Installing a Halyard = C&C 32

[Catch the Sun]

Last spring after I had raised the mast, one of the halyards was still lying on the deck. It had somehow come out of the mast unnoticed. It turned out not to be critical and I managed my first year with the boat without it.
I have been planning to reinstall it this spring and I was planning to use an electrician’s fish wire to thread it through the mast. My question is, how do I ensure that it follows the correct path through the mast and does not wrap around wires or other halyards?
Mark

 

[Kevin3447]

Last spring after I had raised the mast, one of the halyards was still lying on the deck. It had somehow come out of the mast unnoticed. It turned out not to be critical and I managed my first year with the boat without it.
I have been planning to reinstall it this spring and I was planning to use an electrician’s fish wire to thread it through the mast. My question is, how do I ensure that it follows the correct path through the mast and does not wrap around wires or other halyards?
Mark

Put some tension on the other halyards to keep them taut and pulled to one side, then fish your halyard down the other. You can put a tape measure in the exit to make a loop inside the mast that will help you grab the fish tape as it goes by and pull it to the exit slot. I don't know if I'm explaining that clearly. Pull out a few feet of tape measure, fold it over in the middle, and push that into the exit slot, and keep pushing in tape until it expands to touch the inner wall of the mast all the way around. Then fish your halyard. When the fish tape gets past the exit slot, use the tape measure to snare the fish tape and guide it toward the exit slot.
We've also had success with some nuts on the end of a string. Start feeding them at the top of the mast, then lift the mast up to enough of an angle for them to slide down. Use the gin pole or crane if you need to. When the nuts get down to the exit slot, use the tape measure, or a magnetic screwdriver or retriever.

Edit: I knew I saw it on here - http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/printthread.php?t=118573

 

[Catch the Sun]

Put some tension on the other halyards to keep them taut and pulled to one side, then fish your halyard down the other. ]

Brilliant and simple. Thank you.​

 

[Catch the Sun]

Follow up:
With the mast on horses, I pushed an electrician's fish wire down from the top of the mast and caught it at the exit. Using the fish wire I pulled a nylon cord through and I'll use that to pull the halyard down from the top before I step it. In the process I discovered that all the electronics are inside a nylon conduit so the cluttered interior wasn't as big of an issue as I had feared.