Hunter 33-2 wire chase from aft cabin to panel?

[buddy0]

I've spent quite a bit of time looking for the best way to run wire from the aft cabin/transom to the breaker panel in my 2005 Hunter 33.
I've read in several places that Hunter has fro many years been installing PVC conduit for wires and even left chaser lines in some boats.

I have found a conduit heading forward, but I can not find one heading aft from the panel. It appears that the wires heading aft are just running along the hull/deck joint between the liner and the hull. There are also some wires through the bottom of the cabinets, but they stop in the aft cabin cabinet and it doesn't look like there is a way out.

Before I try to chase another wire through I thought I'd see if there are any H33-2 owners out there that can tell me if I'm missing anything.

Luckily for my last project of installing an autopilot, a helpful forum post helped me to find an unused power supply from the panel to the binnacle. So in the end I didn't have to chase any wires. But now I'm installing solar and I need to run some new wire. I'm thinking of going down the inside of the arch on the starboard side with the other arch wires and then forward to the panel.

 

[Hello Below]

I will provide my experience on a slightly newer 33. It may or may not help. You may also want to search this hunter owner form using arch, wiring, etc.

In the e33, there is a wiring conduit (1.25” ??) running high up on the starboard side. It starts about a foot aft of the forward head bulkhead (behind an access door) and stops just forward of the forward starboard arch leg (above the headliner). The stbd fwd arch leg has a hole in the bottom, in my case, to bring in the arch speaker and LED wires. This arch leg is bolted together at a splice. At the splice, the tube ends are solid but have 2 small holes (3/8” ??) in each that are aligned. I was able to fish two 10 gauge solar panel wires down the inside of the arch tube, through the predrilled holes at the splice and the predrilled hole in the base allowing the wires to enter inside the boat. Total time for me to run these wires less than 10' was about 20 hours and a lot of cuss words. But the wires are hidden and well protected. It may be possible and easier to unbolt the splice and get at the holes that way.

 

[buddy0]

I have found the opening in the arch leg on the starboard side, with some other cables emerging. That is the only leg with an opening. I have not been looking forward to trying to fish two wires through there, but I am glad to hear from you that it is not impossible.

Thanks for the exact location of that wiring conduit. The wires on mine run up from the panel through a hole in the rear corner of the shelf and turn and go through the wall behind the head. The wires are covered by a trim piece that sits in the corner and can just be slid away. There is a similar trim piece covering an access hole on the aft wall of the head on top of the cabinet, in the corner, in the aft berth. And then there is an access panel in the ceiling liner around the area of the arch and engine controls.

I really don't think that there is a conduit in there in my boat. I have been poking around looking for a place to run the wires quite a bit. Now knowing exactly where yours is, I'll take one more look and if I still don't find it I'll feel safe giving up the hunt and just trying to pull some wires through that space.

 

[Hello Below]

Now knowing exactly where yours is,

It is difficult to describe even with photos but I'll give it a shot.

So here looking aft is the headliner peeled back in the after cabin. The forward reading lamp is just below the bottom of the forward starboard leg of the arch.

Here in the bottom right you can see the white and red DC wires feeding the fwd reading lamp. Now that you are orientated, the bolt and nut shown is securing the fwd starboard arch leg. The bolt is offset making room for a 3/4" access hole for wires to go up the inside of the leg. The blue wire is a 2 core - 14 AWG for 12VDC to the cockpit LED, the grey wire is a 4 core wire for audio to the left and right speakers in the arch speaker box. The white conduit can be seen just to the left of the bolt. The difficult part was fishing the 2 - 10 AWG solar panel wires up inside the leg through the 3/8" holes in the leg splice with the grey and blue wires already in place. I had to strip the outside cover off leaving individual wires to work with. I ended up with 2 speaker wires, one 10 gauge wire and one 14 gauge wire in each of the 3/8" holes. A lot of messenger lines up and down but a job worth doing is a job worth doing well.

 

[buddy0]

Thanks for the great pictures.
We were able to successfully run the wires, mount the controller, and hook up the solar.

There is definitely no chase in my boat. Weird, but its not there. I had to use a fish tape, but was able to fish the wires to my panel without the chase.

