Silence of the Wires

John G. · Post by **John G.** » Apr 17th, '06, 16:19

After enough nights listening to the wires in my mast torment me with the rythmic banging noise I am now resolving this problem. New wire for mast lights, new coax for radio, new sail slugs (which were never there to begin with ergo the noise) I have now questioned myself as how to stop gravity from pulling on said wires.So before I rig up something of my own invention I am wondering if there is a simple solution. This may seem trival but I surley do not want to have to do this again because of something I was to embrassed to ask for help.

viejo · Post by **viejo** » Apr 17th, '06, 18:17

If you're rewiring the entire mast, the way to go would be to add a PVC Conduit inside the mast for the wires. You'll need to make sure that it's got the diameter needed to allow for ALL the wires (and any messengers you might need).

The conduit can be fastened to the inside of the mast in a number of ways, but should be done before you run the wires (so as to avoid "nicking" any of the wires with drill bit.

tartansailor · Post by **tartansailor** » Apr 17th, '06, 19:05

John,

One effective remedy is to wrap the wire bundle with LARGE wire ties (the thickest, widest ones available) every 2 feet, and leaving the lead ends free to press against the interior wall.

Have the tie ends exit the bundle at 0°, 90°, 180° 270° all the way up.

Another alternative is to enclose the wire bundle inside foam pipe insulation, again all the way up.

Dick

chase · Post by **chase** » Apr 17th, '06, 21:04

I had luck with this method on my old boat.

The extra buoyancy in the mast gave me confidence, just in case I pitchpoled here in the roaring 30's, like on a local lake

Chase

Gary M · Post by **Gary M** » Apr 17th, '06, 21:30

I'm getting ready to rewire my mast and had not thought of foam insulation.

Does it have to be attached to the mast in anyway or does it just kind of stand straight up inside the mast and doesn't make a noise when it hits?

Any instruction is appreciated.

Gary

chase · Post by **chase** » Apr 17th, '06, 21:53

Gary,

I think I only added the insulation three-quarters of the way up and it fixed its wagon good. I wrapped the insulation with tape at semi-regular intervals to keep the wiring from slipping out of the crack in the insulation.

Best,

Chase

barfwinkle · Post by **barfwinkle** » Apr 17th, '06, 22:34

John

I re-wired my mast on Rhapsody the last hall out. It was not a big chore. The biggest problem was with getting Rigrite to ship the slugs that fit the track on the inside of the mast. As I recall they are 1/2" round. You might be able to find them elsewhere, but I would think long and hard before ordering ANYTHING from Rigrite (MHO).

On a previous boat I did the PVC conduit thing and it worked GREAT. However it was a bit of a chore. Left to do it all again, I would replace the slugs instead of drilling a hole every 12" in the mast to attach the PVC with pop rivets. This is a method suggested in "This Old Boat" as I recall and it worked, but you already have a track in place all you need are the slugs.

I have not tried the insulation nor the wire ties but have read where they work just as well. Also, on that previous boat, I thought just how bad can it be. Well I stepped the mast, spent the night on the boat in a blow, and unstepped the mast the next weekend. That crap needs to be secured.

Fair winds

JimL · Post by **JimL** » Apr 17th, '06, 22:50

...I found it best to use short, medium size cable ties. I positioned them in a triangular pattern, and spaced each 'three-prong" bundle a foot apart. Any closer (or bigger) and I kept getting hung up on stuff inside the mast.

It worked fine, and is a cheap fix. Give serious thought to NO (zero) connections between the electrical component and the wire harness INSIDE the boat (not in the bottom of the mast). Every connection is potential voltage drop, and the stuff in the mast lives a pretty damp life.

What we really need is low-voltage AC power (up the mast) and device control with IR inside the tube. Then there'd only be two wires (or one) that go up the mast, and no more pressure loss from long wiring! Turning on lights, receiving data, etc. would be handled by a controller in the masthead. You could add more STUFF without adding wiring!

It IS a dark, hollow, (hopefully) straight tube....right??

Just dreaming, folks. Regards, JimL

Troy Scott · Post by **Troy Scott** » Apr 18th, '06, 00:07

Folks,

The suggestion to use cable ties to quiet the wiring in the mast is good. I've been doing this since the early 80s. Use the black nylon cable ties. Use ties wide enough to be very springy. I never needed to try to suspend the bundle in the center. I just put ties about every foot, all pointed the same way. Don't pull the ties too tight. Insulation is somewhat "flowable", especially teflon. If you pull the ties too tight, over time the insulation will flow away from the pressure points.

Andy Denmark · Post by **Andy Denmark** » Apr 18th, '06, 01:46

John,

The method I used at the boatyard for many years is the foam pipe insulation mentioned by others.

To answer your gravity question, here is the solution we used routinely and it works well. Include in your wire bundle a single piece of 1/8 inch 7 X 19 stainless wire (the stuff used for halyards). At the top make a Nicopress loop large enough to accomodate the bolt that secures the top tangs for the upper shrouds. At several places (measured) along the length of the SS wire swage some halyard stops and make sure these areas of the wire bundle are securely wrapped with high tenacity tape at these points. This holds the SS wire securely to the wiring bundle to prevent slippage.

After securing the sail slugs to the bundle and getting everything fed into the mast, slip the tang bolt through the top loop of the 7 X 19 loop and resecure the bolt and tangs, thus capturing the loop . Pull the entire mess taught at the butt end. There's no need to secure the stainless wire at the butt end.

This arrangement keeps the strain of the heavy wiring off the electrical and (especially) the coax connections. The stainless wire supports all the weight and the electrical wiring is simply along for the ride. This method will assure your mast wiring will stay intact and quiet for many years.

Hope this helps.
________
Headshops

Warren Kaplan · Post by **Warren Kaplan** » Apr 18th, '06, 06:16

The wire slap on the inside of my mast used to drive me to drink. Then two years ago my yard, while doing some rewiring, used large cable ties at 120, 240 and 360 degrees and did it about every 2 feet up the mast. No more noise. All is right with the world.

Cable ties or PVC insulation seems to be the methods used successfully by most.

Bob M. · Post by **Bob M.** » Apr 18th, '06, 06:30

John G. wrote:After enough nights listening to the wires in my mast torment me with the rythmic banging noise I am now resolving this problem. New wire for mast lights, new coax for radio, new sail slugs (which were never there to begin with ergo the noise) I have now questioned myself as how to stop gravity from pulling on said wires.So before I rig up something of my own invention I am wondering if there is a simple solution. This may seem trival but I surley do not want to have to do this again because of something I was to embrassed to ask for help.

Recommend you use cable ties and avoid drilling additional holes in your mast. The cable tie method is simple and it works.

BobM
Ranger 144
CD25D

Mike Thompson · Post by **Mike Thompson** » Apr 19th, '06, 20:31

About five years ago I fixed the clanging in the mast with
slides from rigrite. I have had no problem with it since.
Mike

The Cape Dory Board

Silence of the Wires

Silence of the Wires

Noise Reduction

pipe insulation

Foam Pipe Insulation?

pipe ins

Rewiring

Experience using the plastic cable tie method...

Experience using the cable tie method

Gravity & mast wiring bundles

Cable Ties

Re: Silence of the Wires

I vote for wire slides