SAWDOC
regular
Reged: 24/02/2008
Posts: 167
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however i was apalled to see the state of the wiring which connected to deck fitting leading to my masthead light. Having noted a 10v reading on my meter, i suspected that corrosion of the electrical cable had affected the integrity of the wiring. On removing the two pin deck fitting the severely corroded blackened stiff wire ends were visible - the obvious cause of the voltage drop. Is there any marine grade electrical cable or is this an inevitable consequence of deck fitings on an ocean going yacht? Any other tips on renewal?
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Debutante21Sixpence
regular
Reged: 24/08/2005
Posts: 18999
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http://apexwires.com/advantage-tin-coated-copper-wire.html
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sarabande
regular
Reged: 06/05/2005
Posts: 5648
Loc: up on the moors.
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Their site seems to be frozen in an early stage of development, so much so that I can't find their address.....
The only other people I can think of are Merlin Equipment
http://www.power-store.com/?id=65
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Enlightenment is motor-sailing
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whipper_snapper
regular
Reged: 09/08/2006
Posts: 1533
Loc: Kenya
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Quote:
Any other tips on renewal?
When you replace the wire, move the plug/connector to below decks. Pass the wire from the mast - plug and all - through a deck gland. If you do that, you can even get away with 'bullet' type push connectors below deck. Deck plugs always cause grief.
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RestlessL
regular
Reged: 06/04/2007
Posts: 375
Loc: Solent
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My preference is to use a mush-room feed-thru like this . Keeps the cable flat on the deck, and less likely to be kicked.
John
Edited by RestlessL (07/05/2008 07:23)
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AngusMcDoon
regular
Reged: 20/10/2004
Posts: 605
Loc: kerbie
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The standard deck connectors found in chandlers are rubbish and only last a year or two. The only ones I have found at a reasonable size and price that work are made by a German company called Binder...
Binder Connectors
Series 692 are suitable. The problem is then finding a retailer that will sell you a small number. Compass Watersports have a measly small selection, for example...
Binder connector at Compass
Using these with a yearly vaseline application, and a folded-over full length rubber boot over the whole lot, I've got nearly 10 years out of them now with no problems. The deck of a Dragonfly might not see oceans, but it is a pretty wet place all the same.
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Gordonmc
regular
Reged: 19/09/2001
Posts: 1566
Loc: h Riddon
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I had similar problems on my wooden boat, compounded by the fact water not only got into the cable joints, but also into the deckhead.
When I cut out the sponge and graved in new wood I was determined not to replace the glands but get something better:
The KISS rule applies. As well as an added bit of ventilation it means I can have an uninterrupted run of cable from masthead to the instrument panel and VHF. The next time the mast is stepped I just pull the cables through.
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Freestyle
regular
Reged: 13/06/2004
Posts: 1115
Loc: Anglesey
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Quote:
Any other tips on renewal?
Firstly, and very obviously, don't remove the old wiring until you have its replacement ready, because you'll need it to pull the new wiring through.
Secondly, while you may get away with taping the new to the old, for a stronger and lower profile temporary join, clean the black off the ends of the old wire and solder it to the bared ends of the new. (Edit: Er, and don't do what I did and forget to disconnect the affected wiring from anything live - I managed to blow a relay - replacement cost £12,00)
Edit: note that the blackening may extend a long way along your old wire - I have had to replace entire runs of internal wiring on Freestyle wherever there has been a junction below floor level. Presumably at some stage the junctions have been immersed in water because it has clearly tracked along under the insulation, uphill (by capillary action). I am now such a devotee of soldered junctions protected by heat shrink tubing that Freestyle never goes anywhere without her 12v soldering iron.
Edited by Freestyle (07/05/2008 10:29)
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whipper_snapper
regular
Reged: 09/08/2006
Posts: 1533
Loc: Kenya
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Quote:
I was determined not to replace the glands but get something better:
I think you are using 'gland' to mean plug-socket. A gland means that you can have an uninterrupted cable run. And the object in your picture is a gland, although not the more common tapered rubber plug variety.
(not trying to be pedantic - just hoping to avoid confusion)
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awol
regular
Reged: 04/01/2005
Posts: 943
Loc: Me Edinburgh, Boat Port Edgar
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Get a keel-stepped mast? 
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SAWDOC
regular
Reged: 24/02/2008
Posts: 167
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thanks for excellent advice - much appreciated. 
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DaveS
regular
Reged: 25/08/2004
Posts: 1230
Loc: West Coast of Scotland
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I entirely agree with a number of points. Using plugs and sockets without an adequate ingress protection (IP) rating is just asking for trouble. Decent plugs and sockets are an entirely different matter. The Binder units are IP66 which is pretty good. I've used Bulgin Buccaneers (IP68: even better) for years without any problems (available from e.g. RS and now increasingly seen in chandlers). I am also a great fan of applying vaseline generously on assembly (terminations and pins / tubes) with an annual smear on mating surfaces thereafter.
On the other hand I really dislike the "normal" system of a deck gland with the connections made up in a bit of "chocolate block" connector below deck. Yuk! Plenty of opportunity for moisture to get into the cabling (unless lots of vaseline is used, which makes the annual connecting / disconnecting job messy), the exposed end of the mast cable must be carefully taped up over winter and, worst of all, every time the screws are tightened up a few more wire strands are severed. It's a system that nobody other than yotties would consider for a moment, yet we happily go around telling each other that it's the only right way to do it... 
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Chris_Robb
regular
Reged: 15/06/2001
Posts: 2491
Loc: Portsmouth
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One way to make the standard deck glands water proof - and I really waterproof, is to use self amalgamting tape.
Wrap a good quantity f the stuff round the fittings and you wont have any trouble.
However if the wire has already gone black, you may need to replace the wire. Then protect with this tape.
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