Depthsounder

[Tom Pandiscio]

I am having a problem installing a new transducer on a Cape Dory 36. Acutally, the problem is connecting the transducer to the display in a neat and tidy way. My instruments are located on the port bulkhead next to the companionway. They are housed in a cabinet above the icebox. The existing transducer cable leaves the forward cabin, proceeds under the sole into the engine box--it is here that I lose it. It is somehow routed into the port locker and then back into the cabinet. Pulling on it doesn't help as it must be wire tied to something. My question is--does anyone know of a typical wiring path out of the port locker on these boats? The path would enter the galley area in some way. My hot water tank is in the locker and I am having difficulty seeing the path.



Tom_Pandiscio@mail.wachusett-rhs.wrsd.k12.ma.us

[Duncan Maio]

My question is--does anyone know of a typical wiring path out of the port locker on these boats?

All the instrument wiring on my CD27 runs from the instruments (port bulkhead, behind the breaker panel) aft to the port cockpit locker, through a small space (less than an inch high) between the deck and the cabin liner. All of the newer gear is wire-tied in the port locker and in the space between the instruments and the breaker panel; some of the original wiring may be cemented in place - I haven't tried to remove it. The easiest way to find this path is to run a fish tape aft from the instruments, and see where it comes out in the engine bay or port locker.

If you are installing a new transducer, why not just leave the old one (if it works) as a backup? My original transducer was not a thru-hull - it sits in an oil-filled tube epoxied to the hull - so I just left it in place, along with the original depth finder in the salon.

-Duncan Maio



dmaio@att.net

[Roald Horton]

I am having a problem installing a new transducer on a Cape Dory 36. Acutally, the problem is connecting the transducer to the display in a neat and tidy way. My instruments are located on the port bulkhead next to the companionway. They are housed in a cabinet above the icebox. The existing transducer cable leaves the forward cabin, proceeds under the sole into the engine box--it is here that I lose it. It is somehow routed into the port locker and then back into the cabinet. Pulling on it doesn't help as it must be wire tied to something. My question is--does anyone know of a typical wiring path out of the port locker on these boats? The path would enter the galley area in some way. My hot water tank is in the locker and I am having difficulty seeing the path.

I am the owner of a 1981 CD36. I have rewired and added significantly to the wiring entering the area of your depthsounder display. The transducer cable is probably bundled with other wiring running behind the plywood liner on the aft bulkhead. I found that with some difficulty I could add many more wires by removing the trim strip at the bottom of the bulkhead fascia and installing a permanent pull wire. The cable can then be led outboard, aft and down into the bilge, thence forward. I would leave the old cable in place and route the new one in parallel with it.
To give you an idea of the magnitude of my rewiring, I went from the original 10 DC breakers to 40 DC circuits plus 5 AC circuits. I also installed a new breaker panel, alternator and smart regulator. If you are considering any expansion of your electrical capacity I highly recommend the Heart EVI modular system.

If I can be of any further help please feel free to contact me.

Roald Horton, Cape Dory Sailboat Owners Assn Board Member
"SeaScape"



roald@toad.net