I stepped my mast for Suzi Q yesterday. Unfortunatly I did not have my VHF with me to check the connection. I was worried because the little connector device that the guy at West Marine recommended did not seem to be a good design. Sure enough when I tested it today it got no signal.
Now I am faced with either lowering the mast and fixing the connection. Or I have to climb the mast and run a new antennae outside the mast. The idea of running a wire outside the mast kind of burns me when I consider all the work I did rewiring the mast and fishing the antennae inside the mast. I guess I will have to lower the mast. I think that will be easier even considering that I added a CDI furler this year.
In the mean time I am working like crazy to finally get everything ready for launch on Friday. I sanded the bottom today and paint goes on tomorrow. If I have any time left I will try to deal with the mast issue. Or I will put the coaming boards back on and do the mast on Thursday. I still have a few cosmetic details to work on after she is in the water but at least she will be ready to sail on Friday.
Also finally finished adding the hardware: new maststep plate, two lead blocks mounted to new plate, deck organizer, power clutch and winch all mounted down the starboard cabin top. That and the new furler will give me the ability to control the sails from the cockpit. No more jumping around on the foredeck while singlehanding. I made a chart/manual shelf to cover the access holes, for the power clutch and the winch, I cut in the headliner. I used some old hardwood shelves I had as the wood and cut it down to size. It is two feet wide one foot long and 2.5 inches deep. Mounted on the headliner just inside the starboard side of the companionway, it is an easy place to store my charts and manuals and looks really good while serving a functional purpose. All in all I am proud of it and all the work I have done. Functionally and cosmetically she is a completely different boat than the one that came out of the water last fall. Now I just have to get in the water and enjoy it.
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
Sailing from Chesapeake Beach, MD
willwheatley@starpower.net
Mast Stepped But..
Moderator: Jim Walsh
-
Eric
Re: Mast Stepped But..
When you say you "got no signal" what does that mean? You should have gotten static and sqelching kinds of noise. If not, it's a power-source problem (which seems more likely). You should be able to get some signs of life out of it with even no antennae.
ew
ew
Will W. wrote: I stepped my mast for Suzi Q yesterday. Unfortunatly I did not have my VHF with me to check the connection. I was worried because the little connector device that the guy at West Marine recommended did not seem to be a good design. Sure enough when I tested it today it got no signal.
Now I am faced with either lowering the mast and fixing the connection. Or I have to climb the mast and run a new antennae outside the mast. The idea of running a wire outside the mast kind of burns me when I consider all the work I did rewiring the mast and fishing the antennae inside the mast. I guess I will have to lower the mast. I think that will be easier even considering that I added a CDI furler this year.
In the mean time I am working like crazy to finally get everything ready for launch on Friday. I sanded the bottom today and paint goes on tomorrow. If I have any time left I will try to deal with the mast issue. Or I will put the coaming boards back on and do the mast on Thursday. I still have a few cosmetic details to work on after she is in the water but at least she will be ready to sail on Friday.
Also finally finished adding the hardware: new maststep plate, two lead blocks mounted to new plate, deck organizer, power clutch and winch all mounted down the starboard cabin top. That and the new furler will give me the ability to control the sails from the cockpit. No more jumping around on the foredeck while singlehanding. I made a chart/manual shelf to cover the access holes, for the power clutch and the winch, I cut in the headliner. I used some old hardwood shelves I had as the wood and cut it down to size. It is two feet wide one foot long and 2.5 inches deep. Mounted on the headliner just inside the starboard side of the companionway, it is an easy place to store my charts and manuals and looks really good while serving a functional purpose. All in all I am proud of it and all the work I have done. Functionally and cosmetically she is a completely different boat than the one that came out of the water last fall. Now I just have to get in the water and enjoy it.
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
Sailing from Chesapeake Beach, MD
-
Will W.
Re: Mast Stepped But..
Sorry. What I got was power and some static. I did not get any responce to my radio check or any of the three weather stations I usually get loud and clear. In addition just to be sure, I let it roam for any signal at all for over 30 minutes. Nothing.
It is the connector for sure, looking back I should not have even tried to use that darn thing. I knew when I was installing it that it was not right but the guy at West Marine assured me this was what I needed so I went ahead and did it anyway. I went and found the same product and another sales person at WM told me it was all wrong. It was for a much larger wire. I would have been better off just twisting the wires together.
Anyway I got the bottom painted today. So tomorrow I will lower the mast and replace the bad connector with the right one and I will remember to check for a signal before it goes back up this time.
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
willwheatley@starpower.net
It is the connector for sure, looking back I should not have even tried to use that darn thing. I knew when I was installing it that it was not right but the guy at West Marine assured me this was what I needed so I went ahead and did it anyway. I went and found the same product and another sales person at WM told me it was all wrong. It was for a much larger wire. I would have been better off just twisting the wires together.
Anyway I got the bottom painted today. So tomorrow I will lower the mast and replace the bad connector with the right one and I will remember to check for a signal before it goes back up this time.
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
Eric wrote: When you say you "got no signal" what does that mean? You should have gotten static and sqelching kinds of noise. If not, it's a power-source problem (which seems more likely). You should be able to get some signs of life out of it with even no antennae.
ew
Will W. wrote: I stepped my mast for Suzi Q yesterday. Unfortunatly I did not have my VHF with me to check the connection. I was worried because the little connector device that the guy at West Marine recommended did not seem to be a good design. Sure enough when I tested it today it got no signal.
Now I am faced with either lowering the mast and fixing the connection. Or I have to climb the mast and run a new antennae outside the mast. The idea of running a wire outside the mast kind of burns me when I consider all the work I did rewiring the mast and fishing the antennae inside the mast. I guess I will have to lower the mast. I think that will be easier even considering that I added a CDI furler this year.
In the mean time I am working like crazy to finally get everything ready for launch on Friday. I sanded the bottom today and paint goes on tomorrow. If I have any time left I will try to deal with the mast issue. Or I will put the coaming boards back on and do the mast on Thursday. I still have a few cosmetic details to work on after she is in the water but at least she will be ready to sail on Friday.
Also finally finished adding the hardware: new maststep plate, two lead blocks mounted to new plate, deck organizer, power clutch and winch all mounted down the starboard cabin top. That and the new furler will give me the ability to control the sails from the cockpit. No more jumping around on the foredeck while singlehanding. I made a chart/manual shelf to cover the access holes, for the power clutch and the winch, I cut in the headliner. I used some old hardwood shelves I had as the wood and cut it down to size. It is two feet wide one foot long and 2.5 inches deep. Mounted on the headliner just inside the starboard side of the companionway, it is an easy place to store my charts and manuals and looks really good while serving a functional purpose. All in all I am proud of it and all the work I have done. Functionally and cosmetically she is a completely different boat than the one that came out of the water last fall. Now I just have to get in the water and enjoy it.
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
Sailing from Chesapeake Beach, MD
willwheatley@starpower.net