Help hole in bilge, properly route throttle

[johnrmarshall22]

It appears a previous owner of my 2006 22' cruiser with Honda twin 50s thought that the reason for stiff throttles was improper cable routing. So... to "straighten out" the cables they were run through the cabin near door then holes were drilled near the bottom of the bilge to accomodate a flexible sheathing of weather proof conduit that all four cables reside. Well although this conduit has been caulked and sealed with some other flexible goop the offending holes weep (when it rains) and the inside of my cabin floor is wet! Real nice sauna when the Wallas is running...

I see other holes in the bilge near the top that appear to be 'stock" and maybe where the cables orginally ran?

I want to 1. stop the leak 2. route the cables as intended by the orginal outfitter. 3. Possibly upgrade cables.

I need to know how best to route the cables. I then intend to clean the area where the holes have been cut near the bottom of the bilge and re-fiberglass or install some sort of plug/ plate that is appropriately sealed. I worry that I cannot get the fiberglass clean enough to patch with new fiberglass patch.
Thanks in Advance!

[hardee]

John,

I have an 06 22 Cruiser. The cables for engine control, (twin 40's), run along the Stbd side, just below the deck level, under the sink counter, and out of the cabin just under the gunnel, completely covered. There are some holes under the door, near the bilge, where the water hose goes across from the water tank to the sink, (port to Stbd sides). There are a couple of wires there too. The bilge pump power and the line from the Raymarine compass, (mounted on the aft cabin bulkhead under the aft port side seat and above the water tank.

Hope that is some help. Good luck.

Harvey
SleepyC

[johnrmarshall22]

What are the cables covered / sheathed in? Also after the cables exit the bulkhead/ under the door are the cables simply routed across the cockpit floor (under fiberglass panel floor)? Mine currently are. Thanks SleepyC for the reply.

[starcrafttom]

The cables should not be on the floor. They should exit the cabin at hip height just under the side deck( I think that is what harvey was trying to say) under the gunnels ( the little shelves on the side of the cock pit) then from there straight back to the storage boxes on the side of the transon and then out of there into the motor well. This places the cables off the floor and out of the weather except at the motor well. You can buy and use a cable boot where the cables pass thru the motor well wall. Most boats have the motor cables and power cables all going thur the boot ( like a cvc boot on a front wheel drive car)

I hope that helps. post some pics of your boat so we can see what you have going on.

[thataway]

Most C Dories have an opening just under the gunnel as Tom relates--and that is where all wiring and engine cables run. I see no advantage--and several disadvantages to the way that your cables are run. Put it back where it belongs--it they are stiff, it is some other reason--not the way the factory has routed them for some time. My 2006 has cables routed the "standard" way.

[ferret30]

I'm confused since my 2006 does not have a bilge near the door, and my cabin floor is curved like the hull. Your 2006 has a bilge in the front of the cockpit?

My cables and hydraulics are laid out the way others have described. The annoying thing is my cables are too long and run most of the way across the splash well then do a 180 back to the motor. I've seen most other boats have shorter cable runs which leaves space in the well for climbing in and out of the boat (i.e. off a swim step).

[johnrmarshall22]

Thanks to all for your input. My job has just been crazy busy lately and have not had time to do important stuff like play on this website and work on the boat. My bilge is near the cabin door, step over it to enter cabin. The bilge well is maybe 5-6 inches deep and is flush with the cockpit fiberglass false floor. In the bilge is a 1100 gpm pump. Sorry no pictures yet.
It was very useful to hear from others and how their throttle cables are run... mine were monkeyed with and frankly some bad ideas were in play... drilling a hole through bilge being the worst. Anyway I just got the cables straightend out yesterday with the help of my lovely wife, pulling the 15' of flexible electrical conduit through the various hole, bends and getting the cables pulled free of conduit, well let just say, it was job. The cables now run in a most logical fashion... funny, its like the varrious holes and passage below the gunwale were designed to work perfectly! Have a little more work to finish up this New Years Day morning and looking foward to launching and going for a little cruise on this wonderful day in the northern San Francisco Bay. Thanks all
PS: Will figure out picture posting thing ASAP

[potter water]

It sounds like you must have mechanical rather than hydraulic steering. If so, I'd go to hydraulic while you are messing around in there. Hydraulic routing is a non-issue so long as there is proper abrasion protection and the hoses aren't super long.