Mounting New Wind Instrument

[mabowers]

Originally Posted by Painted Skies

We hired a crane with a bucket for an hour - and managed to get the cable snaked down the mast, plate modified and the instrument installed quickly and easily.

Works great pierside. That's what we would do in the Navy also, for heavy jobs aloft, like changing radar antennas, etc.

[dmdanielson]

Originally Posted by thereefgeek

...used the old wire to pull the 90 feet of new wire down the mast through the existing internal conduit, through the bilge hole in the compression post, and up to the transducer converter ...less than an hour in a climbing harness ...I use mountaineering gear to solo-climb and have foot loops attached to the ascender, and standing in the loops I can just get my chin above the top of the mast.

This is what I'm trying to do with a few differences. My C&C30 has not had a wind instrument installed. So I'll be drilling 4 holes for the instrument and 1 larger one for the cable. I also use a climbing harness and foot loops to solo-climb. How difficult is it to drill holes in what I think is a pretty thick piece of metal the masthead? Isn't drilling difficult if I'm maybe shoulder-high with the top? Based on my wind instrument, I think that I'll need 4 holes for mounting screws and I hole for the cable.

I'm also wondering if I'll be able to drop a pilot line down the mast w/ small weights on it, or will the vhf and mastlight cables stop it? I'm hoping that tightening the halyards and topping lift will keep them out of the way).

thanks!

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The problem is that the mast is keel stepped, and I don't have good access to the mouseline. I can pull it with some friction, but cannot manipulate it in any other way in case I need to coax the cable around an obstacle.

I guess I can try it keeping splicing on to one of the other cables as Plan "B".

On more than one occasion I have pulled out and repaired or replaced the mast cable for our B&G Hercules wind instrument.

We have a keel stepped mast, the B&G cable exits the mast below deck.

I disconnect the cable at the terminal block, tie and tape the ends to a light mouse string, and, from aloft, I pull up the cable and mouse string.

To replace the cable, after re-securing it to the mouse string, I feed it down the mast from aloft while my partner keeps gentle pressure on it at the exit hole. If it stops she releases and I pull it back a little way. It has not been too difficult.

If you do not have an accessible exit hole inside the boat maybe you could consider cutting one, about 2cm diameter. You can fish out the mouse line at that point.

[dmdanielson]

Originally Posted by thereefgeek

We just installed a new Raymarine wind transducer at our masthead to replace an dead Standard Horizon and had to drill and tap 1 new screw hole (one of the holes thankfully lined up). We used the old wire to pull the 90 feet of new wire down the mast through the existing internal conduit, through the bilge hole in the compression post, and up to the transducer converter (one continuous run of wire). I don't recommend splices at the masthead or in the bilge, as corrosion will certainly ensue.

It took less than an hour in a climbing harness with my wife running tools and what-not up to me on a spare halyard, and then she pulled the old wire out as i fed the new wire in from aloft. I use mountaineering gear to solo-climb and have foot loops attached to the ascender, and standing in the loops I can just get my chin above the top of the mast. I also added what I call a "Zip-tie Mohawk" to the transducer arm as a bit of a bird deterrent.

This is exactly what I'm trying to do with a few differences. I also solo-climb with a harness and foot loops. My boat (C&C30) has never had a wind instrument installed on the masthead. I'll need to drill 4 holes for the bracket and 1 hole for the wire. How difficult will it be to drill those holes in the masthead? That might not be easy if I'm positioned about shoulder height to the masthead.

I am thinking that I could drop a string with weights on the end through the mast to pull the wire that way. I'm wondering if that would work.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by dmdanielson

This is exactly what I'm trying to do with a few differences. I also solo-climb with a harness and foot loops. My boat (C&C30) has never had a wind instrument installed on the masthead. I'll need to drill 4 holes for the bracket and 1 hole for the wire. How difficult will it be to drill those holes in the masthead? That might not be easy if I'm positioned about shoulder height to the masthead.

