Oday 322 mast wiring

[AndreNJ11]

@AndreNJ11, do you have a photo of you spin halyard setup (block on the bail)?

Mine is set up with appears to be an anchor roller...has to be a PO mod.

View attachment 169078

Hi Tally Ho,
I have not done a spinnaker, so I have not addressed it. Yes, yours does seem to be an anchor roller.
Just putting a spin halyard on the bail block would seem to leave the spinnaker halyard on the outside of the mast all the way down (a real wind-slapping noise hazard). If I ever did it i guess I would try to cut in a mast exit on the front of the mast a few feet down, to take the spin halyard inside. It would have to be a double sheave mast exit. The one farther down the mast on the front (which is a single sheave) , I presume is for the spin pole topping lift.

 

[Tally Ho]

Hi Tally Ho,
I have not done a spinnaker, so I have not addressed it. The one farther down the mast on the front (which is a single sheave) , I presume is for the spin pole topping lift.

Ok. Thanks. And yes, the single sheave down low on the mast is for the spin pole topping lift,
I used my spinnaker yesterday, and the halyard works fine (on the roller), so I guess I will leave it that way for now. If I take the mast down at some point, will consider options then.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[BwWhisper]

tHANKS FOR THE TIPS, only days to the unstepping for the winter. Does the mast just lift free of the deck top step or are there pins, bolts or other hidden hardware that will need to be removed prior, aside from the 4 visible bolts of course.

 

[BwWhisper]

I have mast down on the deck now. All new nav lights and sheaves are already in hand. Problem is the radar cable about fills the conduit for wiring in the mast. Any suggestions for installing a new radar cable?

 

[jssailem]

New Radar Cable? Are you changing out the radar for new electronics? If so the new digital systems use a small diameter cable. If the cable is taking up all of the conduit, you may need to install a separate conduit in the Mast. More then one is possible. I have 2 conduits running in my mast. The older analog radar systems use large cables to power and transmit the signal from the radar unit to the display. The cables are of a specific length, matched to the display for performance. You would need to buy a replacement. Unless yours is cut or frayed/damaged, not sure that is necessary.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Electronics today are so much more efficient. Remember the days of the old satellite TV dishes

 

[jssailem]

old satellite TV dishes

I heard in the Heart Land - Mid West that the dish served to provide shade in a treeless back yard.

 

[Justin_NSA]

I heard in the Heart Land - Mid West that the dish served to provide shade in a treeless back yard.

Yep. The state tree is the telephone poll.

 

[twodzusfittings]

Is that an Opinion "Poll".

 

[Justin_NSA]

Is that an Opinion "Poll".

Oops. I'll blame spellcheck. "Pole".

 

[seaferet]

First - I hope you are hiring a marina to professionally drop the mast with a crane, it is way to big (in my opinion) to be handling yourself.

1 - take a picture and take notes on how all the connections are made in the bilge. Test each connection in advance to be sure you understand them.
2 - the marina (or you) will run a messenger line through the mast step tube when withdrawing all the mast wires from the mast support tube. This will easily allow to re-feed the mast wires back down the mast support and out the hole at the bottom when reinstalling the mast. The wires are about 6 feet long.
3 - I strongly recommend that you take this opportunity to replace the four main sheaves (2 back , 2 forward) supporting the main halyard, topping lift, spin halyard and jib halyard (unused due to CDI furler self contained halyard). They are now 30+ years old and will disintegrate any day (one of mine did at 25+ years. I had to remove the crumbling remains and run on the bare axle for the rest of the season). See my post on the part number to order from US Spars.
4 - I replaced my anchor light, steaming light and deck light fitting- all at this time. You can still buy Aqua Signal exact replacements. There is also no better time to put in an LED anchor light bulb.
5 - I did not replace my wiring as it all seemed OK, but you should inspect and consider that as well.
6 - If you plan in a future spinnaker, you may wish to consider adding a spin block to the spin bail with a messenger line for the spin sheet at this time.

Good luck with it.

Andre

Andre,

That is good advice! Thanks for the reminder for how important it is to remember the boats are 30 years old, and being prepared to replace it all when the mast is down.

Enjoy,

Chris

 

[Justin_NSA]

Andre,

That is good advice! Thanks for the reminder for how important it is to remember the boats are 30 years old, and being prepared to replace it all when the mast is down.

Enjoy,

Chris

I replaced all lighting wiring with heavier gauge to carry the strain and switched to LED on the anchor, steaming and deck lights. Also reworked the deck feedthru to prevent water intrusion. Do everything you can while the mast is down! I missed cleaning out the masthead anemometer xducer.

 

[FilQQ]

I know this thread has been stale for a while, but I'm hoping those that have experience with wiring in the mast of a 322 can chime in. I (likely) need to replace the wiring up to my antenna, and I'm wondering if I need to drop the mast to do so. If I'm lucky I will just need a new connector at the antenna (though that would be fun to install at the top of the mast...); if not, I'll need to run an entirely new RG8X cable up (or down) the mast.

Is it possible to drop or pull a new coax cable through the mast step (inside the mast) and into the compression post? Or is the gasket at the step something that requires direct access to, in order to feed a new coax cable through?

Thanks.

 

[jssailem]

Welcome to SBO. You raise a good question. I see you have a boat that has had some life experience ( Last one built in 1989). You indicate you have owned the boat for one year.

I would look at this issue as an opportunity. While it is conceaivable to change an antenna wire fitting 30 feet up in the sky, without good knowledge of the standing rigging age, I would see it as a second option. It is easier and safer to work on the mast hardware with your feet firmly on the ground. If the radio antenna needs repairs, there is a great probability other systems on your mast might need repairs/improvements. Working on a mature boat always involves project creep.

Good luck

 

[Tin Kicker]

Here are a few photos of what the deck connection area looks like. The mast needs to come off to replace the connector and wiring.

 

[Tally Ho]

Thanks @Tin Kicker,

Those are some helpful photographs.

Do you typically pull your mast for the winter, or are you doing maintenance this year that required the mast to come down?
I need to pull mine sometime to check sheaves, replace coax for radio, probably replace the standing rigging.

Greg

 

[Tin Kicker]

Those were of another 322 in the yard last year. Mine comes out next week and I’ll be pulling the mast for the first time for all new wiring, lights, and sheaves. Would love to replace the old CDI furler but that is beyond budget.