Quieting in-mast wiring noise
- Thread starter Dave4991
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The in-mast wiring slaps from side-to-side on my 2003 H260 when at anchor or at the dock [annoying]. Anyone have suggestions how to silence?Put wire ties around the wiring harness. Secure 3 wire ties at about 120 degrees apart every couple of feet. Do not cut the tails off. This should prevent the wires from slapping.
Sail Magazine, October 08 issue.. Here is the link for a neat solution
http://www.sailmagazine.com/boatworks/engines-and-systems/quiet_connector/
http://www.sailmagazine.com/boatworks/engines-and-systems/quiet_connector/
Pipe Insulation
I ran 1/2" pipe insulation from Home Depot from the top and bottom of the mast. They came in 6' sections and I taped top, middle, and end of each section as I ran it up the wire. The spreaders prevent just going from one end all the way through, but I'd bet if you did just the top half it would work.
I ran 1/2" pipe insulation from Home Depot from the top and bottom of the mast. They came in 6' sections and I taped top, middle, and end of each section as I ran it up the wire. The spreaders prevent just going from one end all the way through, but I'd bet if you did just the top half it would work.
I use the spray foam window and door sealant in the blue can at Lowe's. It doesn't expand and is not as dense as the Great Stuff in the yellow can. At each screw hole I sprayed a blast of foam and it seems to do the job. It's easy enough to break through with a wire snake if you ever need to add or replace wires.
[wire in my mast is something like solid copper, romex 12 - 2 over kill obvioulsly, heavy to a degree, but quiet
Big boats need a bigger and more complex solution. For the H260 the cable tie thing is easy and cheap because the wires are small gage and the distance is fairly short. I did this 5 years ago on my H260 and I've never had any mast slap. There are other alternatives but this is the easiest. Remember, anything you put in the mast you might want to take out someday. Shoving foam or insulation up into the mast might be easy, getting it out might be a challenge.
Go to: http://h260.com/vhf/vhf.html
Don't skimp on the cable ties. I used rivets on the cap and base. For salt water sailors special caution must be taken when using stainless screws/bolts on aluminum. Regardless how well machined the threads are, there are always microscopic spaces between the SS screw and the body. If salt water finds its way into these capillary spaces, an ideal galvanic cell is set up with resulting loss of aluminum in the area of the threads. Ultimately, the stainless srew is seized in the hole or worse, could fall out under load. Coating the threads with silicone sealant or grease before fastening will fill the capillary spaces around the threads and prevent intrusion of salt water. No seawater - no electrolyte, no corrosion. Got this info from the Boater's Illustrated Electrical Handbook by Charlie Wing: http://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Illustrated-Electrical-Handbook/dp/B001E50ORE
I've done this project twice, it's a simple solution to eliminate wire slap in the mast for small boats - larger boats with heavier cable, a different solution will be required.
Go to: http://h260.com/vhf/vhf.html
Don't skimp on the cable ties. I used rivets on the cap and base. For salt water sailors special caution must be taken when using stainless screws/bolts on aluminum. Regardless how well machined the threads are, there are always microscopic spaces between the SS screw and the body. If salt water finds its way into these capillary spaces, an ideal galvanic cell is set up with resulting loss of aluminum in the area of the threads. Ultimately, the stainless srew is seized in the hole or worse, could fall out under load. Coating the threads with silicone sealant or grease before fastening will fill the capillary spaces around the threads and prevent intrusion of salt water. No seawater - no electrolyte, no corrosion. Got this info from the Boater's Illustrated Electrical Handbook by Charlie Wing: http://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Illustrated-Electrical-Handbook/dp/B001E50ORE
I've done this project twice, it's a simple solution to eliminate wire slap in the mast for small boats - larger boats with heavier cable, a different solution will be required.
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George: I would agree about the screws/bolts. The best stuff that I have found is Tef-Gel. It can be used with any type of fasteners to prevent corrosion. It is not a bad idea to use it there a screw head comes in contact with a dis-similar metal too.
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