No Under Deck Trunking........

Phil M · 01 September 2014, 12:52

I'm re-firbing my Zodiac and want to hide the wiring under the deck, but at the moment, there is no under deck trunking for cables etc. I have not seen under deck trunking and have no idea what RIB manufacturers usually put in. I'm assuming I will struggle to replicate it without cutting the deck up. Any body got any ideas of how to run the cables without risking them getting damaged in the hull during use? I was thinking about feeding in some 1" diameter hose (pond hose or similar) through a hole under the console and out at the transom, and securing with a flange or adapter of some sort at the ends, giving me at least a bit of cable protection from abrasion and any water in the hull. I can make flange parts and hose adapters as I have a decent sized lathe. Any thoughts or alternatives?

Phil M

Pikey Dave · 01 September 2014, 13:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil M

I'm re-firbing my Zodiac and want to hide the wiring under the deck, but at the moment, there is no under deck trunking for cables etc. I have not seen under deck trunking and have no idea what RIB manufacturers usually put in. I'm assuming I will struggle to replicate it without cutting the deck up. Any body got any ideas of how to run the cables without risking them getting damaged in the hull during use? I was thinking about feeding in some 1" diameter hose (pond hose or similar) through a hole under the console and out at the transom, and securing with a flange or adapter of some sort at the ends, giving me at least a bit of cable protection from abrasion and any water in the hull. I can make flange parts and hose adapters as I have a decent sized lathe. Any thoughts or alternatives?

Phil M

Not familiar with the construction of the Zodiac, but chances are there will be stringers/bulkheads under the deck that will prevent you from running anything under the deck. I think fitting trunking without taking the deck up is a non-starter. The "normal" arrangement for boats without UDT is to run a hose from the console on the deck to the transom & tuck it under the tubes.

Phil M · 01 September 2014, 16:00

Dave, I'm pretty certain there is one hollow fiberglass box running the length of the hull and no transverse stringers in there, as I've seen a photo of one without a deck and can push a cable fisher into the boat. I'm not concerned about installing a thin pipe, just need to decide on a design.

Phil

9D280 · 02 September 2014, 14:42

Or do what I did - & instead of using one massive 2.5" diameter trip hazard trunk, use multiple small ones (30 or 40 mm) that when tie wrapped together side by side sit as flat and present a much reduced trip hazard - and something you can step on.

Copex comes in a multitude of colours so relatively easy to blend in, but granted you still have the stuff across your deck. It's another possibility, should you not find an underdeck solution.

ShinyShoe · 02 September 2014, 18:46

If there is a box dies it need trunked?

Phil M · 03 September 2014, 12:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

If there is a box dies it need trunked?

Do you mean run the cables down the center box member? It is a possibility but I'd be concerned still with cable wear. I have no idea of the state of the inside of the box. It could be rough as a badgers backside in there.

Phil

jeffstevens763@g · 03 September 2014, 13:00

phil
humber use to do a surface trunk that screwed down to the floor try them or look at plastic cable ducting from CEF stores.

jeff

Pikey Dave · 03 September 2014, 14:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil M

Do you mean run the cables down the center box member? It is a possibility but I'd be concerned still with cable wear. I have no idea of the state of the inside of the box. It could be rough as a badgers backside in there.

Phil

Is the centre box section open to the rest of the hull or is it a sealed box? I'm thinking that if you access the box section, are you compromising the hull & allowing water into the underdeck space? I would expect that any trunking fitted during production would be sealed from the rest of the hull, I know Ribcraft use a 3" flexible hose from the transom to the console & it's sealed to the deck at both ends. So if water gets into the trunking, it can't then escape into the hull void & flood the hull.

Phil M · 03 September 2014, 18:27

The box is sealed I believe. I dont know how far it runs to the transom though as it seems to taper off before the splash well. I like the idea of the flexible hose although probably wont need 3".

Phil

Red Fox · 05 September 2014, 00:12

If there is no hole then I wouldn't drill one. Having had a couple of zodiacs with no UDC it is no problem really in the size of boat (5.3). My first 4.7 had exposed cables and I got a section of grey pipe insulation and silver duct taped it around the cable. Soft to stand on and no problem. Current pro 500 has a plastic sleeve around the cables that extend out of the back of the centre console and then curves to the side of the boat before curving up to the engine. Never tripped on it or found it a problem. The new 550's have a channel in the side to run cables through which looks neater but for me the 500 was just what I wanted so I see cables.

Jon Tallis · 05 September 2014, 01:26

Neat solution on my humber (by the original builder - not by me). 100x35 rectangular clip-top electrical trunking, covered by custom folded polished stainless screwed to the deck. Runs straight down the middle of the boat.
Very neat, very robust, very easy to get into when needed.

Seafox47 · 06 September 2014, 02:01

Try to run a feeder cable first and see if you can"fish" it from the console to the transom. If you can, then take a large diameter hose 50 mm od and attach to the fishing wire and pull it thru, be gentle when you pull and also feed the hose in, twist the hose around when it gets stuck. It is likely you can pull, it thru, however if cant get it thru, try it with a smaller hose.
I have used this method on a novurania 660 and it worked well.

Nightfisher · 10 September 2014, 08:39

I drilled the rails and using aluminum rivets popped-in about six/per side 1/2" triangular swivel holders to all wiring and batterys firm.

Phil M · 08 January 2015, 22:19

Just to finish the story I thought I'd show what I eventually did. I made some flange adapters out of a block of plastic. Essentially a tube either side of a flange plate. There is a length of pump suction hose (green) connected to the under deck end with a jubilee clip and plenty of sealant. The flange plate then screws to the deck (with more sealant) so you won't see the green bit and the hull is sealed. The engine rigging hose the pushes onto that. Under the console where it comes up through the deck, I've put about 8" of spare hose on the top side, so the water in the console has to be deeper than that to go down the tube. Even if it does, it can't make it into the hull void.

I've run two of these, on wither side of the main central stringer. One for the engine and one for the lighting cables, co-ax, sounder cable and steering hoses.

I'm thinking about closing off the cable one with a quick squirt of expanding foam and then a cap or black silicon sealer or potting compound. It will probably need a thin tube with cap in the end though so I can let any water out by lifting the front of the boat (on the trailer).

Phil M