I purchased a Raymarine i60 wind system to be installed on a 35 ft sailboat with a deck stepped mast. The instructions from Raymarine are very clear - you must not cut the cable (90 feet of cable through a 42 feet mast). The boat has never had a wind system before. The VHF antenna and wiring for the steamer light have connectors at the base of the mast that join connectors coming up through the deck step. These wires are connected before the mast is lowered onto the step. A similar process/system would make sense to me for the wind system. However, that would mean cutting the cable. How has anyone handled this problem in the past?
Raymarine i60 installation in a deck stepped mast
- Thread starter choroj
- Start date
I just installed an i60 wind on my hunter 310. It came with a terminal connector strip in a Raymarine box. I cut the transducer cable at the base of the mast and used the terminal connector strip to reconnect. So far (after 1 week) it works fine.
Tim
Tim
I'm thinking of purchasing the same system. A friend uses Amphenol connector for his and has the mast up and down several times a year. Just keep the wires separate from other electrical wiring.
You don't have much of an alternative other than cutting the cable. Use the terminal block below deck. If your connections are tight, it will be fine. Mine was done in this manner and has been no problem for 10 seasons of stepping and Unstepping.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,877
Recently rewired mast. Concern was the limit moisture intrusion. Installed pilot tube to guide wires through deck. Sealed tubes around mast step with 3m 4000 sealant. Looped wires in mast so moisture running down wires will fall off bottom of loop and weep out onto deck. Ran Radar and VHF/AIS lines through deck with out connections and into cabin. Understand with VHF you get a .5 to 1 db signal drop with each connection. Not sure of the I60. But would think shortening the line would not be an issue. Adding length to the line likely could.
You will want a water proof connection inside a mast. The Raymarine box is really not suitable to stuff inside a spar, if you expect reliability..
I use Switchcraft/Conxall Mini-Con-X connectors for the 5 conductor 22GA Raymarine wind cable. The problem with this system is the assembly tools really make it far too expensive for doing one termination. It requires require a Daniels AFM8 crimp tool (about $380.00) then two Daniels locators one for the pin and one for the socket, a K910 (about $62.00) and a K911 (about $70.00) plus a push-down tool handle #356-1 (about $12.00) and an insertion bit #359-20 (about $73.00).
The tools alone, for the Mini-Con-X system will run you well over $500.00 but this is how a good professional would splice a Raymarine wind system...... You could likely get decent results using two micro-N2K field installable plugs. Garmin, Maretron and Molex among others all make them and they are 5 wire. They generally don't require special tools.
I use Switchcraft/Conxall Mini-Con-X connectors for the 5 conductor 22GA Raymarine wind cable. The problem with this system is the assembly tools really make it far too expensive for doing one termination. It requires require a Daniels AFM8 crimp tool (about $380.00) then two Daniels locators one for the pin and one for the socket, a K910 (about $62.00) and a K911 (about $70.00) plus a push-down tool handle #356-1 (about $12.00) and an insertion bit #359-20 (about $73.00).
The tools alone, for the Mini-Con-X system will run you well over $500.00 but this is how a good professional would splice a Raymarine wind system...... You could likely get decent results using two micro-N2K field installable plugs. Garmin, Maretron and Molex among others all make them and they are 5 wire. They generally don't require special tools.
I used Bulgin connectors available from Digikey. They do offer a waterproof connector that allows crimp or solder terminals, and although they are a little large, they are robust, and readily available in the case where the unthinkable may happen.
Thank you all for your answers. They are very helpful. There is indeed a waterproof connection box supplied by Raymarine buried in the box. I did not recognize what it was but someone else pointed that out to me. I have also found someone local to me who is familiar with installing this type of system and was told that you can (have to) cut the cable and use the supplied junction box inside the boat. It will mean some feeding of the cable through the deck step (as is already set up for my VHF cable and nav light wires). Concern will be ensuring that this access point remains watertight. There is sealant there now but with the twice annual stepping and unstepping of the mast, I will need to reapply sealant. So it appears that there is a solution which will not require feeding 50 ft of wire each year nor drilling any more holes in my deck (which was a non-starter).
Thanks for your help. It confirms other information I have found.
Thanks for your help. It confirms other information I have found.
From the factory the cable comes out of the mast with about 2-3 ft of wire and goes
through the top of the cabin in front of the mast down into where the support pole
under the deck stepped mast base with other cables from the mast come and the wires on mine go to a stainless electrical strip and is out of the weather and don't really need any kind of box.
Nick
through the top of the cabin in front of the mast down into where the support pole
under the deck stepped mast base with other cables from the mast come and the wires on mine go to a stainless electrical strip and is out of the weather and don't really need any kind of box.
Nick