/o problems? Question number two should be: does anyone have any idea what that little, lonely rusty screw was for? I just found it sitting there, half-way in, not doing anything when I went up. Unimportant (I hope). The last couple of questions now seem to represent the big problem because it looks like I do have that dreaded mast compression-depression problem. On deck, it is slightly concave around the mast...enough to collect just a bit of water and to have made three small cracks in the gelcoat. Underneath the mast, the cross-beam sinks about 1/4 inch around the mast support (like a small inverted-bowl effect). Is this amount of concavity enough to put me in the danger zone? Do I need to fix this right away? I need to find that chain of decompression post messages in this forum to get more information. Fred, I am assuming that you had the mast down when you did your procedure. If so, I'd like to take you up on the offer to get the pictures you took and will probably want to ask a few more details about the situation. I am planning on hauling the boat in December to install an arch, sonar, and do a bottom-paint job as well as a few other odds and ends. Do you guys recommend that I unstep the mast at this time to take care of all? Thank you again for your help. Den Drown Hunter 34 "Kojos'a" kojosxa@pobox.com
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Fred Ficarra
Den, good picture, and yup, take it down
You've said enough for me to form a very strong opinion. Take your mast down and do the job right. Unstepping shouldn't cost as much as just the in/out. Keep us posted. (I'm looking for those snaps now) Fred
You've said enough for me to form a very strong opinion. Take your mast down and do the job right. Unstepping shouldn't cost as much as just the in/out. Keep us posted. (I'm looking for those snaps now) Fred
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