[C320-list] Wiring in the Mast

[Ian Davis]

When I recently purchased my C320 (Hull #18 - Wind Star), it had no
electronic wind vane on the top of the mast.  I had installed one of these
on my previous boat, and had become very dependent on it for racing.

 

So, I thought, if I can install such a thing on one boat, it can't be that
hard to do on another.   Mmmm (that's not always good thinking)

 

On the old boat, I just 

took the mast down

screwed the transducer to the top

ran the wire down inside the mast

came out of the mast at deck level through a convenient grommet 

fitted a 6 wire thru-deck beside the mast's deck-seating - so I could
disconnect the wind-vane to take the mast down again for anything else 

ran the inside wire through channels in the coach roof to the electronics
head.

All pretty easy really.

 

SO..  I started looking at the C320 (both the real boat and the Catalina
documentation).  Basically it look like all but one of the actions I just
listed above are either extremely difficult or nigh on impossible on the
C210.  For example, even getting the mast down looks very tricky without
disturbing (read breaking) the deck/steaming/masthead lighting wiring that's
there already, also I can't see how to get wiring through the deck and into
the compression pole . etc..

 

My questions to the team therefore...  Has anyone done this before, what is
the procedure for putting wired stuff on top of the mast, where do the wires
come out the other end, etc.  And, anything else that I would need to know
to do this job myself (with the exception of course of getting the mast down
which will be a marina job).

 

Thanks in advance for any help provided.  And thanks to the guys who replied
to my last post on non-self-priming water pumps.  Good info guys..

 

Ian Davis - Wind Star  (Hull #18)