I am replacing the wind transducer and cable on my 1990 P42. My question, would it be better to pull the mast for this project or can the cable be replaced while the mast is stepped. Inside the boat I have removed the inspection panels where all of the cables enter the boat. I have eyeballed the pvc with, I guess, 4200 in it where all the cables inter. I have concerns with removing the 4200 without damaging the cables. I am aware that it will need to be removed whether the mast is in place or not, just thinking it might be easier with the mast picked up a few inches. Searched the archives but found nothing. Thanks in advance for your input.
Replacing wind transducer wireing in mast
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P42
Hi John, lots of questions. Un-stepping and stepping the mast is a bit of a chore. I do not remember for sure when we dropped our mast, since it was done by a yard crew, but there must be a transducer cable quick disconnect at the base of the mast. Is the entire cable bad that you feel the need to replace it?
It appears from your note that all the cables running through the coach roof conduit are encased in 4200? If so not sure why. Chances are that by the time that you cleared that blockage the coach roof conduit would be damaged, maybe not.
A few years ago when our mast was down I re-bed our step, replace the conduit section and sealed it with 4200 to stop water from leaking past the conduit and into the main cabin. I applied the 4200 only around the outside of the conduit where it passed through the coach roof. That was in 2004 and it has been dry ever since. There is a wire drip loop at the base and the inside of the conduit has no sealant. The conduit sticks up above the coach roof by about six inches, so that pooling water will exit the drain hole on the leading edge of the step. Prior to my repair the PO tried to stop the leak from inside the boat by applying lots of Silicone II. What a mess and it still leaked.
Not sure whether the conduit is large enough to allow that quick disconnect to pass through. Even so fishing a new one with the mast up will make it difficult to place a drip loop in the new wire, thus posing the risk of a future water leak. Not an easy task.
There are wireless versions available that would simplify matters. It will take a crane crew a few hours to lift and/or drop the mast. Several hundred dollars involved depending upon how far you go. All the stays would have to be disconnected at deck level in order to lift the mast high enough to work on the wires.
Perhaps if you provided more information I can supply you with more answers or opinions.
Terry Cox
Hi John, lots of questions. Un-stepping and stepping the mast is a bit of a chore. I do not remember for sure when we dropped our mast, since it was done by a yard crew, but there must be a transducer cable quick disconnect at the base of the mast. Is the entire cable bad that you feel the need to replace it?
It appears from your note that all the cables running through the coach roof conduit are encased in 4200? If so not sure why. Chances are that by the time that you cleared that blockage the coach roof conduit would be damaged, maybe not.
A few years ago when our mast was down I re-bed our step, replace the conduit section and sealed it with 4200 to stop water from leaking past the conduit and into the main cabin. I applied the 4200 only around the outside of the conduit where it passed through the coach roof. That was in 2004 and it has been dry ever since. There is a wire drip loop at the base and the inside of the conduit has no sealant. The conduit sticks up above the coach roof by about six inches, so that pooling water will exit the drain hole on the leading edge of the step. Prior to my repair the PO tried to stop the leak from inside the boat by applying lots of Silicone II. What a mess and it still leaked.
Not sure whether the conduit is large enough to allow that quick disconnect to pass through. Even so fishing a new one with the mast up will make it difficult to place a drip loop in the new wire, thus posing the risk of a future water leak. Not an easy task.
There are wireless versions available that would simplify matters. It will take a crane crew a few hours to lift and/or drop the mast. Several hundred dollars involved depending upon how far you go. All the stays would have to be disconnected at deck level in order to lift the mast high enough to work on the wires.
Perhaps if you provided more information I can supply you with more answers or opinions.
Terry Cox
Thanks Terry, I do not know what kind of sealant is in the conduit, I just guessed. I have purchased a set of new Raymarine ST60Plus instruments. I am 250 miles from the boat and have not tried connecting the new wind instrument to existing wireing yet. The existing wind instrument has a cracked face and does not work. Not sure but think it was installed when the boat was new in 1990. I am just expecting the worst and hoping for the best. If the old wireing is compatable with the new instrument and the old transducer works then I will not need to replace any of it. I am just not sure if the old wireing and transducer are compatable with the new ST60 Plus.
