feeding a halyard

[chouchou]

Any suggestions how to feed a line through a 10m mast that is laid horizontal ashore, basically need a pole to push length of mast.

Thanks

 

[billcowan]

1) push something 10M long and stiff up through mast
I used one of the safety lines successfully.

2) Pull OUT something that is already there, ie instrument / toplight cable with two bits of string attached to the end.
Pull your line and the original cable thing back through with the string.

3) Incline mast slightly, drop a short length of chain attached to a bit of string down inside and shake mast until it slides allthe way down.

I have used all these methods at one time or another. - good luck

 

[VicS]

Screwfix do a 50' long spring steel "Fish tape" for abt £9

 

[jonathankent]

I used the backstay.... can slide along the inside of the mast and doesn't tend to curl up or get stuck on anything... should also be longer than your mast

 

[PeterWolsey]

Why use a stiff pole? You could consider drawing a biggish nut attached to a piece of lightweight cord through the mast (assuming it's aluminium alloy) with a strong magnet. Obviously you then use that line to draw through a heavier line and subsequntly your halyard. Wrap the nut in a plastic bag to stop it abrading the aluminium. Just a thought...

 

[garvellachs]

Wicks sell a flexible plastic rod (coiled up when purchased) to feed cables thru a conduit. I've used one to thread a messenger line thru a longer mast than yours - £10 or so I think.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Have done the same thing with my 15 meter mast also being horizontal and used 4 meter lengths of electrical conduit with the joiner sleves.

I found fish tail too floppy to get through

 

[Strathglass]

There are many ways to skin a cat.

I had a length of blue polyprop water pipe to hand and that did for a 50ft mast.

For a dinghy size mast I have used a convienent balcony.

If there was a three storey property that could be used to drop a line down.

I have a long electricians feeder but found the polyprop pipe better.

Another alternative is to use a set of drain rods. This would be quite cost effective for your length of mast.

Cheers

Iain

 

[Marsupial]

battery powered toy car tied to a length of string

 

[simonfraser]

method 2 barnicle

 

[Guest]

I bought a reel of fencing wire and was careful to uncoil it properly as it fed in ... otherwise it kinks !

Getting that through was no problem - trouble came trying to get the "joint" past the spreader compression bar inside the mast !! I was out there all night with torch etc. fiddling about with it. Left it - went to bed all angry. Got up next morning, fresh as a daisy and went out to the b******d mast ......... pulled the wire - bingo out cable popped as if nothing wrong.

 

[chamac]

You could try blowing a piece of string through with an air compressor. If you tie a small piece of polystyrene or the like onto the end it will assist its travel in the air stream and then tie the halyard onto the string. This method is used to pull wires and stuff through pipes.

 

[CliveG]

You can straighten any solid wire by fixing one end to something that won't move and
spinning the other end in the jaw of a drill.
It ends us completely kink free.
Watch out when you release the drill end as it spins back a bit.

I did this the other day with some copper earth wire from a "Twin & Earth" cable when re-feeding the leach line on our main sail.

 

[rhumlady]

Curtain wire does a good jub. I believe it is also used for hanging curtains but I think that is just silly!