Peter
I need to do the same thing.
Thanks very much for the detailed explanation.
Very helpful

Bob Garrant
sv Sail la Vie
Kent. Island. Md

On Sat, May 4, 2024 at 5:06 PM Peter Nyberg <peter at sunnybeeches.com> wrote:

> So, I ran my new 3-conductor wire up the mast, encased in foam pipe
> insulation, and this is my report on that process.
>
> First, I want to say that when I pulled my old wires out of the mast I
> found that the zip-ties I used when I installed them to try to eliminate
> slapping were obviously too small and flimsy to do the job.  I took one
> look at them, shook my head, and said to myself “what was I thinking?”.
> Based on this finding, and reports from other boat owners, I’m perfectly
> willing to believe that the zip-tie solution to the wire slapping problem
> can work if properly implemented.  But, by the time of this discovery I was
> already committed to the the pipe insulation approach.
>
> To start at the beginning, when I arrived at the pipe insulation section
> of my local Home Depot, I  found that it comes in two sizes: 1/2” and
> 3/4”.  I chose 1/2”, which turned out to be correct.  It just fit into the
> channel in the IMF mast.  Four 3’ sections come in a package, so 2 packages
> is about the perfect amount for the job.  I ended up using 12’ of
> insulation above the spreaders, and about 11’ 4” below.
>
> After getting the mast set up on a couple of saw-horses I did some
> disassembling. I removed the top plate, and the assembly that houses the
> sheaves for the halyards.  I also removed the spreader bases, and the
> through-bolt that attaches them to the mast.  And I removed any other
> hardware that had screws or bolts that projected into the mast’s wire
> channel.
>
> Next, I laid out the wire along side the mast, and made marks on the wire
> to help in positioning the insulation. The main focus here was that I
> wanted to leave a gap in the insulation at the spreaders so that it
> wouldn’t be in the way when it came time to reinsert the through-bolt.
>
> The installation approach was to insert at the bottom, and pull toward the
> top.  Sections of insulation would be zip-tied around the wire before
> insertion.  After a test run with one piece of insulation, it became clear
> that the biggest challenge was going to be keeping the insulation in a
> fixed position on the wire.
>
> The technique that ended up meeting the challenge had multiple steps:
>
>     1) select a spot on the wire about 6” below where the top end of the
> insulation section will be
>     2) take 6 - 8 wraps of electrical tape around the wire at this point,
> creating a ‘bump’
>     3) place a small zip-tie around the wire _above_ the electrical tape;
> pull tight, clip off excess
>         (this creates another ‘bump’)
>     4) position insulation section around wire
>     5) place a zip-tie around the insulation so that it is just  _above_
> the inner zip-tie and tape
>     6) place a second outer zip-tie 4-6” from the bottom of the section of
> insulation
>     7) pull both outer zip-ties as tight as you can (use pliers for a
> better grip); trim off excess
>     8) from the top of the mast, pull 3’ of wire and insulation into the
> mast
>     9) repeat
>
> Note that ‘’top’ and ‘above’ means closer to the top of the mast.
>
> Once I had the technique down, things went pretty quickly.  Now I just
> have to put the mast back together.
>
> Peter Nyberg
> Coventry, CT
> s/v Silverheels (1988/2016)
>
>
> [ Sent From rhodes22.net ]
>
>