Diy cable tray???

[fred1diver]

Hello all, I am looking to make a cable tray for the electrical wires going over the engine.
It won’t be long less than 3 feet long.
I want/need to tidy up in the engine bay and make it easier to work on as well.

there are a few options on the market but all are expensive.
I was thinking about using a 2inch abs pipe, the melting point is well over 300f so I don’t think it would be a problem, I would like to have our opinion on this, I believe it would be good and simple to use

 

[JoeWhite]

A photo would be good

 

[fred1diver]

I would like to instal it on the forward edge of the fibreglass panel on top

 

[dlochner]

Cleaning the wiring up is a good idea. I'd use Spiral Wrap to contain the wires and then zip ties to attach the bundle to the fiberglass.

https://defender.com/en_us/ancor-spiral-wrap

The link is to the US Defender site, you can also get it from the Canadian Defender site.

 

[garymalmgren]

Yep, Fred you need cable management of some sort!
As for high temp resistance, anything will give your wiring better protection than what is there now, so I wouldn't fret about ,"the melting point is well over 300f so I don’t think it would be a problem, "
Also if you are concerned about code, what you have now is not in the ballpark.

Forget the Pipe idea. Feeding wires and exiting would make it more trouble than the savings.

RE: there are a few options on the market but all are expensive.
Not sure where you are looking but. Home Depot or local equivalent would be my first stop off.

Here are some cheap, easy, readily available choices
Split tube. Cheap easy and you cane separate your wiring, i.e. engine and house

Plastic Tray easy to enter and exit wiring.. Available in many sizes.

Industrial aluminum tray. Strong but would need plastic grommets to exit enter points.

Spiral wrap.
Easy cheap and quick to attach

gary

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Unless you just want to bundle cables for looks and vibration reduction, then cabling management is never a set and forget. It takes a few rounds to get it routed in an organized manner. I would suggest velcro cable wraps and if you want a tray, make it out of a material that you can customize, write on, mount stuff to, re-mount stuff to, etc. Maybe a piece of wood with a sheet of G10 or sheet metal for some heat resistance

 

[dlochner]

Maybe a piece of wood with a sheet of G10 or sheet metal for some heat resistance

If the cable bundle gets so hot that heat resistant materials are needed there are serious problems with the wiring that need addressing.

 

[danooxnard]

I would use the 2” abs or gray PVC conduit. That way you can add or remove wire without having to un-wrap them. I do not like the plastic corrugated split wire harnesses or the gray plastic channel with a snap on lid.

dano

 

[Project_Mayhem]

If the cable bundle gets so hot that heat resistant materials are needed there are serious problems with the wiring that need addressing.

I meant heat resistance from the engine running beneath it, not wiring issues

 

[dlochner]

I meant heat resistance from the engine running beneath it, not wiring issues

The engine space should never be more than the operating temperature for the engine, which is around 160° F (~71°C). While there are exceptions, most Boat Wiring insulation is rated to 105°C above the boiling point of water and well above the average operating temperature of water.

Where heat becomes an issue is in wire resistance. As wire becomes warmer its resistance increases which causes the wire to get hotter. This is why the ampacity of wire is lower for wire in large bundles or in engine spaces. It is more important to pay attention to the ampacity of the wire and the loads it will carry in the engine room than a tray or conduit's resistance to heat.

 

[JBP-PA]

Yep, Fred you need cable management of some sort!
As for high temp resistance, anything will give your wiring better protection than what is there now, so I wouldn't fret about ,"the melting point is well over 300f so I don’t think it would be a problem, "
Also if you are concerned about code, what you have now is not in the ballpark.

Forget the Pipe idea. Feeding wires and exiting would make it more trouble than the savings.

RE: there are a few options on the market but all are expensive.
Not sure where you are looking but. Home Depot or local equivalent would be my first stop off.

Here are some cheap, easy, readily available choices
Split tube. Cheap easy and you cane separate your wiring, i.e. engine and house
View attachment 231814

Plastic Tray easy to enter and exit wiring.. Available in many sizes.
View attachment 231815
Industrial aluminum tray. Strong but would need plastic grommets to exit enter points.
View attachment 231816
Spiral wrap.
Easy cheap and quick to attach
View attachment 231817

gary

I would add J-channel, and, um, clippy things.

 

[dLj]

According to ABYC E-11 "AC and DC Electrical systems on Boats" - all conduit must be fire retarding. See below:

I'd suggest that all of the above suggestions be reviewed for fire retarding properties.

Fire on boats is really serious stuff.....

dj

 

[DaveJ]

ABS pipe can be an issue if there are connectors on the wires/cables. This is when the split tube excels. You can add cable ties to the split tube for more security if you wish.
cheers

 

[dlochner]

According to ABYC E-11 "AC and DC Electrical systems on Boats" - all conduit must be fire retarding. See below:
View attachment 231903

I'd suggest that all of the above suggestions be reviewed for fire retarding properties.

Fire on boats is really serious stuff.....

dj

Ancor split loom is advertised as fire resistant, their spiral wrap is not advertised as such. However, spiral wrap is not a loom and is well ventilated, maybe that makes a difference?

 

[dLj]

Ancor split loom is advertised as fire resistant, their spiral wrap is not advertised as such. However, spiral wrap is not a loom and is well ventilated, maybe that makes a difference?

That's a great question that I don't know the answer to.

But I like to keep fire potential as far from my boat as possible.

dj

 

[LLoyd B]

Buy a bag of 8 inch tie wraps to gather wires together in their common paths to sort out what you need to do. Split tube will probably give you the best overall look once you decide where everything needs to go without replacing and rewiring your equipment. Remove the tie wraps before putting them in the tube.