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How many mast wires?

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LeighMarie
Navigator

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USA
188 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/10/2004 : 20:40:27

I need to redo my mast wiring as none of the lights are working this year, and they only marginally worked last year. I did replace my steaming light last year, but it never did work well. I will also be replacing my connectors as they could be a lot of the trouble, and obviously I will replace these before I redo the wiring.

In doing a Search on this Forum people have talked about fishing new lines through using the old wires to pull them through. How many lines go to where in the mast? Would it be true to say there is a hot wire going to the steaming light, and another separate one going to the anchor light? And, then, does the ground go first to the steaming light and then another section go to the anchor light on top? I am going to take my mast down in mid-July as we're going to trailer it up to Traverse City here in MI, and by then I'll have the deck connectors all cleaned up and replaced to do the actual mast wiring.

Lastly, the masthead bracket (I forget the formal name), how does it come off? Before I put it up this spring I looked at it and it appears as though their is only 1 bolt up there which also holds the shrouds on the mast. I presume it will be necessary to take that bracket off to redo the wiring, right?

Thanks, as always!

Dave & Sharon on "Leigh-Marie"
Hull #5128

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 06/10/2004 : 22:14:23

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by LeighMarie
 How many lines go to where in the mast?

One more than you have bulbs for, for me I have an anchor/windex light, deck light, and steaming light so that is three plus one. I wish I had a separate windex and anchor light. I wish I had spreader lights.

Would it be true to say there is a hot wire going to the steaming light, and another separate one going to the anchor light? And, then, does the ground go first to the steaming light and then another section go to the anchor light on top?

Yes, buy a new deck plug with enough connectors for the number of lights you want... plus one!

Lastly, the masthead bracket (I forget the formal name), how does it come off? Before I put it up this spring I looked at it and it appears as though their is only 1 bolt up there which also holds the shrouds on the mast. I presume it will be necessary to take that bracket off to redo the wiring, right?

Yep!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2004 : 10:30:43

You probably don't have to replace the mast wires. Unreliable operation of the mast lights is almost always due to poor connectivity at the deck plug, or corrosion of the wire ends inside the light fixtures. Just scrape, clean, and re-tin the wire ends and clean the connections with a small wire brush, or replace the light fixtures if they are in bad condition. Replace the deck plug ($10 at Catalina Direct), and the lights should then be reliable. If these steps don't fix the problem, then you need to trace the wiring harness inside the boat. You could have bad connections or shaky fuses at the master switch plate. Replacing the mast wiring is a major undertaking, and you should exhaust the simpler fixes before going to that extreme.

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RichardG
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2004 : 11:38:47

You may want to narrow down the problem areas now by testing the voltage and continuity at the deck plug with a multimeter. It is simple to do (don't have to replace, dismantle or take-down anything) and may save you time and $.

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Dave Laux
Captain

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318 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2004 : 19:01:11

Anchor lights do not belong at the masthead. Use a small lamp either bare or in a housing and a wandering lead with atwo prong trailer plug and hang it from the headstay. Puts it at a highyhat small fast outboards will see and if it doesn't work you have it in hand to do something about. For steaming light use an Aquasignal twenty five or the combo bow light and deck light. Put ther minimum of stuff at your mast head every ounce up there reduces power to carry sail

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LeighMarie
Navigator

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USA
188 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2004 : 19:21:28

2 years ago I replaced the connector ends on the deck and the lights seemed to light. I should add that I could get the anchor light to light by itself, but whenever I put the steaming (bow) light on, both lights always lighted. I could never get the steaming light to be on alone - which some say is not a bad thing. But it was never right.

Someone told me that because the connector I used was brass that I didn't have to tin the ends, so I didn't. (Not even really sure how to do that.) The wire coming out of the deck is so short that it was hard to handle and get in the connector, but it could be that there is an issue there. I will take them apart first and see if they're corroded.

I do have a volt meter and when I have the red one in, say, the anchor light "hot" connection thingie on the deck and the black of the volt meter in the ground one it goes up to about 11.6 or so, which I think is adequate. Interestingly, when I take the red one out of the "hot" one and put it in the "hot" one of the steaming (bow) light (without throwing the steaming light switch, it reads about 6 on the meter. That may suggest an issue already, doesn't it?

I appreciated your comments, Larry, about the last resort of being repulling the wires. I should spend some more time testing the connections first. All I really would like is to get them to work.

Edited by - on

Dave Laux
Captain

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318 Posts

Response Posted - 06/12/2004 : 07:47:39

You do know about the clam type wire pass through fitings that allow you to make plug type connections below deck? They work well for antenna wires since coaxial plugs do so poorly when wet regularly. Its a much better and less liable to trouble system. If you have more than one light coming on when you switch something you have a bad ground. 11.6 volts with no current flow is not to good and the 6 volt one is really bad. Check ground continuity . Dave

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RichardG
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 06/12/2004 : 11:44:52

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">11.6 or so<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

It sounds like you have a bit of voltage drop. This seems somewhat common. Many owners have abandoned the original wiring (completely hidden because it runs behind the cabin liner) and run new, marine grade wire from the switch panel. It can be hidden pretty well by running it up along the hull-deck joint. Luckily, my previous owner did this one for me. I don't know if that will completely solve your light woes, but it would be a good start (and you don't need the mast down to do it).

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 06/12/2004 : 12:27:54

Two light s coming on is a sign of an unintended current path. A short to ground is very common in electrical circuits. It occurs when an alternate path from a hot lead to the grounds lead exists. The old axiom that electricity will take the path of least resistance is very real. But it will also spread out among all of the paths to some degree. (Remember dim yellow car lights? They have a short to ground but some current is still making it to the lights.) With stranded wire you can easily have a single strand that is not confined to the proper connector and that will "get" you. One of the things tinning does is to make the end of your stranded wire solid. Tinning is the very simply act of allowing a small amount of solder to flow over the heated end of your stranded wire. You see wire ends that are pre treated that way when you buy car radios and the like. There is a good chance that pulling your wires from the connector and reconnecting them very carefully will solve your problem. Tinning them is best, the art to that is dependent on not heating the wire to the point that the insulation starts melting but heating it enough that the solder flows rather than clumps. Practice on some similar wire and you will get good at it. Also on wire like ours a soldering pen is better than a gun, guns get too hot and are hard to control, a cheap pen/iron is just right.

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