Threading tubing / wiring through radar arch / awkward places

[spinreach]

I'm faced with threading new tubing for my horn down through the inside of the radar mast into the inside hull space. Unfortunately, I can't use the old tubing to pull through the new. Does anyone have any tips or suggested implements as to how to wiggle something down through a cavity and around some bends? Probably talking around 10 feet in total length starting through an 8mm hole at the top of the arch.

Have tried small diameter semi rigid tube without success. If I can't succeed in threading something through, I think my only remaining option is to remove arch panelling, but there seem to be a hell of a lot of screws to do that and seems like more potential for something to go wrong.

 

[enterprise]

Use an existing wire to pull 2 more cores through, once through pull back the existing wire with one of the new cores installed.

 

[David of Essex]

If you can, borrow or purchase an electricians fish wire. Reaches places unthought of.
David

 

[Hurricane]

I recently installed docking cameras so I've had the same problem.

I bought an electricial's "fish" wire - you can get them from B&Q in the electrical bays. However I didnt find it any help at all. The wire is too rigid.

I picked up a tip from the Princess factory though.
Get some very big tie wraps - cut the locking bit off the ends so that you have a single flat strip. Tape them together and it is very good at fishing through tight spaces. I even had another one with the end left on to hook wires etc.

I have to say though that the most useful bit of kit that I had was a small bullet video camera that I could poke into tight spaces and have a look round - it also helped with hooking wires etc.

Hope this helps a bit
Best of luck.

 

[landlockedpirate]

I have had loads of success with the low tech wire coat hanger. Cut the top piece off and straighten it up, if you need a longer reach you can tape 2 or more together.

 

[Nick_H]

If you can't pull through with another wire, then i'd take the panels off. It wont take long with a screwdriver bit in a cordless drill.

 

[volvopaul]

I very often use, either a length of plastic tubing similar to 8mm fuel plastic pipe you will find on a lorry chassis or a piece of 15mm plumbing tube plastic grey type, push it to where you want it to thread the wire then push the flex down it and pull it through the other end. Its good for threading down the inside of a flybridge moulding from say the arch to the area above the lower helm.

 

[mlthomas]

I bought a 'fish wire' from an electrical outlet when I put a remote for the stereo on the fly bridge. It is about 2mm fibre glass so it has enough strength to 'poke' and enough 'bend' to go round and through. think t was about £10

 

[spinreach]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The bullet video camera sounds interesting not just for this application but from the point of actually being able to see into all those many inaccessible places, which just seem to increase in number, the more poking about I do!I'll also have a chat with an electrician friend about the fish wire, although having stretched even further (although still not far enough) into the recess between hull and cokpit and I'm not sure what sort of hole opens from the arch into the recess, so I may well have to tackle the panel option. Should be interesting.Thanks again for the ideas.

 

[Hurricane]

Cameras arent as expensive as you would think.
see here
http://www.rfconcepts.co.uk/
I use the waterproof ones so that I can see under the boat.
I also made up a little monitor/psu so that I can carry it round.

 

[Garryt]

I keep a long steel "throttle cable" wrapped up for this job. It is rigid enough to push its way through and the end of the cable has a small nipple on the end so it doesn't damage existing cables.

When this is through, I tie a piece of string on the end and pull it back through. The tie the string onto the cable I want to pull through and away you go!

I don't cut the string but leave it in place ready for the next cable. I've installed probably about 20 new cables in my boat with the fitting of new electronics and it has worked a treat.

 

[carlton]

After spending two and a half hours recently trying to thread a new co-ax cable through my arch from the new aerial I had fitted, I sympathise.

Initial idea - duct-tape the old cable to the new - worked fine until it bumped into an obstruction. One gentle tug and it came apart.

Eventually worked out that I needed something strong and flexible to do the job, and realised, with the limited amount of tools I had with me, that a standard tape-measure might do the trick.

I extended three metres from the tape measure and locked it, and then threaded it through the small hole inside the arch on the 'corner' - where it turned from horizontal to vertical. Once the end of the tape was through, I duct-taped the co-ax onto the tape and gently pulled it through. Result. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Major Catastrophe]

Sometimes you may need to force a way through. I use one of those sink blockage clearing coils, like this.

I took off the spring at the end and handle was great for turning the coil to find a route.

 

[BSJ2]

net curtain wire. cheap as chips from your local market!