Mast wiring question

[Roy Udwin]

I have a 1984 Hunter 27. My mast lights (steaming and anchor) are not working. Obviously the bulbs or sockets could be bad. I would like to check everything else before going aloft.Posts in other forums have indicated that one thing to check for is the connectors at the bottom of the mast. For the life of me, I cannot figure out where these would be. I see no place where wiring could be coming from the mast and leading back to the breaker panel. What am I missing?ThanksRoy

 

[Steve]

I am only familier with H28

On my boat, there is a small wooden cover that goes around the compression post and screws into the cabin ceiling. When I take it off, the wires are hidden in the space between the cabin roof and the cabin ceiling (there is a 1 inch space). The wires come down the mast and into a conduit that goes through the cabin roof and into the top of the compression post. There is a hole in the top of the compression post where the wires come out into the space above the ceiling. I'm sorry I don't have a picture. the wires from the mast and the wires going to the breaker panel are put together using a terminal block. If you don't see the wires there, then it could be that yours go down the inside of the compression post and under the floor. Hope this helps.

 

[pimerese]

My mast wiring advise

I believe Steve is correct. His description is how my H31 is put together as well. The wires go along side the compression post and into a floor stringer and then to the power panel. You wont see the wires until you take the cover off the post. You will have to step the mast to get to the connections. They are inside the base of the mast.I had the same problem with my anchor and steaming lights at the start of the season. I was very surprised at what caused the problem. Before you step the mast, do this:1. Check for power at the sockets on the mast (at least the lower mounted steaming light). You could have burned bulbs or you could have corroded contacts or both.2. Check for power coming out of the breaker at the electrical panel. Only in the event you have power leaving the breaker but not entering the mast should you consider troubleshooting the wiring or the connection at the mast step.In my case, I found the anchor light was not working because the crimp connector that connects the power cable to the breaker had broken apart. This was probably caused by me working on other projects in the panel and stressing the connector. It did not require stepping the mast to fix it.The mast did have to be stepped to fix my steaming light because it had a bad ground at the mast step connection. The step connection used a keyed male/female 4 pin plug with screw terminals to attach to the power cables (you can get them at West Marine). The ground from the power line going up the mast had slipped out of its screw terminal. I suspect this happened during a previous mast stepping.  Whenever possible I now solder any permanent wire connections. It would have prevented both of the above failures.If you do step the mast to make the repair be sure to evaluate and replace any other items the mast might need while it is off. New sheaves, new halyards, new windex, etc.Good luck.