Please help with mast step and wiring

[jfmid]

This is the mast base and also the step for an O'day 272LE.
2 problems.
1. How to run new wire for mid mast steaming light.
2. Missing screws (have them in my hand) for the mast step on deck.

1. I would like to run a new wire for a mid mast steaming light. Base of mast is riveted to mast pole and I dont know how to open up so that I can get wire up to mid of mast.

Many have suggested ways to dampen/fix wire so that I dont get mast slap. Current two wires up mast are silent. Are they in a conduit?? Who knows???
Any suggestions on how to overcome this dilemma??? I'm tempted to offer a litre of my "famous" homemade St. Barths Rum Vanille to the winning/most helpful suggestion but not sure how to deliver the goods. Please provide detail as I am a newbie.

2. Mast step on deck has two screws that dont grab deck top. Any suggestions.

Pull step and repair holes and replace seems most logical but am I missing something? What to repair stripped screw hole with?
3. Yes the VHF wire is broken in two places at the deck/mast step and will be replaced/repaired.

Thanks in advance

John

 

[shemandr]

Aluminum rivets aren't difficult to drill out. I would worry a little that corrosion would make it hard to remove the mast plate. But if you could get that off, you could run your new wire, place a conduit if desired or other means of silencing the wires. I once used heavy zip ties three around the wires with the tails facing out at intervals up the wire. I've seen sponges stuck up there, swimmies, whatever. You could also reconfigure the end of the mast to suit your tastes. I would consider replacing all wiring while you're at it.
Now for maybe bad news. The screws for the mast step turn in the holes? I'd better let those who know your boat better make the suggestions about that.
Dang - I wanted a taste of that rum.

 

[Ed Schenck]

First about the mast step. What is directly beneath the step, under those four corners? I ask because I would be installing four bolts if at all possible. Or at least two to replace the screws.

Do you have an anchor light at the top of the mast? Any other electrical at the top? Are you adding wire or replacing wire for a steaming light? Usually one cable is run up the mast with wires for everything. Then one wire comes out of the bundle for the steaming light. Trying to understand if you should be replacing an old bundle of wires instead of adding one new wire.

 

[Paul Brinkley]

Most likely your rivet diameter is 3/16". You can drill them out with a 3/16" or 13/64" bit, and replace with 3/16" rivets- be sure to get them long enough to go through both mast and cap. Check all existing wires carefully, and replace as needed so you won't have to do this again anytime soon, adding any needed wiring. Andrew's trick with nylon ties works well and is relatively simple if you need it. Like Ed, I would recommend replacing stripped screws with bolts. If you have to drill through the headliner, Lowe's and Home Depot carry the nylon plugs to cover holes with, in a variety of sizes. Good luck! -Paul

 

[Don12364]

Maybe No Need?

I see a 4 pin connector on the deck. Do you have a tricolor light for sailing and an all round white for anchoring, both at the masthead?
If so then you may well have red and green low level lights on the pulpit as well.
In this case use the tricolor for sailing and the low level R & G as port and starboard nav lights plus the anchor light when motoring - and switch the tricolor off.
This way you will show Wh over R & G from ahead and Wh only from astern so you are legal.

In another approach, if there is a wire to each of the four pins on the deck connector, then one could be a common negative return, another the feed for the tricolor, the third the feed for the anchor light and the fourth just might be fed to the steaming light position but is not connected.
A simple continuity test with a meter should show this.

 

[caguy]

Just did mine a couple of weeks ago.
If you have a anchor light and a steaming light only. Then replace two wire with a three wire cable. You can use the ground for both the anchor and steaming light. If you want to prevent slap then you can zip tie foam blocks. Mine had 2z2z5" blocks. You can use the existing wires as a messenger to pull the new wires through, unless they have foam attached. If so you may have to take either the mast head or base off, which ever is easier. I would probably do the mast head and not mess with the base since there is more stress there.
As far as the screws go, what Paul said sounds good, unless they go into wood and are backed by the compression post, then longer screws may work. If you bed with 5200 then a half in of fresh screw bite will hold. It is only stress when raising or lowering the mast. If wood is rotted then you have a whole new set of headaches.
Remember the longest distance between two points is a short-cut.

 

[DianaOfBurlington]

Well don't go through the bottom of the mast into the mast step plate! Imagine the hassle that creates when you rig/derig the boat-- let alone the maintenance issues. Should one wire go bad you have to derig the boat to even look at it.

