Sadler 34 cable routing

[JohnIanson]

I am upgrading the instrumants on my Sadler 34 and attempting to get cables from the wind, speed and depth transducers to the deck garage along with a backbone.
As the deck is double skinned and cables were installed at the build stage, does anyone know how I can get cables from the chart table to the deck garage without routing them inside the cabin or drilling holes?

Thanks in advance.

 

[KevO]

Coincidentally, we ran a new radar data cable from the instrument garage on our S34 DOWN to the chart table today. Our route was down through the stbd side corner of the instrument garage to a point halfway across the deckhead under a 2.5” removable wooden strip - the one over the pilot berth door, then push down and rearward with very skilful (bleddy lucky) use of a straightened wire coat hanger. We have a 1” hole in the inner skin 4 to 6” to the rear of and about level with the midline of the large stbd window - normally sealed with a plastic bung (don’t know if the hole is original). Stage 1 - The coat hanger enabled me to push a mouse line to the bung hole (f’nar, f’nar) and capture it, then Stage 2, working the coat hanger up from a tiny crappy rough hole in the top right front corner of the pilot berth locker alongside the other wires, until it appeared at the bung hole (f’nar again), Mouse line secured, hanger withdrawn, mouse line captured at the bottom. Pull cable down then route forward to the wiring panel at the chart table.

An expected absolute pig of a job that actually turned out ok due to calm perseverance, a coat hanger and a fortuitous hole (f’nar again). Coat hanger wrangling is my newly discovered superpower. It took longer to wander round the charity shops in Falmouth to find a damned wire hanger than it did to do the job - they are all wood or plastic these days!

 

[JohnIanson]

Thanks Kev,
Not only a great help, but also a bit of a laugh thanks.
The hole isn't original, but hoping I don't have to make one.
Did you get it through between the skins between the coachroof alright?
Have you got any pictures?
I have got a colonoscopy machine and a mouse line. Hoping that will help.

 

[vyv_cox]

KevO beat me to it. The trick is to remove the small length of plywood above the aft cabin door. The cable runs from the chart table up to the gutter that runs the whole length of the inner skin moulding and thence into the hanging locker. Up from here to the plywood strip and then into the instrument garage. The job is reasonably straightforward, at least for a Sadler!

I did not use a coat hanger but I keep a selection of stuff wires for such jobs. Always add mouse lines during any of these jobs for future use.

 

[KevO]

Yup, every cable route now has at least 2 independent mouse lines on our S34. And the route under the floor will only pull through from the chart table down past the water pump to the heads compartment, not the other way around - we have some kind of obstruction there that catches anything moving sternwards - superpower or no…. it just won’t go!

 

[JohnIanson]

Thanks both.
I will be working on andm probably swearing at the boat tomorrow, so hopefully manage to get it sorted.
I did have a ook at the ply panel above the aft cabin door, but couldn't easily figure out how to get it out.
Is there plenty of space for cables there as I need to get 3 of the through.

 

[KompetentKrew]

I have a fish cable like this one that I found very helpful.

It's smooth, flexible, reasonably fine and also it's incredibly resistant to compression - you can give it a really good hard shove to get past blockages. It's surprisingly good for this - at times I needed to clamp mole grips onto it so I could hold it firmly enough to apply the force I wanted, and it did work.

My boat is not a Sadler andI don't know the Sadler, so sorry if this is unhelpful n your case.

 

[JohnIanson]

Thank you for your input.
I have bought exactly the same cable as you have, so hoping that does the job.
Also have a boroscope, so if the fish cable is getting stuck, hopefully I will be able to see why and where.

 

[vyv_cox]

Thanks both.
I will be working on andm probably swearing at the boat tomorrow, so hopefully manage to get it sorted.
I did have a ook at the ply panel above the aft cabin door, but couldn't easily figure out how to get it out.
Is there plenty of space for cables there as I need to get 3 of the through.

It is usually the end terminals that are the problem but I did the same as you and don't remember a problem. I think I had to do away with the original watertight gland but never had water in there.

 

[JohnIanson]

Which gland do you mean Vyv?

 

[vyv_cox]

Which gland do you mean Vyv?

At the base of my instrument garage the old wires exited through compression glands, the type that only bare wires can pass through. I could have substituted a multi-wire one that could accept wires with terminations but never having seen water in there I didn't bother.

 

[JohnIanson]

Ah, that makes sense.
Do they come up in the same place as mine?
I was told that the cables were all put in at the point of manufacture, but if that is the case, Sadler have done an awful job of cutting out where they came up through the moulding.

 

[vyv_cox]

Ah, that makes sense.
Do they come up in the same place as mine?
I was told that the cables were all put in at the point of manufacture, but if that is the case, Sadler have done an awful job of cutting out where they came up through the moulding.

Yes, just the same. If you remove the plywood capping over the door you should see all of those wires in the space beneath. Then follow them down into the hanging locker. Pull one out after tying a mouse line to the end in the cockpit. Getting the replacement wires back should then be easy, but ensure to leave a mouse line there for future use.

 

[JohnIanson]

Am I right in thinking you mean this ply over the aft cabin door?
There is nothing under there and if it ran down there, I would come out half way along the window.

 

[vyv_cox]

Am I right in thinking you mean this ply over the aft cabin door?
There is nothing under there and if it ran down there, I would come out half way along the window.

Yours must be a later boat than mine. I do not have that piece of plywood, the equivalent infill is attached to the door. However, it seems that I can see the screws in your photo that would allow you to remove it. The wires from the instruments run down beneath it (on my boat). There is a photo showing the piece on my website at Installing warm air heating

I agree it points at the window but that is where the cables run. If you have the ventilator grille, removing that may help also.

 

[JohnIanson]

My boat is 1988 and was fitted out by the owner.
I have removed the grille for the vent and stuck a boroscope up there, but there is no sign of any wiring under the woodwork.
Unfortunately, what the boroscope has shown is that the wiring is all glassed in meaning I can't use an old cable to pull a new one through.

 

[vyv_cox]

My boat is 1988 and was fitted out by the owner.
I have removed the grille for the vent and stuck a boroscope up there, but there is no sign of any wiring under the woodwork.
Unfortunately, what the boroscope has shown is that the wiring is all glassed in meaning I can't use an old cable to pull a new one through.

Can only suggest that you thread new ones. I have gone around the bulkhead after removing the compass but it was not easy. Down over the door is the easier way. The spring device mentioned earlier in the thread may make it easier but I did all mine only using stiff wire.