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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Mast Wiring

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Chris Z
Captain

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452 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/13/2007 : 15:47:29

I got into replacing the deck receptacle for the mast lights. I ordered the new one, removed the screws. Found that the wiring only has about 1/2 inch of play in it. I looked down in the cabin by the bulkhead, and I do see wiring, just doesn't look like this wire. Need some input as to what I am missing and how to get more slack.

Chris Z.
Water Warrior
1982 Force 5

Former Owner Blown Away - C25

Edited by - on

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3321 Posts

Response Posted - 06/13/2007 : 16:54:37

Chris, I'm sorry to say that that 1/2" is all you have for the connection unless you rewire from the electrical panel. When our boats were built the wires were glassed into the deck.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3448 Posts

Response Posted - 06/13/2007 : 17:24:11

Chris,

I am not familiar with your year Catalina but I can tell you my experiences with the '89 model. My mast was rewired and I was going to hook it up to a new deck connector. The condition of the wiring at the inside of the deck connector was deteriorated and there was not enough slack to cut off an inch and make a new connection. The inside wiring seems to be inside the liner since it does not come out forward or aft of the bulkhead separating my porta-potti from the main cabin. It then enters the mast column and leads back to the switch panel parallel to the bilge cover. There is a bit of slack in the wire that you can access thru the bilge but I was led to believe that the wiring at the deck connector when it runs thru the liner is encapsulated during construction and cannot be pulled through. But there is more to this story.

I then decided to replace the inside wiring as other have also done. I removed the deck connector and using a long length drill bit, I drilled a hole at an angle thru the deck connector hole into the liner angling the bit to get the hole to pass in front of the bulkhead into the porta-potti area. It just made it and I had a hard time spotting the hole because it was in the rubber liner where the bulkhead joins the cabin top and closed up after I pulled the bit out. I rewired hooking up to the deck connector by first applying dielectric paste to the wires that attach to the deck connector. Then I tightened the wires into the deck connector. I also bought a new BEP 8 circuitbreaker Switch Panel, located it in front of the sink and have some photos of the panel on my website.

After all the work was basically done and new circuits established on the new panel, I was doing some cleanup, removing some wires that were no longer needed. That's when my attention, once again, focused on the old inside wiring to the deck connector. I was trying to remove the wiring from the bilge area and was going to cut it...but I gave a strong tug and it came out all the way up from the deck connector area. (Did not disturb the new wiring.)

So...at least on my '89, the old wiring was not encapsulated in the liner. But the hole that enters thru the liner makes for a very tight fit with the existing wire and you may not be able to get a good grasp on the remaining wiring in the deck connector area to pull some slack up from the bilge area. Rewiring from the deck connector to the switch panel is real easy after you successfully drill a hole inside that deck connector area for the new wire. Anchor sells mast wire in 4 or 5 wires bundled in a sheath. You can get it in 12 or 14 gauge. I would not go smaller than that. (I used the extra wire for a fan - See my website.)
There are two websites where you can order mast wiring from that are cheaper than West Marine: http://bestboatwire.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=53
and http://genuinedealz.com/

(I bought the wire from one of them but could not find it on their website today.)

Good luck with your wiring !

Edited by - on

roberoo
Navigator

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USA
182 Posts

Response Posted - 06/13/2007 : 22:50:35

Just curious because I just planned on soldering an additional 6 - 8 inches of wire to the little that i sthere now. I woukd heat shrink the soldered connection. Seems a little easier than running new wire especially if the connections currently work. Or am I missing something here?

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3448 Posts

Response Posted - 06/14/2007 : 05:42:15

If you can do so, seems an easy solution. Sometimes the ends of the wires are badly frayed, etc and so it is adviseable to cut off some of it and use the untouched part below it. But...that is where the dilemma begins because many times there is not enough slack to cut off an inch or so. Then one has to decide if they are willing to use the frayed end ...and if one did not have a working light to begin with and was redoing mast wiring and light fixtures, then the use of the old wire then seems to be the weak link left in an otherwise fine improvement project. But if the inside wire end looks good, then probably no reason to replace it.

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.