[C320-list] Pulling the mast

[Graeme Clark]

Scott

The cables are joined at the mast step with a square plug. The mast is lifted a small amount and it can be disconnected. On my hull (366) the top of the support post through which the cables run had also been plugged with silicone sealant. 
I had a bigger issue with the radar cable. The plug was too big to thread back through the mast post so the cable had to be disconnected at the radar head and allowed to pull free out the bottom of the mast as it was lifted (obviously taking a line with it so it can be retreaded when you restep)
I replaced all the in mast cables (lights and vhf) and decided to do away with the connecting plug. It’s not hard to thread the cables through the mast post (they come out the base into the bilge area) and then I made connections under the port settee.  That way I don’t have to worry about accessing the connection block if there’s a circuit continuity problem.
Graeme

Sent from my phone. Excuse typos! 

> On 5 Oct 2020, at 17:44, Scott Thompson <surprise at thompson87.com> wrote:
> 
> Surprise is 20 years old and as far as I know the mast has never been pulled. I'm thinking of doing that this winter to service halyard sheaves, rebed chainplates, etc.  Can anyone tell me what problems to expect if I ask the yard to do this as part of winter haulout? I'm mostly concerned about cables that may run through the mast step with no connector. In case it matters, I believe that my boat was originally commissioned by Sail Annapolis in 1999. I suspect that they sold most of the 320's of comparable vintage on the Northern Chesapeake, and probably the mast was stepped initially under their direction.
> 
> -- 
> 
> Scott Thompson
> Surprise, #653
>