How easy is it to fit a Wind unit on the masthead?

[Bloater]

SWMBO has offered to climb the mast and fit a new Wind sensor on the top of the mast! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I don't know if this is a good idea or not but on the off-chance that she does go ahead with this then how easy is it to feed the cable down a 55ft mast?

Does the cable just drop down with gravity? The mast is a Seldon type, we do not have in-mast furling.

How do you get the end of the cable out of the bottom? We have a deck-stepped mast.

Out of interest, has anyone else persuaded their Wife to go up the mast?

 

[maxi]

Not difficult. You need that most indispensible of items, an old fashioned chain (as fitted to a sink plug).

The chain is tied to a light 'messenger' line and is fed into the mast at your chosen entry point, the light line is helped in and gravity will help.

At the bottom, you will decide where the cable is to exit, and a piece of light wire bent into a hook will enable you to catch the chain and bring it carefully out of the mast. Lastly the cable is attached to the light line ( a bit of electrical tape is used to eliminate any big steps at the join, form a neat taper) and the cable helped carefully into the mast with "gentle" tension from below.

Be patient and don't apply force, damage to the cable sheath can prove to be expensive.

 

[BAtoo]

I presume you are replacing an existing unit....

If so send wife up mast; get her to retrive existing cable onto which you have tied a light line (mouse); undo & replace head unit; tie mouse onto end of cable ( reherse this on deck) and you pull mouse a cable back down & it will automatically pull cable thro old hole ( you may need to have cut plucg off for it to fit).

If its all new then its quite a job involving drilling holes, riviting or screwing unit; aligining it etc; then sending down a mouse first ( with weight attached - piece of bike chain etc) you hooking the mouse/chain and retrieving etc. All-inall quite a job with the mast up.

No; I have never even contemplated asking her to go up the mast - I wish to live a little longer..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[earlybird]

If it's an all new installation involving drilling etc, then I wouldn't even think about it.

 

[doug748]

I must agree with earlybird.
If it is a new installation.......
a) Do not even consider it, even pro riggers can have problems with the cable getting stuck halfway, fouling halyards etc. b) If you do manage it, at the expense of great time and trouble, the noise of the unsupported cable will drive you nuts at anchor. The mast will have to come down to do the job properly
If you are replacing an existing unit.......
The old cable will be run in a dedicated channel within the mast......see a) above (without the halyard problem, but that channel is very small, long and bunged up with other cables).
If you go for it, let us know about the progress of the divorce

 

[fflakey]

One solution is to put a length of tubular plastic electrical conduit down the mast to contain the cables. This stops them flapping about.

Also, pour lots of the little polystyrene worms that are used for packaging down into the base of the mast, these will further reduce movement but will offer no resistance to a smartly tugged halyard.

 

[alan_d]

Have you thought of Tacktick? No wires (but costs more).

Haven't got one myself but thinking about it...

Alan

 

[AliM]

Just to answer your last question...
Yes, I go up the mast when things need doing - I'm a bit lighter than HWM(B)O, and the view from the top of the mast (almost wherever you are) is wonderful.

If persuasion would be required, then don't even consider it!

 

[1955patric]

I fitted a new masthead transducer a few years ago when the old Stowe unit gave up the ghost. Used a mouse tied on to the existing cable and pulled it up to the top of the mast. However, when I had the old cable out I found the reason for the failure of the original unit was that the cable had been chaffed through by the main halyard because the cable had not been run down the internal cable conduit. Had to take the mast down and used an electricians mousing kit (available from www.screwfix .com) after removing the truck. NOT a job for SWMBO hanging on a halyard.

 

[steve6367]

I have just done this - no problem. You need someone you trust operating lines, both for you and sending drills etc up and down. Make sure you plan well and have everything to hand to avoid going up and down. I had a draw line in my mast from manufacture, you may have this but if not I have done it in the past the a weighted line lowered and fished out the bottom.

Steve

 

[blackbeard]

[ QUOTE ]
SWMBO has offered to climb the mast ...

[/ QUOTE ]
what do you feed her on? and where can I get some?

 

[Bloater]

Thanks for all the comments. SWMBO is still keen on the idea but she reserves the right to change her mind when she gets halfway up... I can't understand why she trusts me so much.

I have offered to do it instead but she doesn't think she will be able to winch me up as I'm a lot heavier than her.

I hadn't appreciated some of the points that have been made, in particular the possibility of 'clanking' from the loose cable and possible problems with chaffing on the main halyard.

If I understand correctly then the mast is in fact a sealed tube with just an opening at each end, the sail track opening does not have access to the inner mast hollowing. That being the case it is unclear just how the existing cables or any new cables can be secured. If we are talking about running lots of cables down a conduit inside the mast then this must be diffcult to do even when the mast is down. I have a TV aerial and Radar to fit as well, but these won't even go to halfway up the mast.

If you were wondering why we were contemplating not having the mast stepped down it is simply that we don't trust that it would be put back correctly (we have a new boat with a B&R type rig). Also I have seen comments on the Portishead Marina website that says that before they step a mast down the owner has to make seperate arrangements to remove all aerials and windvanes from the mast - seems to defeat the object to me of having the mast down to fit the stuff.

Thanks again for all the comments.

 

[earlybird]

I admire your better half's pluck, but the reason for my earlier doubts is that, for my bosun's chair at least, I can just about get the top of my head level with the mast truck, admittedly using ascenders which lose you a bit of height. I for one would not like to do the necessary drilling etc. with my hands above my head. I would have thought that your SWMBO must at least stand on some sort of foot-rest to get the truck nearer waist level. this won't be a very stable position. Sooner her than me!