Routing Cables in Cabin Roof

[KeelsonGraham]

Hi all. I recently did a temporary install of a Renogy 175w panel to see if it would be any good. Turns out that it's absolutely excellent. 99% charge remaining after an 8-hour sail using autopilot!

On the temporary install I simply dropped the panel cables through the hatch on the heads and then down via the waste bucket opening.

Obviously this is a kludge, so now I want to do something neat and permanent. Ideally, I'd like to pot a hole somewhere under the sprayhood to make a thru-deck electrical connection but without any kind of headlining on the Mk II I've no idea how I can then invisibly feed the cable through the roof structure and then down.

Obviously there's must be some way to do this, otherwise all the cabin lighting wiring would be visible. But I can't for the life of me figure out how this is done.

Any ideas?

[Jon W]

On the MK 1's most wiring is around the perimeter of the boat along the coach roof. Exceptions are the head outlet and light wiring comes in thru the port cockpit locker. Some wiring goes under the floor to the galley, engine, and head.

If the dodger 1" tube support attaches to the deck above the port cockpit locker could you feed the wire thru it into the port cockpit locker?

[KeelsonGraham]

Excellent idea! I'll take a look next time I'm down at the boat.

[Ron Hill]

Keel : Long ago I ran a fused #14 wire from the batteries under the galley and aft cabin floor to a Beckson port (I installed) on the Aft starboard side just above the rear of the cockpit seats.  I can plug in my auto pilot and or the solar panel on top of the Bimini into that 12V connector!!

You could also run a !2V wire + connector in to the aft cabin.  I'd stay away from trying to do anything to the cabin inside roof!!

A thought

[Stu Jackson]

KG, the more I think about it, there "just isn't any there there."

I have a Mark I.  I have found a void between the inner and outer layer when I replaced my forward port Beckson portlight in my V berth ages ago and posted a few pictures of it.  When I re-sealed  my Bowmar saloon overhead hatch i found NO voids.  There have been some posts about voids over the years, but most of them have been located near portlights, thus on the sloped sides of the cabintop and not the horizontal part.  When I added two lights over the galley sink and the saloon table way back in 1998 when we first bought our boat, I used surface mount wire covers that matched closely to the color of the inside liner.

I agree with Ron that you may find it more trouble than it's worth because you may find no there there. 

Also, as I recall, the Mark IIs don't have any interior liner at all like the earlier boats did.

[Noah]

I used teak channel for my overhead lighting and in other locations too.

[robbjd]

If you have a dome light in the head you might be able to run your wires down through a cable seal into the void for that light and then fish the wires down to the waste bucket area, and then your panel.

[Ron Hill]

Keel : You could also run a 12V wire to a plug in the aft cabin!!

A thought

[KeelsonGraham]

If you have a dome light in the head you might be able to run your wires down through a cable seal into the void for that light and then fish the wires down to the waste bucket area, and then your panel.

Good idea! I'll look at that, thanks. However, these are 10 AWG wires, so mousing them might be a bit of a challenge!

From what you all are saying, it sounds like there's no real easy solution to this.

[KeelsonGraham]

Keel : You could also run a 12V wire to a plug in the aft cabin!!

A thought

Not sure how to do this Ron, without having exposed runs in the cabin. I was hoping for a hidden solution but this is looking unlikely.

[rmjohns]

In my investigation on a similar project, it appears that Catalina glues the headliner to the deck with something like thickened epoxy and the wires were just laid in the glue at construction time. Makes for a stiff deck but impossible to cleanly replace the wires.

I think the best suggestion was to run the wires down a support arm to the cockpit coaming. That would bring the wires in aft of the head in the port locker or behind the diesel tank.

[Noah]

MJOHNS—-
Interesting comment. At least in the MK I boats there are no voids or hidden space under the "headliner" where Catalina would have run wires, let alone embedded them in fiberglass. All wire runs are accessible through out the entire boat, in my experience.

[waughoo]

Noah,

The mkII boats have some fixtures molded into the headliner with wires to the mounting locations overhead.  As you say, the mkI boats have all the wiring accessible.

[Stu Jackson]

Noah,

The mkII boats have some fixtures molded into the headliner with wires to the mounting locations overhead.  As you say, the mkI boats have all the wiring accessible.

Alex is right.  The C34 MkII brochure https://www.catalinayachts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Cat-34-MKII-Brochure-2004.pdf  shows two in the saloon (just where I put my two in 1998!!!) and two in the aft cabin. 

Still don't see anyway to add something, though, KG.

[KeelsonGraham]

Hmm, definitely no option but to run the cables externally. Thanks, for all the input guys.