Securing wiring inside mast

[lkknapp]

I am just finishing up a refit on the hard and preparing to put the mast back up and launch.

My current project is getting all the wiring and bits and bobs onto and into the mast... Including VHF/AIS Antenna and cable & Masthead wiring bundle plus various runs to spreader and steaming light.

I am wondering if any of you have run into any elegant solutions to secure the wiring inside the mast. The old wires just were wrapped around the bolt through the mast and wrapped around with electrical tape. I was thinking about just using cable ties.

Also my bundle has a couple extra wires which I would like to have as spares at the masthead. In order to actually use them I need to have them accessible outside the masthead. Originally the spare wires were just lead out through a hole in the masthead and left. Is there any more elegant, not to mention waterproof, way to manage this?

Thanks!
Linda

[Kelkara]

Originally Posted by lkknapp

Originally the spare wires were just lead out through a hole in the masthead and left. Is there any more elegant, not to mention waterproof, way to manage this?

Not more elegant, but more waterproof ... put a small bung in a piece of heatshrink, and seal up the exposed end of the wire.


But I too am looking for ways to stop my wires slapping around inside the mast ... so following with interest.

[Nicholson58]

Our masts both have plastic conduits secured to the inside mast wall. Two in the main, one in the mizzen.

[cal40john]

The plastic conduit mentioned above seems to be the most common today, especially since internal halyards are common. If you look at masts you'll see a line of pop rivets in a line up the mast.

My friend with external halyards used sets of 3 cable ties at 120 degree angles, do not cut off the ends, at intervals. I have never heard anything move or rattle with that setup.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by cal40john

The plastic conduit mentioned above seems to be the most common today, especially since internal halyards are common. If you look at masts you'll see a line of pop rivets in a line up the mast.

My friend with external halyards used sets of 3 cable ties at 120 degree angles, do not cut off the ends, at intervals. I have never heard anything move or rattle with that setup.

Have used both techniques. The conduits are the best solution overall but have used the uncut cable tie solution when the conduits filled up.

[lkknapp]

I actually do have plastic conduits in my mast so at least that bit is no problem. More wondering how to keep the wires from working loose and falling back down the mast....

[Cpt Mark]

Originally Posted by lkknapp

I actually do have plastic conduits in my mast so at least that bit is no problem. More wondering how to keep the wires from working loose and falling back down the mast....

Your wires will be connected to something so that shouldn't happen. Also you bend the wires in a U shape out of the mast down lower than the exit point and back up to your connection. This directs the water down to the lowest point and it drips off, not going inside the mast. You can also zip tie them at the exit point. Check your zip ties whenever you inspect the masthead as the sun will degrade them eventually.

[fred4936]

He had major wire slapping inside the mast of our Tartan 27-2. Kept us up all night! I used the zip tie method, leaving the tails long. I put one set of three 120 degrees apart every couple of feet for the harness up the mast. This was about 6-7 years ago. Works great!

[wrwakefield]

Linda,

With halyards inside the mast, I prefer plastic conduit to protect the wiring.

Here is a past thread on this topic where I described a simple method I have used to install conduit inside the mast without the need for fasteners.

In case that is useful.

Cheers! Bill

[OS2Dude]

On my O'Day 23 I used 6' lengths of foam pipe insulation. I put each section around the wire bundle and pushed it up the mast while pulling the tape to join the edges together. This kept the flogging to a minimum, in fact I could not hear it at all any more. (I ran the external potion of the halyards around my spreaders while at dock/anchor.)

[Mojadito]

I did the wire ties at 120 degree intervals with the tails left on, as suggested above about every 12”, eliminated the slapping inside the mast. Now if I could just find a solution to the halyards outside the mast.

[TedCG1]

Originally Posted by Kelkara

Not more elegant, but more waterproof ... put a small bung in a piece of heatshrink, and seal up the exposed end of the wire.


But I too am looking for ways to stop my wires slapping around inside the mast ... so following with interest.

Try putting 3 or 4 beefy zip-ties around the wire bundle every 5 feet or so, leaving the tails sticking out; like a bottle-brush effect. The zip ties are flexible enough to get past internal obstacles as you pull the bundle through, but then spring out stiff enough to effectively dampen the clanging.

[OS2Dude]

Originally Posted by Mojadito

Now if I could just find a solution to the halyards outside the mast.

Outside the mast is easy, there are several methods.

1) The one we use is to detach the halyard from the sail and run it to a connection point on a handrail or lifeline and pull tight. Ours are metal triangles on strapping attached with Velcro. If they are far enough fore/aft, the halyards can not flog the mast or the shrouds.

2) Another is to slacken the halyard and throw it around the spreader, then tighten it back up. This holds the halyard away from the mast and can be done even while the halyard is attached to the sail. This is what I did on my old O'Day 23.

3) A less reliable method is to run a piece of twine or bungee cord from the shrouds to the halyards and pull them away from the mast. For a shorter mast, this may be enough to keep the halyards from flogging the mast most of the time, but is not usually good if the mast is very tall or the wind is blowing at a high speed.

[CarinaPDX]

If you plan ahead and run all of the wires you will need for the foreseeable future, I think the best way for a mast with external halyards is to secure the wire bundle with foam. I ran all of my wires up the mast to the various outlets, then secured them together with cable ties as I pulled them back out of the base. For the final install I secured blocks of foam every couple of feet onto the wire bundle as I pulled it into place. The result is that the wire is held securely in the middle of the mast - no slapping is possible - and there is no load at the exit points. It deadens the mast so that even a halyard slap from the outside only makes a dull thump sound, not the annoying ringing. The only time I disassembled the mast for painting was in 1998; I originally assembled it in 1980. The time is near that I will want to at least touch up the paint, and I need to run a couple of new cables, so that is on the to-do list. The foam blocks are the original 1980 ones and will probably need replacing.

Greg

[Seasic]

Im doing the same thing this week while getting standing rigging replaced, I like the idea of conduit vrs zip ties or tape.. some day someone is going to need to pull a wire or cable and won't be able to because it gets hung up on tape or zip ties..