I also prefer the zip tie solution—easy to do and I worry about foam trapping moisture against the aluminum mast. (Perhaps a sign of OCD?)
If you are using an electrician’s fish tape, be sure to tighten any internal halliards out of the way so they don’t get twisted in with the wires. Also, leave a messenger in the mast when you are done for next time .
If the mast is up, the time-honored bicycle chain weight worked for me.
(1) a slick solution to the wire-in-the-mast problem that might be easier than the foam pieces is offered by the crafty Graham Byrnes of B&B yachts. Pull some of those nylon cable ties tight around your wire(s) at regular intervals, with the tails stick out at varied angles so the tails brush up against the inside of the mast and hold the wire(s) in the center of the tube.
(2) something I did on a previous boat with an aluminum mast: make up a pvc pipe of almost the same length as the mast. Run the wires through it, using the electrician's fish or otherwise. Lay a generous bead of 5200 on top of the PVC tube. Slip it inside the mast, along the lower side, as the mast lies horizontal, with the bead of 5200 top. Roll the PVC 180 degrees, so the 5200 is now in contact with the mast. The 5200 will cling to the aluminum, and it ain't goin' nowhere.
Sometimes you can attach a strong cord to the existing wire and pull the wire and cord to the other end of the mast. This allows inspection of the former wire and its insulation. Then zip tie the foam to both wires and reverse the procedure. My suggestion for foam is pieces of foam float noodles cut in long strips rather than cross-cut then wire-tied at intervals. I believe this polyethylene swim noodle foam will outlast cushion foam which can degrade with time to a fine powder.
This is a good and helpful article. Like Skip, and what he reports, I also just used zipties snuggly tightened around the cable, which for the mast of my West Wight Potter 15, worked just great. No ‘plinging’ inside the mast, though I still try to be mindful of what the halyards can cause if not snugged up with a stretch cord around them and the mast. I would use the author’s suggestion of the addition of pieces of foam if I re-do the cable inside the mast of my Nimble 24, which - of course - is longer!
If you are sure you will not be adding even more electrical devices, you might consider running vinyl pipe up the mast for your coax and for each of the internal halliards. Then, place hynks of styrofoam inside the mast at intervals to keep everything in place. I am not sure what adhesive you would use to hold the styrofoam to the inside of the mast.
Instead of foam I used zipties snugged tight around the wire which seemed to do the job.
I also prefer the zip tie solution—easy to do and I worry about foam trapping moisture against the aluminum mast. (Perhaps a sign of OCD?)
If you are using an electrician’s fish tape, be sure to tighten any internal halliards out of the way so they don’t get twisted in with the wires. Also, leave a messenger in the mast when you are done for next time .
If the mast is up, the time-honored bicycle chain weight worked for me.
Two alternatives:
(1) a slick solution to the wire-in-the-mast problem that might be easier than the foam pieces is offered by the crafty Graham Byrnes of B&B yachts. Pull some of those nylon cable ties tight around your wire(s) at regular intervals, with the tails stick out at varied angles so the tails brush up against the inside of the mast and hold the wire(s) in the center of the tube.
(2) something I did on a previous boat with an aluminum mast: make up a pvc pipe of almost the same length as the mast. Run the wires through it, using the electrician's fish or otherwise. Lay a generous bead of 5200 on top of the PVC tube. Slip it inside the mast, along the lower side, as the mast lies horizontal, with the bead of 5200 top. Roll the PVC 180 degrees, so the 5200 is now in contact with the mast. The 5200 will cling to the aluminum, and it ain't goin' nowhere.
Sometimes you can attach a strong cord to the existing wire and pull the wire and cord to the other end of the mast. This allows inspection of the former wire and its insulation. Then zip tie the foam to both wires and reverse the procedure. My suggestion for foam is pieces of foam float noodles cut in long strips rather than cross-cut then wire-tied at intervals. I believe this polyethylene swim noodle foam will outlast cushion foam which can degrade with time to a fine powder.
This is a good and helpful article. Like Skip, and what he reports, I also just used zipties snuggly tightened around the cable, which for the mast of my West Wight Potter 15, worked just great. No ‘plinging’ inside the mast, though I still try to be mindful of what the halyards can cause if not snugged up with a stretch cord around them and the mast. I would use the author’s suggestion of the addition of pieces of foam if I re-do the cable inside the mast of my Nimble 24, which - of course - is longer!
If you are sure you will not be adding even more electrical devices, you might consider running vinyl pipe up the mast for your coax and for each of the internal halliards. Then, place hynks of styrofoam inside the mast at intervals to keep everything in place. I am not sure what adhesive you would use to hold the styrofoam to the inside of the mast.