Alternative to useless bulgin deck socket

prv said:
A good solution for most boats, but the OP does say his is designed to take the mast down "easily". If that means a trailer-sailer or something (would be good if he'd clarify) then I think dismantling glands every trip might be a bit too much of a faff. I'd probably look at improving the plugged connection, it shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to make one that's actually waterproof. Matching the compression grommet to the cable will be important, the better plugs have a choice of sizes.

(As a matter of interest, the gold standard here is Subconn, able to be plugged and unplugged by divers at the bottom of the North Sea. But the prices are reputed to be rather fierce, definitely not something for the deck of a small yacht :) )

Pete
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Parker 275. Mast would only come down infrequently.

I think everyone is assuming we have normal rain in Edinburgh......

Swan necks aren't really appropriate as mentioned as we race a bit. My crew are useless enough without more stuff to fall over!

Will go and look at all connections and ponder later in the week. The old fashioned vhf and light connectors seem fine!
 
I made a poor man's swan neck from cycle inner tube. The inbuilt curvature plus flexibility makes it collapse around the cables. It's Jubilee clipped to the upper side of a deck gland with the innards removed so that the mast wires go straight through to a hardwood junction box which has mast wires going through slots on one side and boat wires going through the opposite side. Actual electrical connections are car-style bullet connectors and heat shrink tubing around the cables provides colour coding.
 
roblpm said:
Parker 275. Mast would only come down infrequently.

I think everyone is assuming we have normal rain in Edinburgh......

Swan necks aren't really appropriate as mentioned as we race a bit. My crew are useless enough without more stuff to fall over!

Will go and look at all connections and ponder later in the week. The old fashioned vhf and light connectors seem fine!
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Then the glands referred to earlier are ideal for what you want, particularly the Scan Strut ones where the cable exits horizontally. This type of gland with internal connections is widely used on production boats because it is simple and effective.
 
ghostlymoron said:
Are the nay sayers for Bulgin plugs saying the don't comply with their IP 65 rating? I've found them quite satisfactory, durable and convenient.
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Although I advocated the use of swan necks for cable entries from mast cabling, I also have several Bulgin plugs/sockets in use for other purposes, eg windlass control, searchlight etc. I have found them to be entirely waterproof and faultfree.
 
ghostlymoron said:
Are the nay sayers for Bulgin plugs saying the don't comply with their IP 65 rating? I've found them quite satisfactory, durable and convenient.
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More that IP65 isn't necessarily sufficient. That just means you can rinse it with a rather feeble hose (half the diameter of a garden hose, a tenth of the typical pressure) for three minutes. Not exactly equivalent to having green water landing on it repeatedly for hours on end.

Pete
 
Yes on further checking the Bulgin buccaneer standard range is IP 68. "Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure, limited ingress protection"
Don't know what the last bit means but I think it's adequate for the type of boat who's mast is dropped often. Maybe not for Hugo Boss though.
 
awol said:
The connector referenced by the OP is rated IP68, should be more than adequate if fitted correctly.
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Probably user error.......

But i have done it twice now with the same results.

So I need to try something different that is within my capabilities......
 
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