mast and wiring

[Briann Smith]

I have just purchased a 1985 Hunter 31 and need information regarding the wiring in the mast and how it enters the boat. It appears that the wires are connected at the time the mast is stepped and that the wires are pushed inside the mast just prior to putting the mast in place. The existing wiring is for the mast light, steaming light and VHF cable. I have added radar and a wind machine. It seems to me that it would be best if the wires from the mast entered the boat and were connected there for testing and servicing if necessary. Does anyone have any experience or hints?

 

[Bob Howie]

It Kinda Depends

I'm not all that familiar with the 85h31, but on the 78h30, the internal wires run down to the base of the mast, exit the base and then run through watertight fittings into the interior. I doubt anyone wants to drill holes through the portion of fiberglas upon which the mast steps due to structural integrity issues. In addition to the two lines that run through the watertight fittings, I have two plugs that power the masthead and anchor lights and I just removed and replaced those.I would think you are looking at some thru-deck fittings at the base of your mast at the very least. It's not all that difficult to do and I would recommend you run as far as you can with the least amount of connectors between your devices and their read-outs; the fewer connections the fewer the problems on down the road.Good luck.

 

[Steve Dion]

Not sure.

Briann:I am not sure and you never know what someone has done to a boat that is this old. I THINK that there is a connector for all of the wiring for the lights. This allows you to remove the mast without removing the rest of the wires (just unplug). The instruments, radio and radar would probably be run down the compression post and connections would be made under the settee. I know that our instruments exit there. The radio may also have a connector just above the deck too. I know that this is not much help because I am not really sure. Our mast has an inspection port on the starboard side.If you are going to pull the mast, be sure to reseal the deck. This is the cause of the compression post failure and you can save yourself some money by doing some preventative work here.