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I would like to add a mast mounted fog horn /hailer on the F35 (P) - any advice on cf hole drilling up about 20' - looking at 5/16" hole for speaker wire and at least 2 rivet or screw holes for the bracket. Any thoughts on a fog horn mounted to something other than the mast?

as a follow-up -- I did mount my fog horn just above the deck light and drill/tapped 6-32 hole x 3 machine screws to hold it - all great. Speaker wires are small and I attempted several times to drop a weighted line down the hole to fish it from the bottom of the mast - no luck so far - I bought a 50' steel electrical fishing wire which I'll try next - any suggestions for fishing wires down on these masts? I will be replacing my masthead wind cable soon and the existing cable is dangling free at the mast base (I've already run the new wind cable from the panel to the mast). Does the wind cable run down the mast in a conduit? Or does it run down the middle of the mast? -

Usually a series of nuts or fishing weights attached to fishing line works. And if all the current wires in the mast are dangling free, one would think it would drop to the bottom. Some wire installations use foam pieces or balls to dampen the wire slap and those may be obstructing your efforts. The fishing wire could be stiff enough though to push past foam. Good luck.

Consider putting plastic wire zip ties on your new wireless runs. Three offset by 129 degrees, maybe a group every 4 ft. The uncut wiretails will dampen the wire.

Erik

I used a steel tape. The mast was out of the boat and horizontal. A lot of patience was required to get past the halyards and the masthead cable bundle which is wrapped in foam. You just have to keep at it and try different angles, etc. I agree with the zip tie idea. I implemented this on both the mast head bundle and on the separate run to the mid mast steaming light. Works quite well to damp the slapping of the wire. Halyards, on the other hand, are somewhat noisy and not much to be done about them. Be sure to run a strain relief rope and exit point chafe protection along with the new wire.

Right on the foam with the cable bundles - I have foam (although not like foam per se but rubber-like) both at the top and bottom of the mast. Thanks - update - I finally got the speaker wires down the mast - failed twice trying to go up as in pushing up from the bottom of the mast. Next is the wind transducer on top with cable - completed that 3-25-17.


The Ray70 VHF makes a great auto sail fog horn and hailer with listen back (my second one!) - added a hand mic station (with all accessible features) in the cockpit.