Running wiring up a solid mast

[Brigadoon]

Hoist the light then use the cable/wire pulled back to the mast, worked for me.

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

 

[mollyoxford]

That is the correct way to do it! Keeps any electrical connection below deck in the warm and dry.

Now that is true. And appreciated

When you take the mast out, disconnect and take the gland apart (assume it is the Index Marine type), remove the wires from the hole in the deck and using the blanking piece that came with the gland to make it watertight. I use a proper terminal block inside. This setup makes the job easy and never leaks.

Pretty much what I did when we took the mast out - except that lacking the blanking plates (which have either gone AWOL at some point over the past 20 years or are hiding somewhere) I used plasticene....

My only stuff-up when replacing one of the cables was to cut it off neat rather than leaving some 'spare' below decks in case of future clumsiness in unmaking/remaking connections and the resultant need to trim it back. Oh well. not planning on having the mast out all that often...

 

[Kukri]

The under deck connection routine is a pain in the neck, for me.

During lay up the bare wire ends corrode, and you have to re-make them; not a big deal but it takes time.

I can never find the blanking plate, fiddling round with a screwdriver and bare wire ends and a terminal block takes ages and is always an operation that has to be carried out in an inconvenient corner up against the beam shelf, in the middle of the general stepping the mast kerfuffle.

Simple plugs three feet up the shrouds have been completely reliable for me for 15 years now.

 

[KAIROS]

lantern

Since I have a masthead tri-color, anchor light, and vhf radio antenna up there, I had to make custom copper clips for the wires. The whole process was rediculouly tedious, but it's done.

If I had a laced luff, that one more consideration would have pushed me toward other options, such as a kerosene lantern for the anchor light, hauled aloft with foresail halyard.

 

[Brigadoon]

Yes, Anchor light I can cope with, and I have port and starboard already on the shrouds, and a stern light, so no tri-colour. My issue is a steaming light when I'm motoring. I think I'll try hoisting one, making sure that it's shuttered appropriately so as not to be visible from astern.