Forums, Electrical Systems, Navigation and Safety equipment, Mast cables for nav lights - replacement.

George Isted at 08/03/2013 15:39:06
Short notice as I’m planning to do it tomorrow but any tips for pulling though new cables in the mast. I need to replace the masthead and steaming-light power cables. It’s an original ‘78 Kemp mast and I’m guessing there is a conduit in side and I have visions of attaching new cable to the old, pulling out the old but then nothing attached. The mast is off the boat.

moongirl at 08/03/2013 20:39:40
Hi George
I think you are correct re conduit. If I was doing the task I would pull a double length of strong ‘string’ through using the old cable but at the first sign of resistance stop & start again! Good luck

Alastair Pugh at 08/03/2013 23:36:01
Not sure about the steaming light but on my mast the masthead light wire runs through a conduit beside the track at the back of the mast. I found that removing the mast crane – the plate at the top of the mast – made it a lot easier to pull the wire through. I also swapped a couple of the sheaves while I was there.

George Isted at 11/03/2013 13:18:18
Just to report back, I pulled out the old cables replacing with a mouse-line before pulling through new cables for the masthead and steaming lights. All went well and it was much easier than I was expecting. Bumped into JR in Lymington and he did say that the steaming light is normally the difficult one so perhaps I was lucky. New cables are tinned so should last well into the future.