Hi All, I am in the process of doing some mast work and was wondering what the best way to secure my internal mast wiring?? Right now nothing is secured and it gets noisey at night (wind instruments, anchor/spreader lights, VHF). I read about running a conduit up the inside of the mast but don't want to drill so many holes. RIght now my halyards are running external. Thanks - Rob
Securing Internal Mast Wiring
- Thread starter Rob19574
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Conduit is the best way
Inside my mast, the conduit is held in place by a small T-rail. The attached picture shows a conduit part way up the mast that is secured in place and a piece at the bottom of the mast that has been taken off the T-rail. This picture is through the bottom of the mast -- the halyards are internal and come out the side of the mast further up than the picture shows (you can see about 5 feet in the pic).
Inside my mast, the conduit is held in place by a small T-rail. The attached picture shows a conduit part way up the mast that is secured in place and a piece at the bottom of the mast that has been taken off the T-rail. This picture is through the bottom of the mast -- the halyards are internal and come out the side of the mast further up than the picture shows (you can see about 5 feet in the pic).
BTW
I forgot to mention that the conduit is plastic (about 3/4 inch ID) and is split the entire length. The split slides over and pinches the T-rail.
I forgot to mention that the conduit is plastic (about 3/4 inch ID) and is split the entire length. The split slides over and pinches the T-rail.
Wiring
Use a good sized Zip tie and bundle the wires about every 3 feet. Leave the tail of the zip tie on so it creates a friction point against the mast. This will keep things from clanging. John J
Use a good sized Zip tie and bundle the wires about every 3 feet. Leave the tail of the zip tie on so it creates a friction point against the mast. This will keep things from clanging. John J
A common solution that works
Extract all of the wiring from your mast using a line to pull the wiring back in. Attach 6" wire ties in groups of 3 projecting every 120 degrees around the bundle of wires. Repeat this wire tie group every 2-3 feet for the entire length of the wiring. Pull the wires back up into the mast. The wire ties will hold the wires somewhere in the center of the mast and will not let them slap against the inside. Internal halyards would still work fine with this arrangement. Enjoy the quiet.
Extract all of the wiring from your mast using a line to pull the wiring back in. Attach 6" wire ties in groups of 3 projecting every 120 degrees around the bundle of wires. Repeat this wire tie group every 2-3 feet for the entire length of the wiring. Pull the wires back up into the mast. The wire ties will hold the wires somewhere in the center of the mast and will not let them slap against the inside. Internal halyards would still work fine with this arrangement. Enjoy the quiet.
Swim Noodle
If you don't have the T-rail, you could take a foam swim noodle that has a hole up the middle and split that. Slide one foot sections over the wires and push them up the mast with a pole. You could further secure them with zip ties if you wanted to. You may have to fiddle with how to gt the noodle past the steaming light connection. This approach also has the benefit of keeping water out of your mast and helping it float if you have a knock down. It would be best if the noodle fit snuggly inside your mast, but if it doesn't, I'm guessing that it would still help a lot.
If you don't have the T-rail, you could take a foam swim noodle that has a hole up the middle and split that. Slide one foot sections over the wires and push them up the mast with a pole. You could further secure them with zip ties if you wanted to. You may have to fiddle with how to gt the noodle past the steaming light connection. This approach also has the benefit of keeping water out of your mast and helping it float if you have a knock down. It would be best if the noodle fit snuggly inside your mast, but if it doesn't, I'm guessing that it would still help a lot.
packing peanuts
I had a friend who filled his mast with packing peanuts. The mast slap stopped and he had no difficulty with the internal halyards. A block of styrafoam was used as a stopper to keep the peanuts in while the mast was being fitted to the boat. jim
I had a friend who filled his mast with packing peanuts. The mast slap stopped and he had no difficulty with the internal halyards. A block of styrafoam was used as a stopper to keep the peanuts in while the mast was being fitted to the boat. jim
Sprinkler pipe
When I added wiring to my mast the original conduit was not large enough and it was held in place with rivits ,because of a one day operation of taking my mast down and getting all the work done in one day I installed 3/4 black sprinkler pipe from Home Depot, it wants to stay curley when you on roll it so it stayed snug inside the sides of the ,mast and a couple of Ty wraps at the top and bottom kept it in place,Quick and easy and no noise. BTW all my halyards are external
When I added wiring to my mast the original conduit was not large enough and it was held in place with rivits ,because of a one day operation of taking my mast down and getting all the work done in one day I installed 3/4 black sprinkler pipe from Home Depot, it wants to stay curley when you on roll it so it stayed snug inside the sides of the ,mast and a couple of Ty wraps at the top and bottom kept it in place,Quick and easy and no noise. BTW all my halyards are external
Rich got it!
Read Richs' description for using nylon wire ties...it works PERFECTLY. And they do not interfer with internal lines! Absolutely stops the banging cold. The heavier the tie the better.
Read Richs' description for using nylon wire ties...it works PERFECTLY. And they do not interfer with internal lines! Absolutely stops the banging cold. The heavier the tie the better.
Thanks
Thank you everyone! I think I will go with Rick's idea with the 6" nylon wire ties. I will bundle the wiring up with some type of electrical tape.
Thank you everyone! I think I will go with Rick's idea with the 6" nylon wire ties. I will bundle the wiring up with some type of electrical tape.
wire ties and electrical tape
If you put at least one wire tie in each group around the whole bundle, you won't need electrical tape, which loses its grip and gets gooey over time. If you want to tape, a self-amalgamating tape like Tommy Tape will hold the bundle together without getting gooey or leaving any residue on the cables.
If you put at least one wire tie in each group around the whole bundle, you won't need electrical tape, which loses its grip and gets gooey over time. If you want to tape, a self-amalgamating tape like Tommy Tape will hold the bundle together without getting gooey or leaving any residue on the cables.
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