Removing P42 mast
Hi John, I last removed the mast on my 1991 P42 9 years ago, and I have no memory of the wind transducer disconnect. However, I was personally involved in it, and I remember that I had no trouble disconnecting all wires at the mast base and getting them through the conduit. My conduit was also filled with silicon from a PO, and it cleared out easily and without any damage to the wires in the conduit
I later replaced my radar, including the antenna on the mast. I didn't drop the mast for that job, and was able to thread the thick antenna cable down the mast from above by doing a rudimentary "splice" job attaching the new cable to the old with some heavy thread and duct tape. I was able to access the top of the conduit, and form a proper "drip-loop" by loosening the shroud diamond and removing the attachment point hardware right at the mast, just where the drip loop is located. That provided me enough access to form the drip loop and visually inspect everything there. It was then easy to replace the mast fitting and tighten the shroud diamond again (to its previously marked spot on the turnbuckle).
I had to cut the radar cable and install a new junction box for it, and while I was at it I installed a new junction box for all the cables coming through the mast conduit. I remember that the VHF antenna connector was a separate cable and connector, due to its size. I just have no recollection of the wind transducer cable connector.
Good luck, and please let us know if the cables are compatible with your older unit. My wind unit is erratic, and probably due for replacement. I also wonder about compatibility, since my gauge at the binnacle appears fine but I expect my masthead unit is going. I suspect the cable connectors may not be compatible, but hope that the wires permit either an adapter or the replacement with a compatible connector after removing the old one. I am replacing my ST7000 autopilot, and I have noticed that on the new (as yet uninstalled unit) there are the same number of wires, but the actual connectors are different. I anticipate some splicing in my future.
Hi John, I last removed the mast on my 1991 P42 9 years ago, and I have no memory of the wind transducer disconnect. However, I was personally involved in it, and I remember that I had no trouble disconnecting all wires at the mast base and getting them through the conduit. My conduit was also filled with silicon from a PO, and it cleared out easily and without any damage to the wires in the conduit
I later replaced my radar, including the antenna on the mast. I didn't drop the mast for that job, and was able to thread the thick antenna cable down the mast from above by doing a rudimentary "splice" job attaching the new cable to the old with some heavy thread and duct tape. I was able to access the top of the conduit, and form a proper "drip-loop" by loosening the shroud diamond and removing the attachment point hardware right at the mast, just where the drip loop is located. That provided me enough access to form the drip loop and visually inspect everything there. It was then easy to replace the mast fitting and tighten the shroud diamond again (to its previously marked spot on the turnbuckle).
I had to cut the radar cable and install a new junction box for it, and while I was at it I installed a new junction box for all the cables coming through the mast conduit. I remember that the VHF antenna connector was a separate cable and connector, due to its size. I just have no recollection of the wind transducer cable connector.
Good luck, and please let us know if the cables are compatible with your older unit. My wind unit is erratic, and probably due for replacement. I also wonder about compatibility, since my gauge at the binnacle appears fine but I expect my masthead unit is going. I suspect the cable connectors may not be compatible, but hope that the wires permit either an adapter or the replacement with a compatible connector after removing the old one. I am replacing my ST7000 autopilot, and I have noticed that on the new (as yet uninstalled unit) there are the same number of wires, but the actual connectors are different. I anticipate some splicing in my future.
The task is finished. Mast has been removed, replaced and secure. I did additional work while the mast was down. Replaced the windex at the head, replaced the steaming/deck light. The reason of course to lower the mast was to replace the wind transducer and cable from the ST50 (1990) to new ST60Plus Raymarine. I relied on local knowledge to remove the mast for this project. After looking at everything after the mast was down, IMHO the job could have been acomplished without lowering the mast. The Monday morning quarter back thing. I just chaulk this up to another expensive simenar. I have learned some people in the marine industry know what they are doing and others - well............
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