• Registered: 2009-07-25
  • Posts: 112

Topic: re-wire mast, thoughts?

Hello all

Before  I launch this spring I am going to re-wire the mast and have a couple of questions.
Currently I am using factory install masthead and anchor lights(incandescent, not led), two wires to each light. For the short term I plan on continuing to use the light fixtures that are in place. With that said I can see a time coming where I will want to upgrade to a masthead light with a built in deck light and a anchor light that is multifunctional, tri colour, white anchor etc. I prefer to wire the mast now for easier upgrades later.

So how many wires should  I run now?
For the masthead light(steaming light) I can see 3 wires, for the anchor light, no idea.

As well, when re-wiring has anyone done this with the mast base in place? At this point I am planing on removing it as a couple of the rivets are  little loose. Not sure if the rivets are worn or the hole, regardless it seems like a good time to address the issue. My concern here is that the rivets are at least 3/16 to 1/4 in size and I don't think my hand held rivet gun is up to the task, any thoughts on the right tool. I noticed that princess auto has a 21 inch long handle rivet gun(handling up to 1/4 inch rivets) for 50 dollars. Not really interested in buying a commercial grade tool for a one time job but have also learned the hard way that cheap tools lead to more head aches than they are worth.

Any thoughts on removing the mast base?

Thanks,
John

2 Reply by Ian Malcolm (edited by Ian Malcolm 2014-04-07 13:00:48)

  • Registered: 2006-09-20
  • Posts: 175

Re: re-wire mast, thoughts?

I assume you mean a combined masthead tricolour and anchor light  and also a combined steaming and deck light on the front of the mast at approximately spreader height.   Both can be wired with three core cable, sharing a common negative return for the two functions in each unit. In the case of the masthead light, you never have tricolor and anchor on at the same time so the voltage drop in the common return wire is no greater than for a single light.   For the steaming and deck light, the only time both get used together is when the engine is running and the higher charging voltage is enough to compensate for the extra voltage drop due to sharing a common wire.

I replaced both without removing the mast base.   The old wires unfortunately had been secured with globs of expanding foam so they came out in pieces with considerable effort and the chunks of loose degraded foam were a real PITA to  break up and remove through the tiny access holes I had.   Replacement wasn't too tricky as I have a permanent mousing line through the mast from head to foot so I could use it to fish into place two lines, one to pull each cable through to its correct hole.   I put pairs of cable ties with the tails left long at approximately 3' intervals as I pulled in each cable to stop them slapping around too much.

However your mast cabling may be fixed in a totally different way - some makes of mast sections have an internal track for special conduit or to take slides fastened to a cable bundle at intervals so before doing anything you will need to figure out how the existing wiring is secured.

Depending on the amount of wear on the rivet holes you may need to go up a size and they will need to be Monel or stainless which require a significantly higher capacity rivet gun to set than aluminium ones do.  Also if the mast base is not already loose it may be very difficult to remove without damage.   Talk to a real rigger before doing anything too drastic . . . .

  • Registered: 2009-07-25
  • Posts: 112

Re: re-wire mast, thoughts?

Ian

Thanks, just what I needed to know.  I think I drop by my local rigger to discuss. I like the idea of cable ties as I am pretty sure there is no internal conduit.

John

  • Registered: 2006-09-20
  • Posts: 175

Re: re-wire mast, thoughts?

It takes a lot of cable ties to effectively stop the cables slapping.  Also it makes it very difficult to install the cables if there is limited access.   N.B. if there are *ANY* internal halyards the cables *MUST* be effectively secured clear of the halyards and cable ties left long are NOT a good idea.

  • Registered: 2012-09-05
  • Posts: 165

Re: re-wire mast, thoughts?

Has anyone seen a steaming light with integral deck light that is LED?  Last time I checked, all these fixtures seemed to use small unusual incandescent bulbs which made me reluctant to add that type of fixture as I wanted the power savings of LED.  I decided to go with an OGM Tri-color, Anchor, Strobe at the masthead and an additional red/green LED at the bow, eliminating the steam fixture completely (360 white at masthead and bow red/green meet the under-power lighting rules).  I also like the strobe which is a HUGE safety advantage for almost no power use and for deck lights, I'm using a couple of LED fixtures on the spreaders.

  • Registered: 2012-09-05
  • Posts: 165

Re: re-wire mast, thoughts?

ps -- if you end up with a OGM tri-color eventually, there are only three wires that run to that fixture.  One obviously for ground, one for tri-color, and both together (tri-color and anchor) for the strobe.

  • Registered: 2006-09-20
  • Posts: 175

Re: re-wire mast, thoughts?

The deck light is only used for short periods.  It doesn't really matter if that section is LED or not as the power savings on 5 minutes or less of usage per hour are negligable.  Its usually a 10 or 20W 12V halogen spot light bulb with a bi-pin base available off the shelf in any good hardware store. 

An all round white at the masthead is difficult to pick out against shore lights and may not be seen in time by fast small craft overtaking from astern.  They are looking at the water where they are going, not up in the air.  I certainly wouldn't eliminate the dedicated steaming light, though I do have the bow light + masthead all round white wired on the selector switch for backup use or if I'm motor-sailing sufficiently far out for shore lights not to be an issue.   I also don't use the tricolour if sailing inshore for the same reason.

  • Registered: 2012-09-05
  • Posts: 165

Re: re-wire mast, thoughts?

Ian,

Does the white light on the transom of your boat cause any problems with you being able to see well? 
I don't know whether you have a self-steering on the transom, but if you did, might the white light reflect off of the chrome tubing, etc. and cause problems with your night vision?

9 Reply by Ian Malcolm (edited by Ian Malcolm 2014-04-15 00:53:06)

  • Registered: 2006-09-20
  • Posts: 175

Re: re-wire mast, thoughts?

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

Re: re-wire mast, thoughts?

Rotary switch is a great idea!