Let the wires exit the mast out one side, below the exit blocks and cleats. One boat I saw (bigger than yours or mine) had an actual plastic through-hull, about 5/8" and at a 90-degree angle, out the side of the mast and another one upside-down in the deck. The wires always dangle out the 90-degree one. When he steps the mast he slides a 5/8" hose over them, stuffs the wires down the through-hull in the deck, and fits the hose over that and adds hose clamps. So long as you allow for a drip loop inside the spar it won't leak till you pitchpole or something.

I did the same thing on my boat but felt squeamish making a hole that big in the side of the spar, so the (smaller) hose just stuffs into the hole in the mast a little. It's fine.

My dad's old boat had the VHF antenna like yours coming out the bottom of the mast. Needless to say he had to get out the hatchet in a hurry when they derigged the boat and forgot to disconnect it. Then the reattached connection lay exposed on the deck till we sold the boat. Not good.

 

[amcgilvray]

mast is sinking into the deck.

I have a 1981 Hunter Cherubini 30 ft. and my mast is sinking into the deck. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix it? I would expect taking the mast off, cutting holes top/bottom. but what should I expect to be there? how much cutting? how big will the hole be? What will I use to fix it with? I had a bad surveyor so this was not brought to my attention when I bought the boat. I also have a second issue too. I have a leak of salt water coming in from a bolt in my keel.. I will repost that in another location, so I need to fix that too. My budget is tight and so I will be doing as much as possible myself. Any help will be very appreciated.

Andrea
direct email is andrea@cowboycapitalrealty.com

 

[Steve Dion]

If you use long wire ties 6-8" about every two feet on the wire, be sure to have the ties about 60 deg off each other at each wrap. This will prevent the wire from slapping inside the mast

 

[Bill Roosa]

adding a steaming light

Since you don't know if the existing wires are in a conduit or not you can't just use them to pull additional wires and expect them to be accessible mid mast for your steaming light.
So pull the mast base off and determine if you have a conduit or not. I suspect you have one since the wires are quiet now.
If there is no conduit use the existing wires to pull a new set through that is pre-cut at the appropriate mast height to support the new light. Probably going to need to "slip" the power and ground to make a slack loop at the correct height so you have something to work with. After drilling a hole in the mast at the spot where you are going to install the light and pulling through the new wires use a coat hanger to "fish" the steaming light wires from the mast. If you can leave the power and ground as loops this facilitaes the fishing expidition. Then just install the light and reattach the mast base.

If you have a conduit you either cut a largish hole mid mast to get access to the conduit or you pull the conduit from the mast to cut it. The later will only need a small hole in the mast for the wire to pass. It will also be a royal PITA to reinstall the conduit as most are a split tube that slides in two grooves.

Cutting the conduit mid mast. After cutting a hole to get access to the conduit cut a largish hole in the conduit also. Pre-cut the new wires then use the existing wires to pull the new ones into position.

Cutting the conduit after removing it from the mast. Pull the conduit (I'll add you to my prayer list if you like), cut it at the correct place, pre-cut the new wires and install them in the conduit. Reinstall the conduit and wires together (I'll definatly add you to my prayer list)

OR YOU COULD
rewire the anchor and stern light to make them independantly switchable and use the anchor light during steaming and stern light during sailing. This would seem to be a whole lot less hassel no matter how you figure it.

How big a boat is this and do you do that much night sailing???

 

[RichBone]

I have a 1981 Hunter Cherubini 30 ft. and my mast is sinking into the deck. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix it? I would expect taking the mast off, cutting holes top/bottom. but what should I expect to be there? how much cutting? how big will the hole be? What will I use to fix it with? I had a bad surveyor so this was not brought to my attention when I bought the boat. I also have a second issue too. I have a leak of salt water coming in from a bolt in my keel.. I will repost that in another location, so I need to fix that too. My budget is tight and so I will be doing as much as possible myself. Any help will be very appreciated.

Andrea
direct email is andrea@cowboycapitalrealty.com

You may have a plywood core under the mast step that has gotten wet and rotted. If so you would take the mast off and the mast step and drill an exploratory hole or two to see what's inside. If it's rooted then the top skin needs to be cut out and the core replaced. Not an uncommon repair on older cored decks.

Rich