Leaking deck cable glands

[biscuit]

Yet another season starts with leaking cable glands. My deck stepped mast has to be refitted every year, this time after missing a season due to lockdown. I have tried different cable glands, and settled for Index Marine seals.
There are several issues:
1. All connections have to be removed from the cables before threading through the holes in the rubber blocks, at the start and end of each season. The ridiculously fine electronic wires from my Garmin masthead wind (linked to depth) need retinning and careful protection from the elements as the mast is outside all winter. They sometimes need re- doing, so the cable is getting steadily shorter! The thicker 12v lighting wires and vhf wires are less of a problem.
2. How do you bore a neat hole through the rubber blocks? OK, an electric drill, but its very hard to get the right size hole. Putting the block in a vice to drill simply distorts the rubber. Any advice welcomed. Putting a slit in the block may be ok in theory, but always seems to leak in extremis, and sealant is of only temporary value.
Not rocket science, but an annual annoyance.
Any ideas most welcome.

 

[Plum]

Yet another season starts with leaking cable glands. My deck stepped mast has to be refitted every year, this time after missing a season due to lockdown. I have tried different cable glands, and settled for Index Marine seals.
There are several issues:
1. All connections have to be removed from the cables before threading through the holes in the rubber blocks, at the start and end of each season. The ridiculously fine electronic wires from my Garmin masthead wind (linked to depth) need retinning and careful protection from the elements as the mast is outside all winter. They sometimes need re- doing, so the cable is getting steadily shorter! The thicker 12v lighting wires and vhf wires are less of a problem.
2. How do you bore a neat hole through the rubber blocks? OK, an electric drill, but its very hard to get the right size hole. Putting the block in a vice to drill simply distorts the rubber. Any advice welcomed. Putting a slit in the block may be ok in theory, but always seems to leak in extremis, and sealant is of only temporary value.
Not rocket science, but an annual annoyance.
Any ideas most welcome.

Much better to have a swan-neck if you want to make all the connections below deck. No leaks.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[tillergirl]

I changed to Swan Necks. Not a drop of damp ever since.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Swan necks are OK, but can be a pain to feed the wires through, especially if there are several. This is an alternative: Stainless Steel Deck Cable Lead-Thru buy now | SVB

 

[Martin_J]

I also replaced a number of single deck glands with the Cableport as mentioned by PaulRainbow above. I wanted less of a trip hazard (you can stand on it) and didn't want anything that might catch genoa sheets or other lines near the mast.

Scroll sideways on the pictures in the link he gave to see what it's like inside.

After SaltyJohn I'm sure there was a UK supplier but I can't remember who it was now.

 

[Boathook]

I bed my rubber index glands down with some silicone grease (ms4). This sorts the slit out. Regarding drilling I think that i used a drill the same size as the cable as the hole always seem undersized. Can't comment about protecting the cable during the winter apart from covering with silicone and making sure that water can't travel upto it.

 

[reeac]

I made a "poor man's swan neck" using a short length of bicycle inner tube which is jubilee-clipped onto the external part of a conventional deck cable fitting. Removed all the internals so that the cables went clear through into a teak junction box in which connections were bullet style for durability and clearly laid out against a labelled backing card. The cycle inner tube, being curved, automatically adopts a swan neck shape. Needs replacing every few years but one tube provides quite a few swan necks.

 

[PetiteFleur]

Index marine does have deck glands that can have large cable connections fitted so you don't have to remake them each time. I then have a cable connector behind the head lining. From memory can take the large pl259? plug.

 

[Graham_Wright]

I became fed up with toe damage with "sticky up" glands and designed my own.
I called it a "Flatgland" due to its very low profile. The cables are sealed into it permanently and pass through the deck via a modified skin fitting. All the connections (in my case plugs) are made below in the cabin. For mast lift-out, the whole assembly is removed from the deck with all the cables still inside.
I was very proud of my invention but it did not appeal to the market. There are two in service - one on my boat the other my camper!
You can one free for postage only.