Through deck fitting for Rutland 913.

[bumblefish]

I have almost finished installing the pole for my 913, just awaiting the fabrication of some support rods. In the mean time I have to decide how to get the cable through the deck. The smallest 'gland' fitting I could find was too large to fit under the pole, which is only a small distance above deck level. I want leave some spare cable in the pole to allow me to lift the generator off the pole and disconnect it and then be able to lift the pole for any work I may need to do. Any suggestions on an appropriate installation technique?

 

[ytd]

I have never had much luck with through deck electrical fittings. They always seem to corrode after a couple of seasons with the resulting intermittent connection. If you don't maintain a good contact you will loose many amps from your generator.

I would run the wire through a small hole in the deck and seal with sikaflex or silicone and then join it to the generator wires with a terminal block, encasing the whole thing in a silicone lump about the id of the pole and then push it up the pole at least 200mm. Downside is that you have to peel away the silicone when you want to disconnect it.

If you need to take the generator with you when you leave the boat I would look for an inline plug and socket that could be pushed up inside the pole. Good luck.

 

[jerryat]

Presumably your pole isn't bolted to the deck/transom at it's base, otherwise the cable would simply be passed through a hole in the deck with no need for a gland or plug. This is the method I used for my 913.

If the cable must pass independently as it were, I would use one of Index Marine's deck glands. I've had two in use on the afterdeck for several years now, both in very hot weather (Med/Caribbean) and here in the UK without any leaks or deterioration whatsoever.

 

[CPD]

I would avoid the deck plug/socket arrangements which I think is what tony-d is referring to. Instead, get a deck gland which allows the un-cut cable to run (sealed) through the deck. Once inside the boat, then connect using a terminal block, maybe lightly coated in grease once the connections are made. If the generator needs to come down/off, disconnect at the terminal block, loosen the deck gland and the cable comes straight through.

 

[bumblefish]

I looked at the Index Marine glands and was going to use one, but the gap between the bottom of the pole and the deck is very narrow. I was concerned that it might damage the cable.

 

[Colvic Watson]

The solution on ours was to drill a hole about 2 inches above the bottom of the pole and lead the cable out of that, then after a drip curve it passed through a standard gland into the boat. But the hole must be round and the edges carefully smoothed. A good high speed bit will do the job. You also say your are getting support poles made; Marlec recommend using wire but I don't know why as I would have thought poles would be better, but check because there may be a reason? Best of luck with the installation, they are great pieces of kit.

 

[bumblefish]

I am using rods because I can only brace the pole at a 90 degree angle, to the transom and side deck. Any non-supported movement would put a stress on the pushpit, whereas the rods will brace the pole whatever the direction of movement. I might drill a hole in the pole and probably fit a a rubber gland to the hole?

 

[Colvic Watson]

We just had a rubber sort gland the shape of a polo mint; but it was black and not minty flavoured.

If you are just bracing with just one pole set at 90 degrees, don't rely on the pushpit to control the forces in the other 90 degree direction, the forces above the pushpit level are huge when the boat is pitching and rolling, but I may have misunderstood and you were going to use 2 poles anyway.

 

[bumblefish]

Yes, 2 supporting poles, I was advised to reduce the stress on the pushpit and take it deck level where I can beef up the backing with stainless steel plates under the deck.

 

[pappaecho]

Agree with Centaurpipedream, used a through deck gland on my 913, because the cable which came with it was flat rather than round, and avoided yet another plug socket combination which would fail. ( 2 such on solar panels in last 5 years)
Make sure that the mast is near vertical that you can achieve with the pushpit, and totally agree with two stays bracing the top of the pole. That said the 913 is an excellent piece of kit and has kept 400 amps worth of batteries fully topped up in Portsmouth harbour for the last 3 years