Rick: My boat is #278, which would make it one of Jerry's boats, built back in 1978. I think it was made this way. The original fitting gave out after a while, so I replaced it with a new one just like it. If this boat is any indication of how things worked, the original boats had the wires buried in the cabin deck core as it was being built. The wire ends surface near the top of the compression post to attach to this fitting. Wires do not run inside the compression post or through the tabernacle fitting. If your wires run up the compression post, and you wanted to use something like this, you could drill a hole in the compression post near the top, install a rubber grommet in the hole so the wires don't chafe and connect it to this fitting. Any existing hole could be sealed by backfilling the hole with thickened epoxy, which you could do at the same time you are backfilling the hole for the fitting. BTW, when I have to seal holes in the deck core with epoxy, I drill as small a hole as possible through the exterior deck layer, and a 3/8" to 1/2" or so hole in the interior layer........just large enough to slip a small Dremel tool saw attachment through the hole. The saw blade is used evacuate the core from the interior such that when I backfill the hole, I create an oversized epoxy bushing between the two sandwiched layers of deck (interior and exterior). This seals the hole and if the screw or bolt that passes through it is loaded, it also becomes load bearing to avoid any compression damage to the surrounding balsa core. After the epoxy cures, you can then drill your final hole just large enough for the bolt or screw to pass, leaving a good sized margin of epoxy between the screw and the core. On Jun 24, 2014, at 9:58 AM, Rick Davies wrote:
Howard,
That's a neat solution. I have managed to get the mast up with the cable intact, but the mast had to be dead level side-to-side and aligned fore-and-aft so that the cutouts in the mast base are right over the cable.
What did you do about the original hole in the cabin top over the compression post? Epoxy? And how do you lead the cable inside the cabin from the cabin overhead to the switch panel?
Thanks,
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L
On Tuesday, June 24, 2014, Howard Audsley <haudsley@tranquility.net> wrote:
Rick:
This is the masthead electrical deck fitting on my boat:
http://www.westmarine.com/perko--watertight-deck-connections--P009_275_007_0...
The deck half is found adjacent to the base of the mast. A hole was drilled through the deck (which I enlarged and backfilled with thickened epoxy to seal it from any water that gets past the rubber gasket that seals it..........very important if you don't want rotten balsa core in your deck). The mast half protrudes from a hole drilled in the side of the mast, about 4 inches or so up from the bottom. When lowering the mast, you simply unplug the thing and cap the deck fitting. There isn't anything to short, bind or worry about. The only issue I've had is the fitting contacts may corrode a bit if the mast is down for extended times. A quick scuff of the contacts and all is well.
On Jun 13, 2014, at 7:30 AM, Rick Davies wrote:
Recently I rebedded the mast tabernacle on my M17. I caulked heavily around the electrical cable coming up through the compression post so that it emerged vertical, held by the caulking. When I raised the mast, however, the cable got caught under the mast lip and shorted out the masthead lights. I lowered and raised the mast again, placing the cable where I thought this wouldn't happen, but was unable to get the mast up without pinching the cable. Never had this problem before, and I wondered if it's something to do locking the cable in a vertical position. Has anyone encountered this problem, and if so, what's the solution?
If I need to replace the cable, can I pull it down through the compression post from below? The cable for the cabin lights is in there too, so it doesn't look too easy. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L