Electrical connectors.

LadyInBed said:
I don't know if you have done much top of mast work, but I find putting all tools and bits in a bucket on a drop line rather than trying to put them in pockets helps. If you need another tool the bucket can be lowered on the drop line to collect it.
Also wedging the bucket under the job will catch bits that you might loose control of!
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We use a bucket when doing any mast work, for all of the above reasons (y)
 
Loop of rope around the mast and your body so you become Mr 2Hands
Bucket and zippo lighter and heat shrink
Twist the bare ends together , I suppose you ‘could’ try soldering in the bucket ( wind proof !) then obv, zippo the heat shrink onto the joints then attach light and get friend to gently pull slack excess wire back down through mast , before securing the wire’s outer to the mast head so the joints are not taking any weight.
I would myself think it out from there..

I have mast steps and two level ones at the top , but even with all that I have mentioned , it is wobbly, fiddly and oft times windy!
 
Blueboatman said:
Loop of rope around the mast and your body so you become Mr 2Hands
Bucket and zippo lighter and heat shrink
Twist the bare ends together , I suppose you ‘could’ try soldering in the bucket ( wind proof !) then obv, zippo the heat shrink onto the joints then attach light and get friend to gently pull slack excess wire back down through mast , before securing the wire’s outer to the mast head so the joints are not taking any weight.
I would myself think it out from there..

I have mast steps and two level ones at the top , but even with all that I have mentioned , it is wobbly, fiddly and oft times windy!
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Don't try this at home!

Twisting wires together is a bodge of the first order.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Don't try this at home!

Twisting wires together is a bodge of the first order.
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You is the man ?
How we got from making a joint above the mast , clamped , to ‘something’ falling apart inside the mast .. is something else

PaulR : Question: Have you ever had any success with so called low temperature solder? I haven’t ..
 
Blueboatman said:
PaulR : Question: Have you ever had any success with so called low temperature solder? I haven’t ..
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Never liked the look of them, so never tried. I use glue lined heatshrink connectors for this type of job. If it's inside, in the dry, i use normal crimp connectors. Sometimes use Wago connectors. Never use choc blocks.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Never liked the look of them, so never tried. I use glue lined heatshrink connectors for this type of job. If it's inside, in the dry, i use normal crimp connectors. Sometimes use Wago connectors. Never use choc blocks.
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Thank you
Would the glue lined heat shrink connectors give a few years service life without corrosion/volt drop?
Genuinely interested , your experience ?
 
I'd think that if they are correctly crimped and the glue is well melted, they should last many, many years. I've been using them for several years and not any issues at all. As with all of the connectors you could use on your boat, buy good quality.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
I've never used them, but are they suitable for a location extremely exposed to the elements, with a lot of motion? I ask for information, not as a put-down. The motion at the top of a mast is greatly amplified from that at deck level, and the acceleration forces correspondingly greater.
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The last time I replaced an anchor light, I used Wago connectors as an experiment. They are enclosed in the base of the fixture and the fixture was bedded, but the opening in the masthead was not sealed. There was strain relief. The ends were wiped with grease ( I also had to tap in a few bolts).

That was 3 years ago. So far, so good. Not a huge Wago fan, but it was lightning fast. Another reason I used them was that if I had to trim the wire to remove a crimp, I'd be running out of wire; there was very little spare and not a lot of room to work in between the instruments and wind indicator.

Really not that extreme. Rainwater and very little salt up there. I have also done salt spray testing of Wago connectors; they do pretty well, but obviously, the wire is not sealed and it could wick moisture over time.

It was an expereinment. The first time I have used them on a boat.

---

FWIW, the only connections I have experienced failures with are spade-style quick connectors that were not greased, fork connectors that were not greased, and wires snapped off due to no strain relief (instrument wires).
 
In Empuriabrava hardly anyone climbs the mast anymore as there is a local cherry picker available for €30/hour. So much easier and you can have everything you need to hand. Might be worth enquiring locally if one is available.
 
colind3782 said:
In Empuriabrava hardly anyone climbs the mast anymore as there is a local cherry picker available for €30/hour. So much easier and you can have everything you need to hand. Might be worth enquiring locally if one is available.
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Only useful if you can moor alongside a pier or wharf. I can't see a cherrypicker getting onto a marina pontoon, and of course, quite impossible for those on a mooring.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
Only useful if you can moor alongside a pier or wharf. I can't see a cherrypicker getting onto a marina pontoon, and of course, quite impossible for those on a mooring.
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Of course it won't be suitable for every occasion. To access the one I alluded to, you moor alongside at the boatyard and the cherry picker operates in the yard. I suppose that you could always pump up the tyres on it and see how it floats! :ROFLMAO:
 
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