Antenna, radio, and compass locations

[Chuck]

Hi, over the winter I want to install a 3 foot antenna at the top of the mast.  It comes with a "L" bracket.  So I don"t reinvent the wheel, I would like to see what others have done.  I will put an extension bracket to run the windex back.  I don't know how the coax is run down the mast.  I would like to have it enter the cabin top beside the power for the nav lights.  Do you drill a hole in the mast at top and bottom to run the cable in? If so, what size and do you grommet the holes?  Did you attach the antenna on the mast side or front? Also, where do you mount your radio and how do you hide the coax and wires.  The ceiling of the cabin near the hatch seems a good place to easily reach the mike and channels, but there could be a better place.  All suggestions are appreciated.   I am also installing a danforth dual card bulkhead compass,  Location for this is also up in the air, Probably on the starboard side, but at what height and why.  Thanks for any help.  Chuck

[Bob23]

Chuck:
  I installed a Shakespeare 3 foot antenna on the top of my mast using the supplied L bracket. Drilled and tapped holes in the side. ( I don't like sheet metal screws...drilling and tapping out are so much more fitting for yachts like ours.) I used NeverSeez graphite grease between the aluminum mast and stainless steel screws.
  Running the coax down the mast was the hardest part of the job. I shouldn't complain too much, my mast was down. The coax entered the mast just below the bracket and exited about 8 inches up from the base. I bought little rubber grommets at the local REAL hardware store where they still sell bronze boat nails by the pound. Try to find that in your Home Depot!
  Reluctantly, I drilled a hole the size of the coax connector in the cabin top, starboard side and used a Cable Clam (West Marine) to run the coax through and down to the radio. At fall decommissioning time, I unscrew the connector from the radio, pull it up through the cable clam after unscrewing it, and bundle the coax on deck for it's winter rest.
  If I can get some photos, I'll email 'em to you...I don't know how to post photos here on the site.
  My radio is mounted on the starboard shelf next to the mahogeny box I made for the new electrical panel and battery shut-ff switch.
  A picture is worth a thousand words...I'll send you some,
Bob23

[Craig Weis]

When I had my mast off the boat and on horses in the back yard a few years ago I used 'self tapping' 3/4" long 'Tec' screws with the vulcanized rubber gaskets under the head and drilled into the mast to mount my Shakespeare antenna. The bracket for mounting the antenna must be 'tec' screwed into the mast below the cast aluminum masthead. Otherwise you'll likely screw into a halyard pulley.

A hole under neath the cast aluminum masthead for the coaxial cable to enter the mast is required and push the cable clean through to the bottom of the mast to exit just above the top-o-the-tabernackle.
Be mindful that the mast pivots and you need to be above that point.
The coaxial cable will need to run on the inside of the mast but in the forward portion of the mast extrusion.
Not in the trailing edge where the sail slugs go.

I ran my white coaxial down the compression post.
So select a location from INSIDE the cabin for the through-the-roof-penatration of the coaxial.
The tabernacle end of the cable is fitted with a female end, as is the feed going to the radio.
I use the soderless connections with a little tinning of solder just to keep things well connected.
So what goes through the cabin roof is a long male/male end with rubber gaskets top and bottom and nutted to hold this fitting tight. Set in 3-M 5200 slow set. Solderless with solder ends. May have to sand off excess solder so the connections can be assembled.
Then down the compression post and under the vee birth deck via the inspection plate.

Cable was run prior to me adding my 16" x 16" storage hatch and through the starboard side storage area then through all bulkheads and just lay the radio coaxial on top of the quarter birth deck under the cushion. Do the same for the Davis LED anchor light atop the mast. Snaked this cable between the vertical bulkheads and out to the VHS way up high, near the cabin overhead.
Almost all the wire and connections are hidden.


~Anyway, Top pic is the 16" x 16" middle hatch with an I/S edge just like factory. Ton of stowage down below.


The hatch closed. Normal vee birth. Same size as other two hatches. Same construction. Lips for hatch to sit on are just plywood strips that I snapped clamped under the hatch opening and deck screwed from the top down and then the 2" of extra screw was vice gripped and snapped off and ground smooth, and painted. I used Rustolem grey enamal.


~And the hatch again. Anchor line tied to compression post, to chain locker, out chain pipe to vinyl coated chain to anchor. I have no idea what that other white line is laying there, maybe just some 'smag' to tie up my boom for winter storage. I keep the boom hung by line inside the cabin in winter.