The good news was that the hole where the wires exited the arch was actually pretty big. I had two wire sheathed cable and we had started stripping off the sheathing when I realized this. I was able to fairly easily run the wire down the arch from the hole under the speakers and then guide it through the hole - sheathing and all!

We mounted the MPPT controller next to the battery 1/2/both/off switch and then ran the output to the battery along with the other cables.

Thanks for all the great info.

 

[Hello Below]

My pleasure. Please pass along some outside pics of the finished project.

 

[Scott B]

Sorry, missed this originally, glad you got it worked out. If you take off the access panel in the aft cabin, to the holding tank / deisel tank area, and stick your head up inside, the tube starts just above the holding tank and runs to the chart table. If you remove the small box on the shelf above the breaker panel it exits out just aft of there. I've used it a couple times, but funny enough it was empty.

Glad you gat the wires down the arch. I had a heck of a time getting mine past the hole at the base of the arch, but fianlly managed.

BTW, the H33-2 designation was used by brokers on Yachtworld few years ago to bump up their listings when you searched by length. the "-2" put it above the regular 33 listings. It was never used by Hunter for our boat, just H33.

 

[buddy0]

Hi Scott,

I've checked above the holding tank also, and there just aren't any wire chases from the rear starboard portion of the boat to the panel. There is no chase ending behind the small box above the panel. They must have been out of them when they built my boat in 2005. Its weird, but I've been in there many times and its just not there.

Thanks for the tip on the 33-2 designation.

-buddy

 

[Scott B]

Maybe it was a Friday afternoon and someone had to fix the plumbing in the bathroom....

 

[buddy0]

Hi Len,

Here are some pics of the final install.

I also just finish installing a Balmar SG200 battery monitor.
I'm surprised how much fun it is switching things on and off and checking the amps coming in and out

-buddy

 

[Scott B]

What's the wattage on that panel. I put a 320W panel on last year. Batteries are 100% 10:30 in the morning, 5 days at anchor.

 

[buddy0]

Wow, nice.
Mines just 120W.
Nice frame for your fixed panel.

-buddy

 

[Scott B]

Thanks. if I'd known the frame would end up at $ 3-400 may not have gone that route, and that was just the SS fittings. Made it myself. But, in the end has been more than worth it.

 

[Hello Below]

Batteries are 100% 10:30 in the morning, 5 days at anchor.

Scott, what is your average daily power consumption, please share the type and total capacity of your house bank and what do you mean when you say batteries are 100% 10:30 in the morning, 5 days at anchor?

Oh so many questions.

Thanks

 

[Hello Below]

Hi Len,

Here are some pics of the final install.

I also just finish installing a Balmar SG200 battery monitor.
I'm surprised how much fun it is switching things on and off and checking the amps coming in and out

-buddy

Good job, Buddy. You may want to somehow secure the panel cables so that wind action doesn't worry the connection at the panel box. Also I did put a backer board under the panel to give it a little more stiffing. I am not sure if it is needed. Some installs recommended it others are silent but for the extra few bucks I thought it wouldn't hurt.
You should be happy with your finished project. I know it was a lot of work.

 

[Scott B]

Scott, what is your average daily power consumption, please share the type and total capacity of your house bank and what do you mean when you say batteries are 100% 10:30 in the morning, 5 days at anchor?

Oh so many questions.

Thanks

Offhand forget what the calc's were on power, but run the fridge and top load freezer, lights in the evening, anchor light, stereo for a few hours at night, couple of 12v fans running during the day. Batteries are back up to full charge by 10:30 the next day. We spent 5 days last summer anchored out, without starting the engine.

Keep asking away.......

 

[Juice6576]

How did you attach your panel to the Bimini fabric? I also purchased the Balmar battery monitor. Any thing to watch out for when installing it?

 

[buddy0]

I have two panels now. I attached the first with velcro. I stuck one side of the velcro to the panel and sewed the other side to the bimini.
For the second panel, I just tie it on at the four corners. Its a lot easier to get on and off and I usually take it off when I leave the boat.

I can't remember anything to watch out for when installing the battery monitor. I think you'll like the battery monitor. I've gotten used to having it and couldn't go back. I really like knowing my SOC and amps in/out.

-buddy
2005 Hunter 33