Association Forum - wire tangled inside mast

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
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.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

wire tangled inside mast

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

checkmate
Deckhand

Member Avatar

Canada
3 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/30/2009 : 13:17:15

I am trying to remove several wires including the radio coax cable and cannot pull these wires out. I started to remove the spreader bolts and found that there seems to be something like a spray foam inside the mast and also a sleeve on the larger bolt. I was thinking these wires are caught on the bolts .....

any suggestions?????

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/30/2009 : 13:57:26

It sounds like you might have the spreader upgrade kit, and if so, you really don't want to remove those bolts, it's quite tricky to get the compression sleeves in place in the first place (there are two, one small diameter & one large diameter) and probably quite easy to get them out of place. It's certainly doable to get them back into place, but it's a two man job with the mast horizontal and a long pole.

Bear in mind that I have a C-250, but I've run wiring through a C-25's mast as well as mine and helped install the spreader kit on the C-25. There was indeed some foam inside the mast, we had to simply push it out of the way or through it. Do you have access to both ends of the mast (IE, is it horizontal?) or are you trying to do this while it's vertical on the boat? It's not likely that the wires are wrapped around the bolts or sleeves, although it's possible I suppose. If you've got access to both ends of the mast, can you pull the wires in the other direction?

Are you replacing the wires or simply removing them? If you're replacing, make sure you pull another pull string down with the old cable so you'll have a way to pull new wires. Although maybe you'll want to forge a new channel through the mast with an electrician's fish tape instead of using the current path.

An obvious question, but has to be asked, have you disconnected the coax at both ends?

Oh, and welcome to the forum. What year is your boat & what type of keel does it have? These are good things to ad to your signature, it helps speed answers to your questions.

Edited by - delliottg on 05/30/2009 14:04:06

checkmate
Deckhand

Members Avatar

Canada
3 Posts

Response Posted - 05/30/2009 : 14:19:27

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by checkmate
 I am trying to remove several wires including the radio coax cable and cannot pull these wires out. I started to remove the spreader bolts and found that there seems to be something like a spray foam inside the mast and also a sleeve on the larger bolt. I was thinking these wires are caught on the bolts .....

any suggestions?????
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">thanks Dave: The very end of the coax cable was cut off. Yes the mast is horizontal. To my surprise I found several other wires cut off inside the mast that lead to nothing. One is a larger coax cable no longer in use. The existing cable I want to replace is assessable at both ends but will not budge. In total 3 wires can be removed but none will move. The older coax cable has twist ties attached to it. I am guessing they are to stabilize the wire inside the mast. My boat is a 1979 swing keel. I have owned the boat for 8 years now and sail in Nova Scotia Canada in the Norththumberland strait between Nova Scotia and PEI.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/30/2009 : 16:11:17

Sounds like cold but pretty cruising grounds.

You might take your steaming/deck light fixture off (right below the spreaders) and see if those wires are connected there. I'd guess there are more wires at the lower end of the mast than the upper? There should be a four gang wire running up the mast to the steaming light with two of those four continuing to the top of the mast for the anchor light. I'm sort of guessing here because I don't have a C-25, so hopefully some of those guys will chime in. I know on my boat that's how it works (well, sort of). Undoing the wires in the steaming light fixture might fix your problem.

Not sure what to tell you about the coax, that should be a straight shot from the bottom to the top of the mast.

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

Members Avatar

USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 05/30/2009 : 18:26:08

I removed the spreaders to run new wires last winter; it's really not that difficult to replace the compression sleeve. The smaller ones can be positioned through the larger opening with the opposite spreader in place. The large one can be taped to the end of a pvc pipe (with a v notch and a little masking tape) and slide it up. The mast light wires propably join the anchor light wires in a multi wire cable, so it muct be free.

Edited by - on

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3321 Posts

Response Posted - 05/31/2009 : 09:18:25

When I rewired the C25 mast the new wiring bundle bunched up the foam and stuck tight. My crewman went up the mast and pored a quart of acetone down the mast which dissolved the foam very nicely and freed up the bundle.

Edited by - on

checkmate
Deckhand

Members Avatar

Canada
3 Posts

Response Posted - 05/31/2009 : 13:59:05

I was able to remove one of the coax cables ( old one left inside)but still no luck with the other wires. A huge tangled web of coax wire came out the end of the mast.....it was almost unbelievable. I tried the acetone with not much luck. I am getting anxious to get sailing and will most likely will do the best at repairing the wire for the antenna and leave the rest till the end of sailing season. I enjoy this form greatly and it has been helpful.

Edited by - on

Tom Gauntt
Navigator

Members Avatar

204 Posts

Response Posted - 06/02/2009 : 09:20:14

checkmate,

I just did the mast rewiring project today and discovered the same thing you did, I assume. I replaced the whole wiring harness for the anchor light and the steaming and spreader light, and also ran new coax for the VHF. What I found surprised me. Pulling the anchor light wire out of the bottom of the mast became very difficult, like it was jammed. I kept pulling and finally a big piece of foam rubber came out, taped to the anchor wire. I couldn't figure out why on earth that was like that and kept pulling. Out came another one! And then another and then finally probably six or seven pieces of foam rubber, taped to the wiring harness. It then dawned on me that this was a simple way to support the wire inside the mast and keep it from slapping the inside of the mast, like the old familiar halyard slap.

I tied retriever lines to both the coax and the lighting wires and removed them all at one time. I can see where trying to remove only one line could get a big tangle going inside the mast. Try removing all three at once... it worked pretty well for me!

Tom

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
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.