~The white coaxial out of roof penetration, to fwd side of compression post and down. Note oil lamp and line bumper.


~The port side fire bottle is supported by the screws holding the slider of the companionway hatch. No new holes!! Barometer and the am-fm-C/D mounted on lip of XL fiberglass insert above port side quarter birth. One speaker in each vee birth plywood bulkhead with sound enclosing box. Uses the Shakespeare antenna at top-o-mast with special 3 in 1 Shakespeare box mounted behind EL switch panel. Out of sight.


~The VHS radio is supported by the same slider screws on starboard side. St'd. El Pn'l. plus bilge pump and 'on/off' power to anchor lamp eye. The bulkhead yacht lamp has a AutoZone automotive red Tail lamp LED under the shade with pull/pull 'on/off' cord. Use SHORT screws to mount! There is nearly ZERO space 'tween the XL liner and the cabin, which is why the 4" dia. portals stick out so far from under the eyebrows.

Two black 'buttons'...top one is for power to the chartplotter and the one under is the thumb screw for ST-40 Bi-Data Raymarine unit, under the chartplotter. Be careful of unwanted penetrations. Keep the inside clean and leak free and cope-in outside items. The chartplotter is just 3-M 5200 glued in and I reached up into about zero space to plug in the connector.


~This is the foam, nonstructural, non-floatation, just to quiet the slap of the hull when beating into the wind, under the vee birth. Plenty of room still for storage. Blankets, extra life vests, lines, hardware, bagged charts, her undies, you name it.


~The foam was removed to the fiberglass matt for the two 2" dia Raymarine heads through hull. Note plug for paddle wheel. And one can see the grey top concrete of the poured keel. The bottom of this pic is the vee birth/quarter birth plywood bulkhead that compression post is lag screwed into. The bottom of the compression post does NOT sit on anything. Every deck/hull distance to the tabernacle is a bit different.


~Outside and electronics are cleanly mounted and wired. No inside penetrations. Compass on opposite side of electrical influence items and mounted on a teak stand-off ring. Two twisted wires bring 12 v power to the compass' red lamp. The 435i Raymarine Chartplotter has the internal antenna. Works fine in this location. Ship's bell mounted on teak block screwed onto stern pulpit tubing. The Harken jam cleats facing backward and on blocks for the head sheets DO NOT WORK WELL. DON'T DO THIS!! Bad idea. Or a good idea that did not work. I left them 'cause I don't want fastener holes on the top of my coaming.


~A Saturday stop over. Home port;----> 16 miles that way, on Sunday.


~Might as well show the Forespar Tiller minder that snaps into a Forespar socket mounted flush and under the tiller so it's easy on the hands. Cockpit coaming socket on both port and starboard side. Always one side free, no lines. One cockpit cushion cut long wise and spray adhesive 3-M glued to coaming for back rest. Two to sit on. A little organizer screwed on to fuel tank cover, makes for a nice lift-off handle for refueling.


Normal stuff here. That's my solar panel sitting on 4 cane tips for air space and gluded to hatch. Wires follow down compression post as usual. That stiff, dipped anchor chain rode sure stays put on deck when weatherhelming. And I off-set the mast on 2 x 4's that are U-bolted and thumb screwed to the pulpits so the sliding hatch can be used with the mast down. Always thinking.


I made a TIG welded Sampson Post from aluminum bronze fuel pipe from scrap at work. Ran out of 'line' room on the cleat. Used the same holes and fasteners 'cause they are backed by a factory glassed in plywood doubler.


I think the scrap came off this 50 knot/hour, [three-16V MTU 4000 kw each diesels] 120 ton aluminum, 150 foot, $44 million tub here that costs about $25,000 to fill her up. Snicker, snicker. This is why I have a sail boat.


That's all sailors.
skip.

[brackish]

Chuck I just recently finished installing a Standard Horizon DSC-VHF, a masthead antenna, converted a standard Davis 15 wind indicator to work with the antenna, and installed a compass.

