ethan-333 Posted January 17, 2017 Posted January 17, 2017 im trying to snake the transducer wires (sonar and structure) from transom to console.. there is a cord already at the console that im trying to use to pull my wires through. but it gets stuck at the same spot every time no matter how hard i pull or shake the wires. boat is an 88 ranger 390v. should i try and run a fishtape through a different route or keep trying to pull? after 2.5 hours of trying to fish cable through i have got nothing... i did more research and im going to try and remove the seat and maybe look for an access panel in the storage compartment.. Quote
"hamma" Posted January 17, 2017 Posted January 17, 2017 Better to be safe, than sorry, I'd recommend not pulling on wires or cords as there maybe a splice in the wires, or a connector, a fuse, etc, etc, etc,....hindering further movement.,.. I have always "tried" using whats there to make things easy, but if they dont want to co-operate. dont force things,... route things as they need be via a metal wiring snake, or even a coat hanger, is a better option, maybe not what you "want" to hear,... but just the same a "better" train of thought Quote
eddallen Posted January 17, 2017 Posted January 17, 2017 All of us who do this for a living will tell you there are too many things that can go wrong. In 1988 marine electronics was a second thought to boat builders on the recreational/semi-pro spectrum. The newer boats of the 2000 vintage and on started actually considering such things and placed round piping, flexible/rigid, as wire runs in the hulls. But prior to that era most builders simply glassed in a flat piece from the cap gunnel to the main hull. This makes it very hard for a single person to pull wire through. Another possible cause (we see this way too much) is zip-ties. These have there place but most riggers of new boats did not take into consideration where these ties would lie on the finished hull. Do a diligent search for these ties. But, what is far worse than the ties is electrical tape. The plug/connectors on cables also make things difficult. They hang up on earlier production boats with the flat glassed in bars and you can damage the cable without even knowing. Your rigging rope that is already in place is sweet only IF it was always used to pull new wire in. Otherwise, your rope may not be cleanly. It is fairly easy to pull the rope but when you add a 1" diameter connector....well you get the picture. Some things that may help: Fiberglass pulling rods from Harbor Freight both in 1' and 3' sections. If you have an old rod-sock you can feed the connectors into the sleeve and tape and wire tie the sock to an area behind the connectors. This will help get through some snags especially if you use the sock in conjunction with the fiberglass rods. Sometimes when you get a snag at the same point on every pull, you can have a friend keep steady but soft pressure from the opposite end to help keep your wire straight. Good luck, with each one of these you do you will get better. Quote
Super User Scott F Posted January 17, 2017 Super User Posted January 17, 2017 I have a 1988 vintage Ranger and there is a piece of conduit that runs front to back on both the port and starboard sides just below the gunnel. Is this where you are trying to pull? Quote
ethan-333 Posted January 17, 2017 Author Posted January 17, 2017 Who knew taking the seat off and that tiny little access panel could make things so much easier. got both cables ran through now. using my phone camera i stuck in thru a vent hole in the top and i could see the "channel" the wires were running through madr about a 3 foot stringer out of coat hanger and fed it through. it was a big channel but the problem i was having was it kept getting pinched between what i believe was the gas line and the boat wall. with the access panel removed i had enough room to move it thru a wider area and the rest is history. would have been a lot easier with 2 people. but i managed. now hopefully my ethernet cable fits thru the other channel i snaked from the console to the bow Also thanks for the replies. i decided last night against forcing it thru by pulling. figured i could pull anything loose doing that Quote
ethan-333 Posted January 17, 2017 Author Posted January 17, 2017 last question. hopefully lol this is where i planned on mounting the transducers. i dont want to glass the skimmer in because i dont want to lose sensitivy on sonar. the lss-2 will be right under the jackplate and motor when trimmed all the way down will not hit it. the skimmer i plan on mounting under the shelf starboard side a few inches. the skimmer does not stick out past the shelf so im not worried about interference with the lss-2. my biggest concern is does the skimmer need to be mounted farther to the right or is the spot i have picked out going to work well? red x is structure scan blue x is skimmer Thanks Again! Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted January 17, 2017 Super User Posted January 17, 2017 19 minutes ago, ethan-333 said: last question. hopefully lol this is where i planned on mounting the transducers. i dont want to glass the skimmer in because i dont want to lose sensitivy on sonar. the lss-2 will be right under the jackplate and motor when trimmed all the way down will not hit it. the skimmer i plan on mounting under the shelf starboard side a few inches. the skimmer does not stick out past the shelf so im not worried about interference with the lss-2. my biggest concern is does the skimmer need to be mounted farther to the right or is the spot i have picked out going to work well? red x is structure scan blue x is skimmer Thanks Again! Your biggest concern should be if the 2D transducer (skimmer) is not at the bottom of the hull, it will be impossible to get 2D/Depth when on plane. On plane means the bottom of the hull is on the water's surface. You don't have that indicated in your picture. Quote
ethan-333 Posted January 17, 2017 Author Posted January 17, 2017 13 minutes ago, Wayne P. said: Your biggest concern should be if the 2D transducer (skimmer) is not at the bottom of the hull, it will be impossible to get 2D/Depth when on plane. On plane means the bottom of the hull is on the water's surface. You don't have that indicated in your picture. it needss to be overhanging the orange by a hair? Quote
ethan-333 Posted January 17, 2017 Author Posted January 17, 2017 i dont think there is enough room to mount the skimmer externally. i will probably be glassing it in unless the one already glassed in is compatible Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted January 17, 2017 Super User Posted January 17, 2017 You should be using a shoot-thru application with that hull. If you put the LSS-2 where the blue X is, you can idle at a faster rate when scanning than if you put it where the red X is. PLUS you will have more clearance of the outboard for the left side Side Scan. You do have to consider the outboard contacting the transducer when trimmed all the way down. Quote
ethan-333 Posted January 17, 2017 Author Posted January 17, 2017 thanks for the help. i will mount the lss where the blue is. the motor will not hit it when all the way down. and the transducer that was already glassed in is compatible so life got easier Quote
ethan-333 Posted January 18, 2017 Author Posted January 18, 2017 7 hours ago, Wayne P. said: You should be using a shoot-thru application with that hull. If you put the LSS-2 where the blue X is, you can idle at a faster rate when scanning than if you put it where the red X is. PLUS you will have more clearance of the outboard for the left side Side Scan. You do have to consider the outboard contacting the transducer when trimmed all the way down. i lied. 1 more question. i know you can get interference thru transducer cables running by the trolling motor wires. what about ethernet cables?? Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.