Rewiring mast

[Dreamer]

I need to run a wire in my mast for a new mast light.  I want to run a wire from the top of the mast to the mid mast location of my current light.   I find the mast is full of foam.   What do you suggest?

[skip1930]

What kind of Com-Pac has a mast, "I find the mast is full of foam."
How full? Just a plug at the top or bottom? But full? Really?

Better living through chemicals. Dissolve out the foam, dig out a piece of foam and see what dissolves it.
Acetone probably. This will be VERY messy. Don't do it on second thought.

Or use some solid bell wire and twist a hole clean through both ends. Use a drill motor to spin this heavy solid wire while feeding it into the foam.
I don't think heat would help.

Or a thin treaded rod, a coupling, more rod, more couplings, till you have bored clean through the mast's foam.

Of course the cast masthead will need to come off. Don't stop mid-way at the steaming lite. Finish the job.

The steaming light is ONLY when your motoring. The masthead light is for anchoring, Unless you don't have a stern light or steaming light. Then use an all around light. Red/Green and White all around.

Drill baby drill till you pop out, tie a light line to the rod and pull all of it back out the hole. Pull the wires.
We just talked about this in a lot of other posts.

skip.

[Bob Condon]

A couple of questions...

Is it completely full of foam or
is it oversized sponges that are maybe 2-3" thick?

My Cape Dory has 3 sponges in it and I thought it
was foam... It could also be a ball of foam at the bottom.


What I did was push an electrician's snake through it. DO not have the end bend over
but straight. If it is foam, you will e able to push the snake to the top, hook on a wire
using a long wrap of electrician's black tape from top to bottom and then you know it will
pass by the lamp fixture.

If it is sponges, I used a stick with a bent nail to pull it out
and then replaced with new car wash sponges from the local department store.

The sponges support the wire and makes it so it does not bang inside the
mast which is a true annoyance at night.

I used marine wire (I think the covering is white and yellow for 12 volt) in a romex
form because the covering adds strength.

Let me know if you have questions...

Bob Condon

[Bob Condon]

I like the car sponges because they press against the mast wall and bind the wire against the wall
while using pipe insulation around the wire adds weight to the wire (as it is not self supporting).

Bob Condon

[skip1930]

"I prefer the pool floats and the boat is less likely to "turtle" if you have a small boat that is subject to this when knocked down"

So your telling me...
1~It's a Com-Pac?
2~IF you capsize a Com-Pac Yacht that she's not going to go to the bottom faster then a brick?
3`Hummmm you must have a different Com-Pac than mine.

Sorry to be so blunt...it's snowing out, 10" to 15", and it's suppose to be spring, and I'm wasting wind. It's blowing at 27 knots. I hate wasting wind.

skip.

[Salty19]

Goodrun, welcome to the forum and hope you're enjoying the 19.  I can't see that adding foam in the mast does a thing for floatation unless its at or below the waterline. Above this point its just dead weight unless its filled with gas lighter than air.  It would come into play if the mast ever dips in the water, but that woild probably never happen unless pooped by a large wave.  The change you observed had to be from something else--weight reduction', rigging, sails, ballast,.etc

[Tim Gardner]

Salty,

I believe Goodrun played a Good one on you.  (I love alliterative rhymes)

TG

[Salty19]

Probably,  yes. Didn't catch Fred's joke either about tabernackle ventilation.  Both were new members and 2 weeks of taking painkillers are making me crabby.  Maybe I should change my name from salty19 to crabby2newbsmakingjokes19

Should have waited, I was making popcorn in anticipation of skip's response!