We bought our new 26m last year, without a mast light. Mounting the light was not very difficult, but putting the electrical wire inside the mast seems to be impossible, because of the foam-fill. I tried to get through with a fibre cable, but it got stuck after about a meter. Can anybody help me on this topic. Thanks in advance Hanno
Mast-light installation
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Richard O'Brien
drill it
A couple of other M owners have done this successfully. Evidently the foam is only a couple of feet deep. Try filing teeth in a 1/2" copper pipe or similar, reduce it with a fitting for your drill, and drill it? I haven't tried it myself yet, but I too need an anchor light. Don't forget to add some plastic ties every two feet to prevent "wire-slap". Also re-foam as it is very necessary for the top of the mast to keep it from sinking with the sails in case of a knock-down. Hope this is good advice, as it is largely second hand.
A couple of other M owners have done this successfully. Evidently the foam is only a couple of feet deep. Try filing teeth in a 1/2" copper pipe or similar, reduce it with a fitting for your drill, and drill it? I haven't tried it myself yet, but I too need an anchor light. Don't forget to add some plastic ties every two feet to prevent "wire-slap". Also re-foam as it is very necessary for the top of the mast to keep it from sinking with the sails in case of a knock-down. Hope this is good advice, as it is largely second hand.
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Jeff K
Hot rebar
I struggled with how to do this and then settled for heat. I put an antenna and a light on top of the mast. To do this I sharpened the tip of a long piece of rebar(cheap concrete reinforcing bar). I then heated it with a propane torch and slid it through the isulation easily to make a track for the cable. I acutally had to duct tape 2 pieces end to end because the mast is so long. When it came out the other end I taped wire to it and pulled it back out. Be careful the rebar holds the heat a lot longer than I thought. Fortunately I don't have a revar tatto on my hand.
I struggled with how to do this and then settled for heat. I put an antenna and a light on top of the mast. To do this I sharpened the tip of a long piece of rebar(cheap concrete reinforcing bar). I then heated it with a propane torch and slid it through the isulation easily to make a track for the cable. I acutally had to duct tape 2 pieces end to end because the mast is so long. When it came out the other end I taped wire to it and pulled it back out. Be careful the rebar holds the heat a lot longer than I thought. Fortunately I don't have a revar tatto on my hand.
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R.A. Lueck
A couple things you can do
Another way to install a wire harness inside the mast is to use an electricians "fish tape". However I did a few things to insure that I would not be perfoming this task again fir quite a few years. A product called "expandable sleeving" together with shrink tubing will facilitate pulling your wire harness through the mast. It addition it provides excellent abrasion protection for the wires as well as assisting in preventing "wire slap" inside the mast. I put all the mast wires inside the expandable sleeving and sealed the leading end (the end I pulled through first) with heat shrink tubing. I attached the fish tape to the expandable sleeving instead of my electrical wires. After installing the wire harness in the mast I trimmed the expandable sleeving and closed both ends of the expandable sleeving tight around the wires with heat shrink tubing. Expandable sleeving is available in several sizes, I also used it to encase wires where they protrude through the mast. I also use rubber grommets to protect wiring harness from abrasion where it passes through the mast or other openings. I seal all ends of the expandable sleeving tightly around the wires with heat shrink tubing. Expandable sleeving and heat shrink tubing is available from www.waytekwire.com.
Another way to install a wire harness inside the mast is to use an electricians "fish tape". However I did a few things to insure that I would not be perfoming this task again fir quite a few years. A product called "expandable sleeving" together with shrink tubing will facilitate pulling your wire harness through the mast. It addition it provides excellent abrasion protection for the wires as well as assisting in preventing "wire slap" inside the mast. I put all the mast wires inside the expandable sleeving and sealed the leading end (the end I pulled through first) with heat shrink tubing. I attached the fish tape to the expandable sleeving instead of my electrical wires. After installing the wire harness in the mast I trimmed the expandable sleeving and closed both ends of the expandable sleeving tight around the wires with heat shrink tubing. Expandable sleeving is available in several sizes, I also used it to encase wires where they protrude through the mast. I also use rubber grommets to protect wiring harness from abrasion where it passes through the mast or other openings. I seal all ends of the expandable sleeving tightly around the wires with heat shrink tubing. Expandable sleeving and heat shrink tubing is available from www.waytekwire.com.
