Westerly centaur mast access

[Oldgeezer]

Wires run up the inside of my mast and rattle when moored. They go to the aerial and radar etc.
I want to get rid of the radar and renew the nav lights and whilst doing that I could do something about the annoying rattling.

My intention is to stuff the mast with pipe insulation... but...
How to I get inside the mast?

Is the mast foot solid when I lower it? or can I get in through the top of the mast?

Any help or knowledge greatly received.
Thanks

 

[chrishscorp]

The mast foot in theory and the mast top should come off both are solid, however if they are anything like mine i wouldn't bother trying, remove the cables you dont want, rewire the mast, keep the cables taught then squirt some foam in through existing holes in the mast or poke in old carrier bags its not ideal but it would work

 

[ashtead]

I assume a visit to the westerly owners website hasn’t helped ? You don’t say which mast but I assume it’s original gold coloured with reefing handle on front of mast. I might be considering replacing rigging (do you know when it was last replaced?) so a rigger maybe be help drilling out the metal block on base of mast . Also a look at spar makers website such as selden might be instructive along with utube vids of centaurs surely? As you would be replacing the mast light wiring I imagine it will be much light than original maybe ?

 

[Boathook]

My mast has a tube for the wires but they still make a noise. The mast though has got some polystyrene up it to deaden the noise even more. If you get the foot off would it be possible to shape some polystyrene to fit inside with a channel on the front edge for the wires?
I remember seeing something about using cable ties on the wires to stop movement by spacing 3 around the wire every metre or so.

 

[Stemar]

I feel your pain - that slap ... slap ... slap can drive round the bend at times! Though. in my case, never quite enough for me to do anything but moan about it

One way to stop it would be to drill a small hole in the mast about half way up and squirt some builders' foam in, BUT that means you'll never be able to add another cable again, and even using the old cable as a mouse, a replacement could be problematic. I wouldn't do it. Any lump of anything would do the same.

One other possibility would be to draw the cables out and add cable ties at 120 degree angles round the offenders at a couple of places, as Boathook suggests. Obviously, attach a line to the other end so you can pull them back in, and you may need to enlarge the hole they come out of.

 

[graham]

I have heard that spraying foam into the cavity can cause corrosion on the inside of the mast.

Wben you remove the radar hopefully you can pull out that cable which should help a bit.

 

[Oldgeezer]

Many thanks all.
It is the original mast and I have been moaning about the slap slapping - and but not enough to do anything about it for eight years!
I'm thinking its a bigger job than I hoped.

I'm now thinking its time to replace the rigging too - as ashtead suggests - and get someone else to do it!
Probably easier to put my hand in my pocket than in the mast! ((although I prefer to do things myself!)

Or as Graham says - it may mainly be the radar cable and pulling that out may be enough.
Early task for next year I think
Thanks
Keith

 

[andsarkit]

I had the same problem and filled the mast with polystyrene packing chips which turned out to be a mistake. It all packed down into a very solid lump which made it impossible to fit another cable later. I removed it all with a vacuum cleaner and a long tube extension.
It is worth removing the heel plug if you can. I had some corrosion at the base of a 10 year old mast and cut about 10mm off and refitted the plug using non acid silicone sealant. No further corrosion in the next 40 years.
If there is a drain hole in the heel plug it is worth keeping it clear with some stiff wire to stop water collecting inside.
When I next remove the mast I plan to push pipe insulation up the cables to keep them quiet.

 

[Bodach na mara]

The heel of my Westerly Renown mast was removable after first removing four countersunk machine screws. The masthead fitting was not removable. The cables inside the mast were in conduits and the falls of the running rigging were inside the mast. On a previous boat with external halyards the cables in the mast had plastic shuttlecocks threaded onto them to try to silence them, which worked sometimes.

 

[Oldgeezer]

I had the same problem and filled the mast with polystyrene packing chips which turned out to be a mistake. It all packed down into a very solid lump which made it impossible to fit another cable later. I removed it all with a vacuum cleaner and a long tube extension.
It is worth removing the heel plug if you can. I had some corrosion at the base of a 10 year old mast and cut about 10mm off and refitted the plug using non acid silicone sealant. No further corrosion in the next 40 years.
If there is a drain hole in the heel plug it is worth keeping it clear with some stiff wire to stop water collecting inside.
When I next remove the mast I plan to push pipe insulation up the cables to keep them quiet.

Many thanks andsarkit.
pipe insulation was my original thought - but getting it up the mast was my concern.
Sounds like the heel can come off to do the job and there's a plug in the heel to let water out.
I'm not near the boat at the moment to look, but how tricky is removing the heel?
Or is the plug hole big enough?
thanks
Keith

 

[Bodach na mara]

Many thanks andsarkit.
pipe insulation was my original thought - but getting it up the mast was my concern.
Sounds like the heel can come off to do the job and there's a plug in the heel to let water out.
I'm not near the boat at the moment to look, but how tricky is removing the heel?
Or is the plug hole big enough?
thanks
Keith

Westerly yachts of that era used Proctor masts and the heel is an aluminium casting that fits into the lower end of the mast extrusion (like a "plug"). It is retained by countersunk machine screws through the wall of the extrusion and tapped into the heel plug. After the screws are removed the heel may need a few clouts with a hammer to dislodge it if it has not been off recently.

NB, use a wooden mallet, or a bit of hard wood as a drift if you're using a metal hammer.

 

[Ardenfour]

On a previous boat I drilled a 20mm hole near the top of the mast and poured polystyrene beads from a beanbag into the mast. It did silence the slapping but I don't know whether it impeded replacing cables at a later date. Done it with the mast up. Also tried the 3-cable tie trick. Lasted a couple of years, the slapping gradually returned.

 

[mjcoon]

... Also tried the 3-cable tie trick. Lasted a couple of years, the slapping gradually returned.

Slowly enough to get used to it?