Just in case someone has to replace a vhf antenna on a CD 28 hard top trawler, be prepared for lots of dog work. My antenna is on the starboard side of the hard top and the wire goes through the hard top and mysteriously disappears. The VHF is just to the left and under the steering wheel. I traced the wire back, in the panel under the steering wheel and through the lockers on the starboard side of the main cabin. I had to unscrew the wooden panel next to the cabin door and unlooosen all the overhead cabin lining, particularly on the starboard side of the cabin. The wire runs through the overhead, with lots of other wires and I had to thread the new wire through open channels. It was slow and laborious work and can only be done with a helper. If you need some moral support when your turn comes to replacing an antenna, give me a shout.
Burt
polisho@ibm.net
New VHF Antenna for CD28 Trawler
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Walt Bilofsky
Re: New VHF Antenna for CD28 Trawler
I can sympathize, though I at least have a flybridge so dealing with wiring is easier once it gets through the saloon roof.
On my 30' powerboat, the existing wiring went up through a pillar at the starboard rear of the saloon, then through about a 2" hole into the flybridge housing at the aft end (where it is completely inaccessible) and then up to the area under the instrument panel. No way to secure that run - all the wiring, hydraulic lines and control cables just lay on the deck inside the housing. Yuk.
The 2" hole was pretty full to start, and when I added a radar cable that filled it up completely. So a new route was needed. I went up the pillar, over into the saloon roof behind the headliner and forward, and cut a new 3" hole in the flybridge deck inside the instrument panel area. Epoxied a piece of PVC pipe in the hole sticking up a couple of inches above the deck so water can't drip down.
Every time I need to run another wire, I have to take down at least two of the three headliner panels. Thank goodness for cordless screwdrivers as there are about 30 2" screws to back out, and the panels are clumsy. So when I run cable I put in multiple conductors so there are plenty of spares - something I recommend doing any time you need to run wiring in inaccessible spaces.
bilofsky@toolworks.com
On my 30' powerboat, the existing wiring went up through a pillar at the starboard rear of the saloon, then through about a 2" hole into the flybridge housing at the aft end (where it is completely inaccessible) and then up to the area under the instrument panel. No way to secure that run - all the wiring, hydraulic lines and control cables just lay on the deck inside the housing. Yuk.
The 2" hole was pretty full to start, and when I added a radar cable that filled it up completely. So a new route was needed. I went up the pillar, over into the saloon roof behind the headliner and forward, and cut a new 3" hole in the flybridge deck inside the instrument panel area. Epoxied a piece of PVC pipe in the hole sticking up a couple of inches above the deck so water can't drip down.
Every time I need to run another wire, I have to take down at least two of the three headliner panels. Thank goodness for cordless screwdrivers as there are about 30 2" screws to back out, and the panels are clumsy. So when I run cable I put in multiple conductors so there are plenty of spares - something I recommend doing any time you need to run wiring in inaccessible spaces.
bilofsky@toolworks.com