Sailing Instruments

[sedelange]

I am installing new sailing instruments and autopilot.  The wiring for the current instruments is routed inside the pedestal and consequently the wires rub the steering chain.  Is the 1" guard large enough to route the wires inside or do I need to upgrade to the larger diameter guard?

[Ron Hill]

Steve : Why don't you call Edson and ask Will Keen your question (508)995-9711.  I'll bet that he will have a doable solution for you.   

[SteveLyle]

I had a 1" guard, and routed:
- power cable for the AP
- instrument cable
- NMEA 0183 cable from the GPS to the instrument server
- NMEA 0183 cable from the instrument server to the AP

you can get a lot of cables in there.  Tape them together tightly at the ends, and pull them through with a wire.  Make sure the entry/exit holes in the guard are smooth.

[George Bean]

The 1 inch pedestal guard should have plenty of room to fish the normal complement of instrument wires.  Freya has the following cables fished through the portside tube: Wind instrument, Depth sounder, Knot meter, Fluxgate compass, Rudder sensor, Power cable, And a Seatalk connection for a wireless remote.  It is a very tight squeeze, but it all fits.  The hole through the deck is 7/8" diameter.  The cockpit decking is cored and I had some water damage and would recommend that you seal the hole with epoxy in addition to the normal caulking.  Also, you will want to calk the guard tube where it mates with the deck plate.  It is far easier to pull wires if all mounting screws are unscrewed from the tube.  You will also want to replace any self tapping screws with machine screws for obvious reasons.  Catalina also "plugs" the hole with silicone applied to the wires from the underside of the hole.  You can use Teflon spray or Sail Lube to make the pull easier, but be careful, as the silicone won't adhere to it and you won't gete a complete water tight seal.  On the instrument side, I have a Navpod housing which covers the cut-out in the tube and provides a water tight seal.  The tube walls are thin enough to accept a cable grommet if you have to lead the wires outside the tube at any time.

[Mike Smith]

I ran my data and power cables up through the pedestal guard a couple of years ago.  Here is the link for some info on how it went:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=1489.0

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me.

Mike

[sedelange]

3hanks for all the feedback.  It looks like I can use the existing guard.  At the rate I am spending money on this boat, anything I can reuse is like picking up money.

[rirvine]

Two suggestions:

A.  You can put wires through both the port and starboard sides.  You may need to drill a hole in the cockpit floor for the side that is currently not used.   When you are all done, be very sure to seal between the floor and the mounting and around the bottom of tubing when it goes into the mounting.

B.  While you are doing to pulling, pull through 2 or more spare data cables - 2 cores with a shield.

Ray