Trying to run new wires from my console to my battery for my radio… Is there a special way to fish these? When I run my fish tape through the port in my console it never come out the port near my battery. It seems my tape is curling up inside my hull. I also want to put in a new gps/sounder and I will run into the same issue when running the transducer. Boat is a Tidewater 1900 Baymax. Please help! Also, have limited visibility due to trap door by motor to get into hull is so small my little head cannot fit in.
If you have a radio or GPS mounted now and are replaceing one or the other you should have no problem. I just replaced my GPS/Plotter/Sounder combo and ran a new cable. When you pull any existing wire from the console, tie a good stout nylon cord to the unit end of the wire. When you pull the wire to the back the cord comes with it. Pull the new wire back the other way with the cord. I pulled 2 cords through the chase with the old GPS cable and left one in the chase, in case I need to pull another one through in the future. Just tie the extra cord one off at front and back, so the end will be easy to find later. If I ask a dumb question? Why are you running a wire for the radio to the battery. Is there no power to the consloe now? If there is find a + and - there.
Unless the manufacturer ran conduit, you’ll need a large vat of old fashioned elbow grease.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
“When you pull any existing wire from the console, tie a good stout nylon cord to the unit end of the wire. When you pull the wire to the back the cord comes with it. Pull the new wire back the other way with the cord.”
There you go. Just pray the existing cables aren’t zip-tied to something inside the cavity.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc.
https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Also you can tape up the new cable end with duct tape and sort of taper the end down! Makes it easier to pull over stringers and such! Helps the have a small, agile, long armed kid or woman!
Lee, the zip tie dealee would be my luck!
If your boat has continuous conduit for the cables, and wiring (which it should). Place the hose of a shop vac at one end of the conduit and place a piece of a plastic grocery bag with a string tied to it at the other end. Turn the vac on and it should pull the bag through, if they’re aren’t too many cables already. Sometimes the string alone will work.
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
Mixed I’ve heard of something similar, except you blow the bag through with an air gun! However he does it, sounds like he still needs a skinny acrobat with long arms and a little head!
Yeah Easy, a few months back we found an empty four inch conduit during a renovation project and found the other end some 600 feet away by using a leaf blower and a bag. I just thought the shop vac hose might be a little more flexible, and easier than a blower??
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
One more trick is to use the plastic line like they give you at Lowe’s, to fish through the conduit with the shop vac. It’s a little more rigid than nylon string and fishes much easier.
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
Thanks for the suggestions, I will give the shop vac a try. I just feel like there must be a break in the channel or my fish tape would be binded up. It’s worth a shot.
Easy, look back at the other posts in this forum. I have one about my stereo issue.
Citadel1999! You haven’t answered my question on why are you not hooking the radio up to a + and - that are already run to the console?
Citadel, I looked at that post! Are you still having problems with the stereo? Hook the radio up at the console and see if you have the same problem!
I’ve hooked it every way I know how… To the acc switch, to the cigarette lighter, to the red and black that enters the console that feeds the whole panel. So I figured I’d try and run a separate set of wires straight to the battery just for the stereo.
Citadel! That’s my bag of tricks! Don’t know another way. I do know what you are saying about working through a hatch. I was laying on my back trying to hang down through the hatch and reach at the same time! About the time I was touching, what I needed to be touching, I’d get a cramp and have to worm my way out of that hole to get rid of the cramp. LOL You just have to be persistent and keep at it and eventually you’ll find what your looking for! Kind of like dating! LOL Keep me updated!
I know exactly what you are talking about. 2 weeks ago my bilge quit working. I bought a new one. It almost killed me reaching in that hatch. It was perfectly seated where I could touch it and not get a good grip on it. After about 30 mins of misery… A couple leg cramps, keys in my pocket digging into my thigh, dropped the wire cutters a couple times… Finally got the new one in. Hit the switch…nothing. Checked the fuse, busted! Replaced in 2 mins.
Yeah, I learned a long time ago to start checking at the cheap side of things!
Before going to all that trouble can you get a battery under the console and run the wires to it first to be sure it"s not a stereo problem?
Bill
1720 KW 110 Johnson
16’ Bonito 65 Johnson
Coot, that’s a good idea! Or, just to check the stereo, he can take some wire with alligator clips and run them above the deck, back to the battery. As bad as I am with electrical stuff, I have a bunch of different length wires with clips no them. That and a multimeter will help a guy out!
there is a yellow wire also that has to be connected to get power to the radio,it is the memory for the unit it should be hooked to positive along with the red wire or you will not get power to the radio