Accessing Mast Top Cap

[OceanSailor]

Can anyone please advise on removing the top cap of the mast. I’d like to remove the foam balls that are staged throughout the mast and I have but one pesky cable that is not budging. There is a hole that was cut at the spreaders that allow me to access this cable so an option is to cut it at this point and try to pull at both ends. The problem is this may or may not work and I’d like to be able to lead a small line so that I can more easily run cables to power and data connections at the masthead.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Maine_Buzzard]

If the cap is bolted, removing the four bolts through the sides of the mast extrusion will let you fight it off.

Years of corrosion will make this difficult and perilous if you break a bolt off. It can easily spiral to a damaged and useless mast if attacked improperly

You can buy a few lengths of 1” copper pipe and make a chisel to attack the foam from the base end. Solder additional lengths as you work from the bottom. Flatten or shape the end as needed to dig at the foam. Rotating the mast as you work will let you dig around it.

Fish tape from the masthead will get a messenger line started for running the VHF and DC wires.

[s2sailorlis]

And use loctite on those bolts when putting them back.