Major mast overhaul this winter - what's inside it?

[Robert Wilson]

Following on from searj's post regarding mast-work.
I'm taking everything off and out of the mast this winter, as well as having a full "Insurance Survey" of the whole boat.

Piecemeal DIY over the last three years has seen me re-reeve halyards, with messenger lines, and add an additional halyard - all inside the mast, utilising existing entry/exit slots, sheeves etc.
I'm concerned that the main halyard and topping-lift are suffering excess friction (but I may be mistaken)

Is it possible that ropes within the mast can get twisted, or do all have their own dedicated tube from sheeves/slots top and bottom?

If twisting/binding is possible, how would I re-reeve 5 ropes (main, jib, toping lift, spinnaker and spare) and the co-ax and lighting cables?
If I attach messengers to them all, then the messengers themselves will become twisted as they are pulled-through.

I know there is at least one tube inside the mast because I can see it through a bottom slot. How many are likely to be in there?

The mast, as far as I know is circa 1982.

All comments gratefully received - especially helpful and definitive ones !!

 

[captainboo]

I replaced all my halyards and put a conduit up the mast for the electrical cables at the same time. The only way I could do it to ensure that they weren't twisted/running through gaps behind a spreader reinforcement plate was to thread each one individually with the mast horizontal using electricians glassfibre rods to push a mousing line up the mast with the base removed. Once a line was put in it was then pulled to one side at suitable access points/other holes up the mast to hold it to one side to avoid the next line getting tangled with it.

Prior to doing this and only by chance I was looking through the hole for the electrical conduit that I had made and noticed that the old genoa halyard, which was a wire/rope combination, had been passed over the cap shroud mounting bolt and had partially sawn through the bolt!

Without doing it this way I would have never know and potentially sent the new halyard the same way if I had just used the old to pull through the new.

 

[VicMallows]

The cables may well run in ducts. Quite often there are two, one either side of the mainsail slot.

The halyards will normally all run down the open middle section of the mast. There is no reason for the original halyards to become 'twisted' IFF they were all put it straight to start with. However if you have 'dropped' additional lines in subsequently they may indeed be fouling other lines. (It is not unknown for people to add polystyrene in some form inside the mast in an attempt to reduce halyard slap --- a real recipe for trouble IMHO)

I think the only way you will sort it out is to remove the bottom casting and then sight up the mast with a torch while giggling the various halyards.

 

[Puggy]

I did this on my main mast last year. Once it is horizontal you can remove the mast foot and head, which makes things much easier. I replaced lots of stuff, but electricians rods or spiral wire pusher is a good piece of kit for threading wires and halyards up the mast. In my mast (Selden) the cables run up little ducts alongside the main track, and the halyards are just thread straight up the mast. I replaced the standing rigging tangs and mast plates as well...

 

[William_H]

I replaced all my halyards and put a conduit up the mast for the electrical cables at the same time. The only way I could do it to ensure that they weren't twisted/running through gaps behind a spreader reinforcement plate was to thread each one individually with the mast horizontal using electricians glassfibre rods to push a mousing line up the mast with the base removed. Once a line was put in it was then pulled to one side at suitable access points/other holes up the mast to hold it to one side to avoid the next line getting tangled with it.

Prior to doing this and only by chance I was looking through the hole for the electrical conduit that I had made and noticed that the old genoa halyard, which was a wire/rope combination, had been passed over the cap shroud mounting bolt and had partially sawn through the bolt!

Without doing it this way I would have never know and potentially sent the new halyard the same way if I had just used the old to pull through the new.

Thanks Capt Boo you have given me something to worry about. I will pull the spreader level through bolt and shroud bolt for stays next winter just to check. I often wonder just what is happening to the 3 halyards in my mast. Often seems to be more friction on spin halyard than there should be. olewill

 

[Robert Wilson]

Been a while since your last posts, so I thank you all, and as my mast is "off 'n' horizontal" for the winter I can investigate/thread at liesure.
Unfortunately, my mast is of an age that means I can't remove the top and or bottom fittings. So it's going to be trial and error (hopefully none of the latter!)

Cheers, and thanks.
R