VHF Coax. nightmare

[Christof Walsdorf]

Hi fellow sailors!I broke my VHF coax. over the weekend.I went up the mast to pull a fishing line to the top, but was unable to get the old cable to move even the slightest (it's broke at the foot of the mast and I was trying to pull it through the top). Has anybody replaced their VHF cable and has retained sufficient sanity to tell the story??Christof

 

[Barry]

Planning that Job

Many of the h34 boats have the Kenyon mast. There is a wiring channel just behind the sail track and there's not a lot of extra room to be had. Most folks pull the mast to rewire it. That's why mine isn't done yet.There usually is a BIG coax connector at the mast base that you can't easily get to. On some models you can remove the halyard sheaves and get access to the connector. There is no way to pull the connector throught the wiring channel. If you can access the connector at the mast base you may have one option other than pulling the mast. You could drop a weight and line down from the top on the mast and try to pull a coax through one of the extra halyard openings. Some folks put cable ties on the coax a few feet apart to keep the wire from slapping on the inside of the mast.Lotsa Luck!Barrys/v "PER DIEM too"

 

[Mike Cummings]

Cables

My mast was down, but here is whats inside. Inside the mast and behind the track for the main sail is an enclosed channel the runs the entire length. My exisiting cables came out of a hole about 6" from the bottom and 6" from the top. These cables are tied together inside the track, so you cant really pull them. Purchased a $10 metal wire that was about 50-60 long. Its supposed to be used for fishing wires inside walls. Local hardware stores should have them. From the top of the mast we easily slid it into the track and then tied a line to the end when it came out the bottom. Then pulled it back out.This will be difficult since your mast is up. At the base you should be able to remove the hallyard rollers to get access. Climb up the mast and remove the plate that sits on top. Should have two screws. This will allow you to see a narrow gap on either side of the mast. Here is the problem. You need to fish this thru the gap and into the hole that's about 6" down where the vhf cable comes out. Its worth an attempt before you decide to either free-fall a new cable and let it bang around inside or take the mast down. Hope this helps