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Old 05-07-2020, 01:17   #1
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Med
Boat: X442
Posts: 690
Mast Electronics & Cables

I have an interesting project coming up later this year of servicing & rewiring the mast. Reasons being that it has been up for 6 years and the standing rigging needs a good inspection, the raymarine windvane has an intermittent problem which I think I have now isolated to the cable in the mast, I want to replace the current anchor light with a combined anchor/navigation light, want to install a windex light and am thinking of removing the Navtex antenna.

Here are some topics which I would like some advice on:
  1. Wiring. Currently 5 cables come down from the mast (VHF, Navtex, anchor light, windvane, motoring/deck light). I am quite sure that they hang lose inside the mast, from previous inspections but also judging by the annoying noise these wires make when the boat is rolling... I do not want to use an inner guide/tube because I don't feel like fixing this with rivots all the way up, instead I am leaning towards something with Dyneema expandable braided sleeving, eg https://www.premiumropes.com/d-cover, to hold the whole bundle. That would protect the wires better (and hopefully not lead to damage which I think the windvane cable has suffered from) and would create more of a dull thud as it hits the inside of the mast down below when rolling (and I could even tension it a bit at the base). Questions: how to fix such a bundle, thinking mainly of the attachment point up top which should be capable of withstanding quite severe motions/should I hold everything together with tie wraps all the way down, accepting that individual cable cannot be pulled in the future/etc.
  2. Cable: https://www.ancorproducts.com/en/155010. Is this cable a good choice to go to the top of the mast for windex light/anchor ligh/nav light? Only reason I doubt is that it's 12mm OD, 1/2 inch. Seems extremely thick to me.
  3. Navtex. In line with my overall strategy of taking things off my boat, is there a future for this? It's working with a nice screen down below, but near the shore I have no use for it and when I go further afield I would be looking more towards satellite data anyway.
  4. Nav light: is there an issue in that it might be a bit blocked by the VHF on one side, the windvane straight ahead and the windex behind?
  5. Halyards: will all be reversed
  6. Any other tips would of course be most welcome.
Thanks in advance!
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