mast wiring

[jeffclown]

I have gotten a lot of knowledge from reading (thanks!), but this is my first posted question. I am a newer H26 owner. PO had cut through the mast wiring (3 conductor to anchor and masthead lights) while stepping the mast. Instead of splicing, I removed it and will be replacing over the winter.
Please advise on wire selection: Do I want the Type3 stranded boat cable type? And why is only 3 conductor available instead of 5+ (in case I run an anemometer or deck light up the mast some time in the future)?
Thanks!
Jeff

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

First, access to current wiring within the ceiling is not easy and you have to know how and where to run additional wiring. If replacing the deck receptacle, it is difficult to find the three wire connection anymore as you will find a four. Remember the big plug is for negative and the others for positive.

 

[Bill Roosa]

It is always a good idea to install mast wiring with upgrades in mind. The wind instruments are supplied with their own wiring harness but will require a disconnect plug.

 

[jeffclown]

Thanks, Dave and Bill. Appreciate it. Since Dave mentioned it, I had originally planned just to replace the mast wiring and reuse the through-hull connection, but the half that's mounted topside on the boat is loose and had obviously been leaking at some time in the past - it was sealed by a PO with some silicone caulk but is not solid. I think I need to add a new (presumably 4-prong) connector to the project scope and figure out how to solidly mount it through the ceiling of the cabin. I sure hope I don't need to do anything more to the wiring in the ceiling - I hope it's long enough. Dave, good luck with your new(?) place you are fixing up I read about in another post. No rush reply needed- my boat is in dry storage and I don't have access for 2 months. Anyone with further advice on the type/quality of connector and how much extra wire I'm going to find in the ceiling (to work with in order to cut the old connector and install the new) would be appreciated.

 

[AustinClarke]

I would like to dedicated for all because before joining here i did not write one line but when join here and started discussion then i write more pages now.

 

[Fred Villiard]

Ancor has a 5 conductor 14 awg cable p/n 155010 and Aqua Signal has a 5 conductor waterproof connector p/n AQSIG#80100-7. try this site, Defender, WM, or Genuinedealz.

I've used that combo in several masts and have no trouble with them two of them over 8 years and on mine over 2 years.

 

[jeffclown]

Thanks, Fred. Those look like good products. Now I need to think about if I want to run extra 5 conductor in the overhead of the cabin also, or stick with 3 conductor. Hard to know where to draw the boundary lines on a project.

 

[jeffclown]

Dave Condon said access to current wiring in the ceiling is not easy. Can anyone (Dave Condon or another 1994 H26 owner) tell me what I will find in the cabin overhead for the existing wiring to the deck connection to the mast? That is, will there be any extra length of wire in the cabin top to work with to make up the new topside connector if I replace it... and/or can I easily use the existing (e.g. 3-conductor) wire from the cabin top to pull new (e.g. 5-conductor) wire from there back to the battery? I think if the wire is tied down somewhere inaccessible in the cabin overhead/bulkheads I will have a hard time fishing and pulling new wire. I don't have any access to the boat until at least mid-April so I can't check it myself. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

jeffclown, send me your phone number and location and I will call you about the wiring.

crazy dave

 

[Regular Guy]

Conduits are provided

jeffclown,
I am doing right now some auxiliary wiring all over my boat and have to say Hunter did actually a very good job providing conduits throughout the boat.
Regarding your question, there is an empty conduit from the fuse box area directly to the ceiling under the mast, where the compression post of the mast is. Look at the pictures.
The first shows the conduit. There is also a small rope provided to pull cable with through. The other end is right beside the galley port, you can reach it from the fuse box area with your hand to get the cable to the fuse box switches.
Make sure you add another rope to the cable when pulling through to get the original rope back in place for the case you want to use it again.
There is another useful conduit going from the fuse box to the aft, behind the aft berth wall, where the battery is. Here is also a pull rope provided.
Hart

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

There were differences in he 26 and 260 one of which is access to running the wire thru the ceiling. Anyway, he will call and I will advise on how I did it. Fellows, I have arthritis in my hand and it is easier for me to talk than try to write down a long dissertation.

 

[jeffclown]

Sorry for delay - have been traveling for work. Regular guy, thanks for the pix. That was extremely thoughtful. It sounds like my older 26 may have different wiring... but I hope it's well organized and in some conduit like your 260. I'll call Dave on Monday per his PM request... Thanks again, all.

