• From: Lake Erie, Dunkirk, NY
  • Registered: 2005-03-11
  • Posts: 272

Topic: wiring gauge

I am in the process of rewiring my mast for a new tricolor/anchor and streaming lights.  After being up be the boat for past 3 days of work, I forgot to check what wire guage was used in the mast.  I am think 14 gauge but unsure.  Anyone know? Also, since I am here, should one get the wiring in insulation form or by the single wire?  If I do it the insulation way, I will need to buy a flat triplex 40 feet (@13 meters) for trilight/anchor and duplex 30 feet for steaming light (@9 meters).  I am just trying to get the wiring down to base of the mast where I have a 3-prung plug set up.  I will be grounding the wiring to the mast (need to make sure the mast is ground also).  Comments?  jklee

  • From: Belle River, Ontario
  • Registered: 2005-03-20
  • Posts: 143

Re: wiring gauge

  • From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
  • Registered: 2005-05-06
  • Posts: 304

Re: wiring gauge

I have a pic of of my tri-color setup on the masthead fitting, but forgot to take pic of where wiring exits, d'oh!!

My wiring goes down inside the mast, including the VHF cable.  Will take more pics this week!!

“You get a boat for only one reason, because you want one.  If you’re worried about being practical, forget boats.”
  • 1978
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2006-05-11
  • Posts: 12

Re: wiring gauge

I've done both of those jobs.


Actually the distance is TWICE the length you quoted. Line loss is the distance out and back to the battery

SO

14 GA is undersized

12 GA is OK

It all comes down to line loss % (west had a good chart in the electrical area) but it really comes down to MONEY right ;-)

I used triple flat but wanted triple round but could not find it, and then used duplex for the steaming light

If you measure really good you can connect the duplex to the triplex (and VHF) and pull it all together and have it spot on the midpoint hole in the mast for the steaming light.

Anchor wire & shrink fittings = doing it only once

  • From: Lake Erie, Dunkirk, NY
  • Registered: 2005-03-11
  • Posts: 272

Re: wiring gauge

Thanks for the information.  I am learning from reading different source then I ever have on electical wiring.  Since the distance from the battery to connecting plug then up the mast would be about 50-55 feet (16m- 18m) for trilight/anchor light and less for the streamimh light.  Checking a couple of charts, it looks like 10 GA is required.  Sadly to say, this increases the cost, but I do not wish to redo because I was holding money back.  I guess I can go without buy my favor icecream cone favor for a while;-)  Will looking into anchor wiring method as I have to get my VHF wiring down the mast somehow, as the mast is sitting on saw horses.  Thanks again.  ~jklee

  • From: Montreal
  • Registered: 2005-04-22
  • Posts: 259

Re: wiring gauge

Hold tight -- the wire guage is a function of the current required for the lights.  If you change the incandescent bulbs to LEDs for example, then the current is very much reduced for the same output, allowing you to use lighter guage wire.  Is it cheaper to change the bulbs or buy heavier wire?  Plus you can save a bit of weight aloft too.

Cheers!

Christopher

  • Tim
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Sudbury, ON
  • Registered: 2007-01-15
  • Posts: 17

Re: wiring gauge

So John... or anybody else...
when you re-wired your mast, how did you do it??  Did you drill out the rivets and take your mast apart at the top and bottom, or fish the new wires through with the old ones??  I have a similar task planned this spring, since my mast is down for the winter anyway. 

Thanks, Tim

  • From: Barrie, Ontario, Canada
  • Registered: 2005-10-10
  • Posts: 237

Re: wiring gauge

I think my mast foot had rivets and the head had bolts. I drilled out the rivets, but the corrosion was so bad that it was impossible to get the foot off. I had to cut one inch off the bottom of the mast. But that was not a problem since there was a crack in the bootom of the mast so it had to be shorten anyway. Removing the ends gave much better access. I bundled my wires  to a supporting cable and encased them in foam to prevent abrasion.

  • From: Lake Erie, Dunkirk, NY
  • Registered: 2005-03-11
  • Posts: 272

Re: wiring gauge

Sorry for not being around earlier. I have been busy with family history stuff.
Anyway, I think you might think I was crazy but inside the mast is a plastic housing that slipped up a T-shape guide (or whatever) that held the original wires. Because I had more wire to put up the mast, I bought 3 8-ft pvc 1-inch diameter and cut a slit into them (3-times to get wide enough). This took days as all I had was my leatherman to do the cutting the straight line! Once I was done, I pushed these up the mast on the other empty T-guide (other side of the mast) then ran the top mast wiring up it. The original plastic housing was used for the running light (mid-mast) only. This project took 3 of my weekends last year as I needed help at times to get everything together. I will try and put photos of this in the gallery.  Hope this helps, jklee

10 Reply by Tim

  • Tim
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: Sudbury, ON
  • Registered: 2007-01-15
  • Posts: 17

Re: wiring gauge

Thanks for the help!  I guess I will have to take the mast apart, and put it back together afterall - keeping my fingers crossed.  Maybe next time I'm at the boat, I'll squirt some oil on the mast head and foot to let it work in before I try to remove them.