Wire stuck in mast 37c
- Thread starter med2463
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Do you have the cover off of the channel? On my mast the cover over the wires slides out the bottom. But not easily. The wires should be secured in the channel by wire ties, I think every ten feet or so. This is to keep the weight of the wiring from loading the connections and maybe breaking. Sounds like you are trying to work with the cover still on the channel.
The sail track is the cover. The whole thing slides out the bottom. The rubber-like cover at the bottom comes out first. Then the whole sail track comes out. You can expose the wire trace the entire length of the mast.
Oh, the track might be in two pieces, hard to remember.
P.S. Scroll down to "Cruising Masts" and you can see that the front of the mast is open for the wiring. Scroll further and you see the tracks that are available to cover the wires.
http://www.rigrite.com/Spars/Kenyon_Spars/KENYON.html#Kenyon Mast Sections
Oh, the track might be in two pieces, hard to remember.
P.S. Scroll down to "Cruising Masts" and you can see that the front of the mast is open for the wiring. Scroll further and you see the tracks that are available to cover the wires.
http://www.rigrite.com/Spars/Kenyon_Spars/KENYON.html#Kenyon Mast Sections
Mast base was severly corroded from sitting in water for 31 years. I couldn't pull the cover out. Didn't realize till Mary started this thread that cover did not extend under gooseneck base. Been spending all my time near the mast head. Yesterday I got a 3/4" conduit threaded up from base to mast head, around all the thwartship tubes and fore and aft braces. Today I'm gong to enlarge the hole in the plate on top of the mast and pull some conduit out. Pin it , tie stopper knots in the wires for strain relief, and mount my LED mast head light on it. Will also rivet bottom end of conduit, although it can't move far, Ii suppose it could rattle.
Strategic mistake, I accepted a neighbors offer to split crane costs and use a local vacant lot. If I had paid for my own crane and was driving 50 miles RT to the boat yard, I could take the time to break out the plastic trim strip, grind off the bolts, cut off the gooseneck base and soak the sail track for a week or so to loosen it ,remove it, and then fish for wires out the top all whileI was waiting for replacement parts from Rig Rite I don't feel that I can delay my neighbor that long, or avoid the code complIance geeks.
Oh well, if I keep learning, I guess i'm not just getting older, I'm getting smarter.
Strategic mistake, I accepted a neighbors offer to split crane costs and use a local vacant lot. If I had paid for my own crane and was driving 50 miles RT to the boat yard, I could take the time to break out the plastic trim strip, grind off the bolts, cut off the gooseneck base and soak the sail track for a week or so to loosen it ,remove it, and then fish for wires out the top all whileI was waiting for replacement parts from Rig Rite I don't feel that I can delay my neighbor that long, or avoid the code complIance geeks.
Oh well, if I keep learning, I guess i'm not just getting older, I'm getting smarter.
That's too bad Bill. Salt water really does a job on our boats. My mast was 22+ years old when I unbolted the gooseneck mount and slid out the luff track. I think I did soak it overnight, too long ago. I ran all new wire for lights and VHF. I added a combo anchor and running light. But your solution should be fine. You need to get her back together. Your sailing season is starting.
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