 

[Regular Guy]

More wiring

jeffclown;
You are welcome. That's what the forum is for. I am sure Dave will give you some specific insides regarding your boat.

Also I am rewiring the mast; going to install on the top a tri-color- and anchor light. A little down the mast I will put a fixture for steaming light combined with a deck light. That makes 5 wire. I am going to use a 6-prong deck-through connector (they run out on the 5-prong). The connector takes a 10A/250V load. The contact have to be soldered; I am fine with that.

Also I am going to put an antenna on top of the mast for an VHF radio and wired a coax cable to the ceiling. For the cable-deck-through I found a good solution, a connector from C-Me Marine. Will see how it works out.

Additional I put two 110V outlets in the boat, one under the ceiling. I did not want to put the 3x14 marine cable with into the 12V conduit. It was no problem the get the wire separately all the way through to the fuse box. Just use one of this steel or fiberglass fish tapes.
Hart

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I just spoke with Jeff about the wiring. Per photo from Regular Guy (thank you Hart), there is an access plate on the ceiling liner to the starboard of the mast area for wiring and so forth. Wiring from the mast via deck plug ran down the channel to the starboard and down behind the liner to the rear. With the older 26, there was no access panel or tracer line which to pull wiring with.

As a dealer I had to drill two holes in that channel to replace the line pulling with a tracer line one dear the deck plug and the other near the cabin wall liner both in that channel. I drilled either a one inch holes or a little larger. As for covering up the holes, I use to purchase round push in plastic cover plugs usally either white or black possibly in tan from the local ace hardware store. You might find them at Lowes or Home Depot but at least now you know what I had to do as a dealer.

crazy dave condon

 

[Regular Guy]

Dealer Quality

Dave,
You must have been a very helpful and practical dealer. Wonder whether there are many of such still around. Thank you for still offering your knowledge, it's much appreciated.
Hart

 

[jeffclown]

Great help from Dave and pictures and material ideas from RegularGuy. Thanks! It will be 6 weeks before I can get the boat out of storage, but now I can get materials and have a plan. Will let you know what I find/learn. Great help and thanks again!

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Jeff and Hart;

Both of you are welcome and keep my contact info for future reference.

crazy dave

 

[jeffclown]

Well, I have spent the last 1.5 years on other projects (or sailing!!) in my time on the boat and have not anchored at night, so did not complete this project - but now I'm going to get it done. I have 5-conductor boat cable through the mast (in case of future upgrades - will be useful) and the new deck connection ready to go, but I'm stuck inside the cabin.

As Dave Condon noted, my 1994 H26 is different from the 260 in some respects. In the first photo, the cabin light wires are blue/black and mast wires are longer green/black. In my case, the mast wires do come through blue flexible wiring conduit in the area under the mast deck connection (1st photo - but you can't see the conduit because it's too short), like Regular Guy. However, there is no tracer line - just wires. Also, the conduit is plugged with some very firm sealant such that I think I might destroy the existing wires if I try to dig them out, and it is pretty tight so I can't pull it out much to work on it. I cut the ~3" x 3" hole you see and don't want to go much bigger and not sure it would help anyway.

I have a fiberglass wire pulling set and tried getting through that ~ reinforced athwartships channel you see (2nd photo) and could not. Despite a lot of gyrations, it stops there whether I tried to get through from fwd to aft or aft to fwd.

Options: (1) I might try again to free the existing wires from the conduit, or drill a hole in the cabin roof further to starboard to get at the conduit in another location. I think that would be only guessing at success and guessing the conduit runs the whole way, and it would be heartbreaking if existing wires break while pulling the new larger wire. (2) I think I'm going to need Dave to explain where he drilled his holes - then I could do it once and with confidence.

Recommendations greatly appreciated. I'll submit owner mod photos when complete.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

jeff;

send me an email and I will give you new phone numbers as I am not sure if you have them.

 

[Regular Guy]

jeffclown,
Try to get all the way from the fuse box to the compression post with your fishing tape. I did not get the coax from the mast and a ticker two wire cable for a 12V outlet through the conduit and pulled it separately through the roof. I had to open some access caps for the jib clam cleats on the ceiling and one mid ship on the starboard site to get the the fishing tape pulled through partly. But it finally worked out. Good luck,
Hart