Mast wiring

[Victor Schreffler]

I was impressed with Rick Webb's mast head solution. Question: How do you get power to the masthead, specifically, how do you come through the cabin roof?VS

 

[Rick Webb]

More Wires

I replaced the electrical fitting with one that has five contacts out of the West Marine Catalog (page 495 of the 2000 catalog) fishing the wires through the conduit with the three already there was a bitch. There is a blue corrugated tube and the fish tape kept getting hung up but after a number of trys I got it through. I then pulled a peice of twine out through the conduit. I kept the twine long so that I could trolly the wires one at a time. I left the twine in for the next time and ran two extra wires just in case. It was a full six pack job, one of the plastic fish tapes would probably work better than the metal one I used. We were about to go get some of the thick Weed Eater line when we finally got through.

 

[Sam Lust]

Different method

I have a different take on this because I don't like the rubber compression fittings through the deck and I don't like exterior electrical plug connections outside ina a salt environment. I use an upside-down "J-trap" (under sink home style plumbing) going into a 2" bronze through-hull set in the deck next to the mast. The wires come out the side of the mast about a foot off the deck, drop down, then loop back up, into the pipe and back down into the interior where the plug connections are made at the top of the compression post. The radio antenna wire comes through here also, and is lead back aft to the radio in one unbroken run so there is no resistance from added connectors. This has worked well for me for several years and I don't loose connections fue to corrosion.