I am thinking that I could drop a string with weights on the end through the mast to pull the wire that way. I'm wondering if that would work.

Commonly the hole for the wire is in the side of the mast just below the mast head.

Dropping a weighted string to mouse the wire is exactly what most people do. I have lead new halyards that way. one challenge is finding thr string at the bottom of the mast, but it can be done with a flashlight and a small wire hook.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Commonly the hole for the wire is in the side of the mast just below the mast head.

Dropping a weighted string to mouse the wire is exactly what most people do. I have lead new halyards that way. one challenge is finding thr string at the bottom of the mast, but it can be done with a flashlight and a small wire hook.

If your cables just hang loose inside the mast, this can work. But most good masts have conduits. So you have to lead any new cable into the conduit and pull it through the conduit, which may require some force if there are a lot of other cables in there. So with many masts it's not possible if you don't have a mouse line already there.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by wingssail

On more than one occasion I have pulled out and repaired or replaced the mast cable for our B&G Hercules wind instrument.

We have a keel stepped mast, the B&G cable exits the mast below deck.

I disconnect the cable at the terminal block, tie and tape the ends to a light mouse string, and, from aloft, I pull up the cable and mouse string.

To replace the cable, after re-securing it to the mouse string, I feed it down the mast from aloft while my partner keeps gentle pressure on it at the exit hole. If it stops she releases and I pull it back a little way. It has not been too difficult.

If you do not have an accessible exit hole inside the boat maybe you could consider cutting one, about 2cm diameter. You can fish out the mouse line at that point.

This was resolved in my case last summer already. In the event I didn't change any cabling. I put the NMEA2000 adapter at the top of the mast, and just connected that to the existing NMEA2000 cable in the mast. Next time I have the mast down I will probably change that, but so far it's working fine.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, dmdanielson.

The weighted string probably won’t work. An electrician’s fish tape might be a better solution.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

If your cables just hang loose inside the mast, this can work. But most good masts have conduits. So you have to lead any new cable into the conduit and pull it through the conduit, which may require some force if there are a lot of other cables in there. So with many masts it's not possible if you don't have a mouse line already there.

In that case I would pull a new mouse line into the conduit by attaching it to the bottom end of the old cable and then pulling the old cable out at the top. In fact I would consider pulling two mouse lines so as to leave one for future use.

Then sending a new cable down with one of the mouse lines ought to work. In fact, the conduit has less obstacles than a mast with loose cables which has spreaders and other things to snag the cable dropping in so it could be more straight forward.

In any case I would be trying to avoid new connections at the top of the mast.

...most good masts have conduits...

I have been happy on previous occasions at the ease which we can service cables and connections inside the mast without the complication of a conduit.

More than once other owners have discussed with me a problem they had with wiring or cabling but with the presence of a conduit the solutions seemed more difficult. Further, I can recall more than one occasion when conduits became loose in masts which resulted in noisy rattling. Not to mention the weight of the conduit and the fasteners.

So, in my opinion there are plenty of good masts without conduits and a conduit in the mast is not a feature I would prefer.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by wingssail

In that case I would pull a new mouse line into the conduit by attaching it to the bottom end of the old cable and then pulling the old cable out at the top. In fact I would consider pulling two mouse lines so as to leave one for future use.

Then sending a new cable down with one of the mouse lines ought to work. In fact, the conduit has less obstacles than a mast with loose cables which has spreaders and other things to snag the cable dropping in so it could be more straight forward.

Sounds like a good plan. Problem with my conduits are they are packed full so no easy pulling of anything through them.

Originally Posted by wingssail

In any case I would be trying to avoid new connections at the top of the mast.

Where possible, I agree. Any connection is a potential point of failure and at the top of the mast a PITA to get to to fix, or even diagnose. When I do have to make connections up there, I take extra care, and protect with a telecom wrap.