Running new cables through mast

[Lizman]

Hello Everyone,

Over the week-end I finally plucked up the courage and dropped the mast on my Elizabethan 23, as I would like to replace the nav light and vhf aerial and associated cabling. This morning I tried to draw them through the mast from the top with a view to mousing the new cables onto the bottom, via fishing line or nylon twine, but after about 6 inches both the coax and the wire seemed to seize-up on something, accompanied by a jangling noise inside the mast. OK, so I went and tried to pull through from the bottom of the mast, but there doesn't seem to be any play there at all. Before I start really hauling on them I thought I would quiz the forums, just in case there is something I have overlooked.

The mast is Proctors 1970's vintage, gold anodized, and is at present lashed to the deck of the boat, which is on a swinging mooring.

Fair Winds
Lizman

 

[StevieD]

Mine had a plastic conduit down the inside of the mast for the cables to run - I was luck to have mine on the hard, so took of the mast head and just pulled and pushed new cables through the holes and down the conduit - occasionally caught on the pop rivets that held the conduit to the mast but no real issues.

 

[MikeCC]

Is this pulling the old cables through? Could be someone has put cable tie 'spiders' on to stop them dinging the sides. Are you pulling both at once or singly - they could be twisted round each other.

Is there a plate at the top of the mast you can remove to take a better look?

 

[Lizman]

Thanks for all your replies.

I had been trying to push them through one at a time, but having slept on it, I now think that the problems I had were because I had assumed that the wires were running free, and not within conduits, which might explain the difficulty. When I go back on the boat I'll try pushing some of the flex up from the bottom and then pulling from the top and see if that works any better. Its going to need some patience...

Thank you
P

 

[Robert Wilson]

A word of warning, and I hope it is not the problem in your case.
Two years ago I decided to stop "the tinging" in the mast and also replace a halyard which had chafed "somewhere".
I can't remove the top of Khamsin's mast but I drilled a small hole and fed in an endoscope. I spotted some red fibres just where the cap shroud "through-mast-fitting" located. After a great deal of hassle and damage to the fitting I had it removed.
SHOCK HORROR.
The through mast alloy sleeve and s/s bolt had been chafed by the wire topping lift

(for about twenty+ years)​

.
It was almost worn right through, meaning the cap shrouds were almost not supported........

The chafed section was so jagged that it was snagging on the coax cable and the halyards. With the sails down the loose halyards below the fitting were tinging inside the mast.

I had to have made a new bolt and sleeve with attendant end fittings which costly and time-consuming. Much cheaper than a new mast after a dismasting!



Good luck Lizman, I hope all turns out well for you.

 

[Ian_Edwards]

You could try lubricating the cables,
I've used a combination of PTFE spray, GT85, which penetrates well and silicon grease.
If you use the push and pull technique, you can encourage the lubricant to run along the outside of the cables. if you have access to the cables at the spreader roots, and perhaps the hounds, you could try and spray the cables there as well.
It'll also make pulling the new cables through easier.
I've also found that the electrical cables are stronger than you might first think, so don't be afraid to give them a good pull.

 

[Graham_Wright]

Remove the masthead box if you can. Knowledge is a powerful tool!

 

[Lizman]

Hi Robert,

My mast is usually silent, so I don't thing its that, and I don't have any wire running rigging either, but something to be born in mine if I do trade up to bigger boat.

Ian,

Yes, I was going to lube the wires up, but with some soap! I think your suggestion is better though, and those sprays will come in handy for other things.

Graham,

I havn't inspected the top of the mast with a view to removing the end cap. What I have noticed though, is a very substantial piece of welded ss plate on top which supports the wind, vhf and nav lights, so I would have to get past that first - Ugh!

Many thanks for all your suggestions.

p

 

[captainboo]

The through mast alloy sleeve and s/s bolt had been chafed by the wire topping lift

I had exactly the same with my mast but in this case it was the wire main halyard that had been threaded 'over' the cap shroud bolt instead of straight down past it.

In this case it had sawn about a third of the way through the 12mm stainless steel bar linking the two cap shroud fittings.

Only spotted whilst trying to run wires through the mast.

 

[Malish]

This can be an absolute nightmare to sort, I had similar problems and could get neither the plate at the foot (siezed screws) nor the masthead box (welded on) off. This was a Kemp mast from '72. Explorations indicated that there was a metal conduit tube inside the mast but the mast was also fitted with roller reefing and it seemed verly likely that the roller reefing assembly cut across the conduit inside the mast possibly creating a restriction. Despite various attempts I couldn't ge the old wiring to budge an inch nor could I get new wiring down the conduit. Threw in the towel in the end and used a fish (electricians) to run the new wiring up the inside of the mast with tie wraps every 1.5m to stop the wire slapping on the mast wall. Not perfect and with the risk of chafe but it lasted 5 years without issue until I sold the boat..

 

[Robert Wilson]

I had exactly the same with my mast but in this case it was the wire main halyard that had been threaded 'over' the cap shroud bolt instead of straight down past it.

In this case it had sawn about a third of the way through the 12mm stainless steel bar linking the two cap shroud fittings.

Only spotted whilst trying to run wires through the mast.

You have reminded me that it was probably the wire main halyard that caused my damage.
When I bought Khamsin the yard had rigged her for me and I think it was then that the topping-lift and main halyard were inadvertently swapped round.

Makes more sense as the topping-lift doesn't get a fraction of the use that the main halyard does!

P.S. I tried to post a pic of the damaged fitting, but the system wouldn't allow it Grrrr!
"Upload failed" was the comment. Double Grrr!!