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Jeff K
Is the 26S mast foam filled like the 26M?
The hot rebar easily melted through the foam insulation/flotation material. The foam is our problem. Fishtape won't push throught the foam. Trying to use a drill to go through a 30' mast also was to hard on any drill I own. Jeff K.
The hot rebar easily melted through the foam insulation/flotation material. The foam is our problem. Fishtape won't push throught the foam. Trying to use a drill to go through a 30' mast also was to hard on any drill I own. Jeff K.
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mrbill
long drills
you may want to looking to the long bendable drills used in alarm installations. when my installer was at my home, he had several drills at least 3 feet long. I'm sure there not cheap, but it should work. One of the annoying things on my boat (1988 26d) is the wire slap inside the mast at anchor. I hear using some tie wraps with the ends left long help quiet that down....
you may want to looking to the long bendable drills used in alarm installations. when my installer was at my home, he had several drills at least 3 feet long. I'm sure there not cheap, but it should work. One of the annoying things on my boat (1988 26d) is the wire slap inside the mast at anchor. I hear using some tie wraps with the ends left long help quiet that down....
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Steve Paul
Conduit drills
If you're wanting to drill thru foam in the mast I suggest the same technique mentioned in a prior post. I've used copper, metal and plastic conduit to drill many things. Foam is easy. I suspect half inch metal or plastic conduit with teeth filed on the end will do just fine. You can turn it by hand or Rube Goldberg a fastener for your variable speed drill and go for it. In 10' sections it's pretty cheap and you can couple two or three together with couplings. Not expensive at all. And yes, conventional wisdom is to place lots of large wire ties on your cables and leave the ends long, twist them and they will apply bias to the wire keeping it from slapping so much. Steve
If you're wanting to drill thru foam in the mast I suggest the same technique mentioned in a prior post. I've used copper, metal and plastic conduit to drill many things. Foam is easy. I suspect half inch metal or plastic conduit with teeth filed on the end will do just fine. You can turn it by hand or Rube Goldberg a fastener for your variable speed drill and go for it. In 10' sections it's pretty cheap and you can couple two or three together with couplings. Not expensive at all. And yes, conventional wisdom is to place lots of large wire ties on your cables and leave the ends long, twist them and they will apply bias to the wire keeping it from slapping so much. Steve
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Jeff K
Choose your technique.
The rebar technique took me about 3 minutes to sharpen it on the grindstone and about 15 minutes heating the tip pushing it in, pulling it out and repeating the process about 2 more times. The rebar cost me about $5-10. I would be glad to answer questions but otherwise won't clutter the thread with more typing.
The rebar technique took me about 3 minutes to sharpen it on the grindstone and about 15 minutes heating the tip pushing it in, pulling it out and repeating the process about 2 more times. The rebar cost me about $5-10. I would be glad to answer questions but otherwise won't clutter the thread with more typing.
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Paul S
There is several areas of foam
There are at least 3 area of foam shot into the mast. This was created to have 2 air chambers to aid in floatation. I had the dealer run a channel in the mast. I worked it into the sales contract. The dealers rigger used a piece of PVC with a sharpened end..rammed it in...twisted..removed the foam..repeat...repeat...eventually it went through. While the mast was off the boat...I had a running/foredeck light installed to replace the running light on the mast. Also ran the antenna wire (RG-8U) and an anchor light was installed as well. I also had another pull wire left in the channel for future wire runs. It is not an impossible task. Check out my site 26m.seeberg.com for images of the mast wiring job. Paul
There are at least 3 area of foam shot into the mast. This was created to have 2 air chambers to aid in floatation. I had the dealer run a channel in the mast. I worked it into the sales contract. The dealers rigger used a piece of PVC with a sharpened end..rammed it in...twisted..removed the foam..repeat...repeat...eventually it went through. While the mast was off the boat...I had a running/foredeck light installed to replace the running light on the mast. Also ran the antenna wire (RG-8U) and an anchor light was installed as well. I also had another pull wire left in the channel for future wire runs. It is not an impossible task. Check out my site 26m.seeberg.com for images of the mast wiring job. Paul
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