Mast Light Wiring

[lostintime]

Hello all.

I have an O'day 25 (I think it is a 1983). The wiring for the mast light is broken at the deck.

There is not enough wire exposed to make a repair. The wire goes into the deck directly above the bulkhead so I can’t see how to remove the wire without removing the bulkhead (NOT GOING TO HAPPEN). I can't even see if the wire runs to port or starboard once it is inside the cabin.

Has anyone had a similar issue and if so how did you resolve it.

Any input is welcome.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Fun, huh? Try going from the switch panel for your mast lights and follow the run if you can as it works its way forward. That might give you an idea as to how it gets from where it meets the bulkhead to the deck where the mast sits. I don't remember exactly what the bulkhead looks like on a C-25, but if there is a compression post made out of a teak box, the wire might run down through that and then all you have to do is remove some teak plugs, unscrew one side or some molding and wallah, that might expose what you are looking for. Otherwise, the wire might follow the top edge of the bulkhead over to the side. It might be underneath the fiberglass over on the ceiling. Sometimes wires will be fiberglassed in along their run when under construction. That makes it more difficult. If you find the wire where it heads up the bulkhead or around it and you can see that it is not tight, you might be able to attach a small line as a messenger and then pull it out, attach it to a new wire that is long enough and pull it back through to the deck where you will have enough end to work with again (and leave a little extra for the next time and hide it in the mast. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Scott On Eagles Wings]

I have the 23 not the 25. My wire is embedded in the deck lamination. I have had my bulkhead out and there is no trace of the wire. I had just enough to replace the connector but I doubt I would be able to do it again.

 

[lostintime]

Thanks for the feedback. Yep, the wire is indeed imbedded in the fiberglass. I'm a phone technician and have a tool called a tone generator. It puts a warble tone on the wire and you use a wand to detect the noise and follow the wire. I don't know why I didn't think to use it earlier. Its probably a positive thing in the end as the previous owner ran a coax for the marine radio and just drilled a hole through the deck with no water tight fitting. Yes that's right a hole with a wire and not even any caulk. The hole is within 2 inches of my broken wires so I'll just run new wire from the panel and install a proper through deck fitting.

 

[Scott On Eagles Wings]

I ran my coax cable the same way. It has not leaked in 12 seasons. I ran it along the top of the bulkhead and was able to hide the rest along the edge of the head liner carpet as it meats the deck.

 

[pateco]

Thanks for the feedback. Yep, the wire is indeed imbedded in the fiberglass. I'm a phone technician and have a tool called a tone generator. It puts a warble tone on the wire and you use a wand to detect the noise and follow the wire. I don't know why I didn't think to use it earlier. Its probably a positive thing in the end as the previous owner ran a coax for the marine radio and just drilled a hole through the deck with no water tight fitting. Yes that's right a hole with a wire and not even any caulk. The hole is within 2 inches of my broken wires so I'll just run new wire from the panel and install a proper through deck fitting.

My suggestion is to use your induction toner to follow the wire to somewhere that you can access it, and pull new from there.

 

[lostintime]

No way to replace existing wire as it is molded into the top of the cabin. Ran a new wire, drilled new hole and installed a water tight fitting.

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Panera]

When I rewired my O'Day 25 I could not establish a path to rewire the mast (Lights and Coax) between the inner and outer skins of the cabin. Instead, I ran the wires under the main cabin seat from the breaker panel behind the head and up to the top edge of the bulkhead in flexible conduit to a point where I drilled new holes from inside to outside near the mast. Used clam shell fittings for sealing the wires and added connectors outside near the mast step.

 

[Ward H]

You can also run wires in the gap between the overhead liner and cabin top over the fixed port lights.