I installed the masthead antenna on an angle bracket supplied with it on the side of the mast, two machine screws drilled and tapped into the masthead casting  (actually one of the screws that holds that casting to the mast extrusion was in just the right place), and the lower screw drilled and tapped into the mast.  I added a stainless steel extension plate to that bracket to put the post for the reference tabs for the Davis wind indicator.  I had to cut the post off to get the right distance between the vane and the reference tabs and still avoid the light.  The wind indicator rotating vane actually rides on the antenna, high enough so that I still have 360 visual on the mast head light.  I spaced it with a nylon spacer and used another spacer and a heat shrink tube as the top stop.  Davis sells a unit for this purpose but less money to convert the one I had.  





The RG 8X coax went through the mast, hole drilled in the top and bottom, watch to make sure you are above the step, used rubber grommets to secure them.  Fishing it was easy as I have a 40' fish tape.  I drilled a hole in line with and outboard of the multipin connector used for the lights on the cabin roof.  This hole just large enough for the coax cable and I installed a clam at that point to weather seal it.  Used Shakespeare no cut, no solder, no trim, no nothing connectors everywhere, they are great very easy to use.  Wrapped then in Wonder tape (that stretch silicone material that bonds to intself but is not sticky) to weather proof the connections.

When you get inside, you might take off your starboard bulkhead lamps and the short piece of horizontal molding just above them and see what you've got.  Compac routed a slot into the bulkhead centered on that area to get the mast light cabling on deck, and I was able to get the RG 8X in the same slot, so nothing shows on the interior. Others have noted theirs runs through the vertical trim piece.   Coax runs all the way down to the forward bunk, comes through the bulkhead at that point and then heads to the panel under the starboard main cabin bunk.  



Actually got my initial radio check two weeks ago.

Compass, pretty standard, starboard side, cockpit bulkhead, through.

If some kind soul would give me instructions on how, I'll add pictures, if not I'll include them in the mast raising system info I already owe you.  I wanted to take a couple more pictures of that before I sent it.

Frank

[Bob23]

Misc notes:
   When you drill any hole in F'glass, be sure to seal the inside of the hole with epoxy or polyester resin. Don't want to create place for water to enter.
Bob23
(Watch out- Now that Skip can post photos, we are all in for some interesting treats!)

[Craig Weis]

Bob is right. And when drilling fiberglass, aside from sealing the edge of the hole it sometimes helps to tape the 'gel' coat side to limit the cracking around the hole before drilling. If one really thinks about it, drilling is very violant. I have been known to collect the crack-off pieces and glue them back in around the hole. Especially if the hole will show after I hang whatever I drilled the hole for.

You seal to keep the water out. This is a good idea if the boat is stored in the winter and freezes, expanding the water and busting out the glass some more. My buddy never covers his boat for winter and I can point out hundreds of crack expansions. Some guys don't care. It drives me crazy!!
skip.

[brackish]

Chuck,

Added some pictures to my post above.  Thanks, David for the direction and Skip for the detailed procedure.

Frank

[Craig Weis]

I see your toes...snicker, snicker. Go Pack!! Brett Farve may be good tonight.
Should be a great game. He's our hero, the N.Y. Jets? I don't know. But Farve may just take the Vikings all the way.

"WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU errhummm BRENT?"

skip.

[brackish]

Aaarg Skip!

I'm linked up, but on Favres side with this one.  Lived not far from us in "the Kiln".  Went to USM, same as I.  A kid who never grew up. Peter Pan on steroids.  You've got to love it.

Whoops, off topic, sorry.

Brack

[Chuck]

Thanks a lot everybody, great ideas, and some of my ideas have changed because of the info.  I hope I can help others too.  Chuck

[Craig Weis]

brackish what is cool about your set up is that the masthead anchor light actually lights up the arrow wind indicator. Then you can see it at night! I lovs to sail at night. Way out past most of the 'smag' light. Usually I can see Sherwood Point light house but you need to be about 6 to 8 miles off shore before night sailing becomes great sailing. Otherwise every lighted thing in town just blows the marks away.
skip

[Chuck]

Hi, Chuck again.  While putting up an antenna and wind wane, I am wanting to install an anchor light.  I now have a two prong deck connector for the steaming light.  Is there a way of wiring in the anchor light without changing to a different deck connector?  If not,  does anyone have a spec for one that would fit close to the one on the com'pac now?  Thanks, Chuck

[brackish]

Chuck, there was a thread on this some time back.  I think it is in the "boat hardware and modification" section entitled "through deck electrical connections.

Mine is a four pin (three and a ground).  I think it is the same size as the two pin.  You should be able to just replace the connector in the same spot.