Cable Tidy

waverunner · 28 November 2007, 07:14

I am looking for some good neat ideas to keep all the cables and hoses tidy across the top of the deck of my new Humber Destroyer 5.5m from the console to the engine and 'A' frame. I do have my own plans of how I am going to achieve this as well as keeping an open mind to any good suggestions.

Any Pics would be welcome.

mdt · 28 November 2007, 08:00

have a look at this link http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?...ghlight=humber

there are a few sugestions and photos... good luck

Pablo · 28 November 2007, 10:05

If it's going to be used as a dive boat it might be worth putting down a rubber mat to protect the decking. All the cables then go underneath and then along the tubes. You can use a hard bit of rubber to go from the console to the tubes in order to protect them.

This photo shows the mat on the deck of my Humber but the cables are not in place yet.

martini · 28 November 2007, 16:40

This stuff might come in handy - megaflex

yoyo · 28 November 2007, 19:28

I have used 50mm electrical convoluted conduit piping, it also has bulkhead fittings available that make a nice tidy exit point from the console.

waverunner · 29 November 2007, 06:37

Thanks guys, any more ideas keep em coming!!!

Yoyo do you have a pic from the console?

Jizm · 29 November 2007, 09:53

The trouble with conduit is it can be a right pig to change a cable if you need to. You could use spiral wrap or what I did is maintain cable orientation down the boat and neatly cable tie them.

9D280 · 29 November 2007, 11:23

I have first hand experience of both systems - both the convoluted conduit (old boat) and the spriral wrap (new boat). As usual there's good & bad points to both:

Convoluted Conduit
In its favour see yoyo's post - lots of protection & nice neat terminations.
Against it - make sure you drill some drain holes in the low points - I discovered mine was doing quite a good hose impersonation at one point! Also retrofitting cables is a pain unless you totally oversize it.

Spiral Wrap
Again, in it's favour, see Jism's post - i.e nice & easy to install / retrofit new cables etc.
Against it - It's half the reason I'm having to rewire my boat! The non continuous nature of the "shell" means the cables can still get chomped. My current boat had this stuff when I got it, and I found three "emergency joins" in the spiral wrap where the cable had been severed.

So, I'm going for the "flexi conduit" for the rewire, but whilst feeding the cables through I'm putting extra cores & coax in for future expansion, having had to add a cable as an afterthought on the old boat!

Hope this helps a bit.....

yoyo · 29 November 2007, 12:09

I agree with 9D280 about drilling a couple of relief holes in the belly of the conduit. I seem to remember that I drilled six in mine, they are unnoticeable!

By the way the white cable that can be seen in the conduit of my previous post is used as a “fish” for pulling addition cables through the tubing, its twice as long as the conduit so it can be used many times. The excess “fish” is coiled and cabled tied neatly in the console at one end, the other end is stowed back on its self neatly in the conduit. Up to now there hasn’t been a problem with pulling thro additional lines at all.

I am still trying to dig out a decent console end pic that shows the neat bulkhead fitting.

Chris · 29 November 2007, 14:07

Applies to people with underdeck cable trunks...

1 - Always coat the cables in washing up liquid before trying to pull them through. You will be amazed at how much easier the job becomes

2 - Never wrap a stuck cable around your fire extinguisher then pull up with your arms to try and drag a cable through. When it breaks the Fire extinguisher will smack you in the nose and knock you on your arse and leave you looking like a twat for several days after.

3 - Dont ask me how I know this.

The Garfish · 29 November 2007, 14:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Always coat the cables in washing up liquid

woz dat yew inn carrdif lasst weak. de cowstgard sed dat thay ad repawts ov a clowd ov bubbuls moovin dowen de channul

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

and leave you looking like a twat for several days after.

ow didd yew tel de diffrense

garF

Chris · 29 November 2007, 14:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Garfish

woz dat yew inn carrdif lasst weak. de cowstgard sed dat thay ad repawts ov a clowd ov bubbuls moovin dowen de channul

ow didd yew tel de diffrense

garF

Ho Ho Ho. the only reason I know I looked like a twat was cause you mother said she did not want to shag me cause I reminded her of you

Nasher · 29 November 2007, 14:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

1 - Always coat the cables in washing up liquid before trying to pull them through. You will be amazed at how much easier the job becomes

Some washing up liquids are full of salt to bulk them out, so be careful about the long term viability of this idea.

Nasher

Nasher · 29 November 2007, 14:39

I like spiral wrap, but then my RIB is not exactly the tidiest looking RIB around.

Nasher

Chris · 29 November 2007, 14:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nasher

Some washing up liquids are full of salt to bulk them out, so be careful about the long term viability of this idea.

Nasher

Nasher, would the salt attack the plastic sleeving of the cables then? If so I am going to flush out my trunk

Chris

Nasher · 29 November 2007, 14:52

Chris

Sorry, didn't want to panic you or anything.

I'm not sure how bad it will be, I just think it can't be a good idear having any amount of salt somewhere you don't want it. If it can be avoided.

I tie the new cable to the mouse line then create a nose cone on it with some parcel tape and add a small amount of Silicone grease for extra slippage, which is probably equally as bad for another reason.

I will of course be corrected by somebody with more knowledge of the situation.

Nasher.