Getting Power to the Pedestal

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Randy6414

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Jun 5, 2004
72
Catalina 27 Stone Harbor NJ
Hi all,

I've got a 1984 Catalina 27, with an Edson wheel, pedestal & pedestal guard that are original. Until now I have always used a handheld, battery powered GPS for navigation. I'd like to add a permanent mount GPS unit to the pedestal guard. That's part's easy. My question: what is the best (proper) way to route power to the GPS? Up through the inside of the pedestal itself? Or up through the inside of the stainless pedestal guard pipe? I see no existing holes or ports for wiring, so I guess I'll be drilling either way.

Randy
 
A

arf145

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Nov 4, 2010
495
Beneteau 331 Deale, MD
I don't know the *best* way, but they way I did this on my last boat with an Edson pedestal of that era was to run the wire up the guard. At that time the Garmin plug was a big honking thing that took a pretty big hole in that stainless. Garmin-and maybe all of them--has made that a little smaller at least.
 
Chris Patterson

Chris Patterson

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Oct 17, 2011
2,809
Ericson 29 Southport..
The pedestal is mostly occupied on most boats, and there is bloody little room to add much else. Even the compass lighting wire is in the way. Run it up through the guard, much easier. Get a stepped drill bit for this, they cut thin walled materials smoother than a fluted bit. I like to add a small drip loop to the wires to keep rain out of the guard. It's a little tight, but way better than that nightmare inside of the pedestal..
 
dziedzicmj

dziedzicmj

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Aug 13, 2012
533
Catalina 270 Ottawa
Drilling that pedestal guard can be tricky. Get yourself a hole saw (good qualoity, but they can be had for around $15). Start with a pilot hole. Use good quality drill bits. Drill as slow as you can (300-400 rpm) and lubricate the cut. When you measuire the size of an opeining remeber that it has to turn in the hole (going in and down). My experience with a Garmin (421s) plug is that even if it requires 3/4 in. hole (if going straight), I needed an over 1 in opening (3/4 x 1) to thread it through.

Good luck.
 
Chris Patterson

Chris Patterson

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Oct 17, 2011
2,809
Ericson 29 Southport..
Another thing. Try and put the bare end of the cord through first instead of fitting a plug UP through the tube. The path of least resistance. And even if I have a plug issue, unless it is coaxial, I'll cut one in a minute. I'm sitting here at my pedestal right now and can see five or six maybe wires running down it. And not one did I try a put a plug through.
 
C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,375
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Just a little tidbit. When running any cables or wires thru a pedestal, get a small long tube and run those thru to the bottom hole of that pedestal. It helps to save a lot of time and four letter words. On the 3300 cables, remove the nuts and black rubber pieces in order to do that.
 
DougM

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
I have pulled cable through the pedestal guard, and have used this trick:
I pull the wire from top to bottom through the newly drilled hole (hole large enough for the wire plus a grommet). Then with one of two methods I have pulled the wire down.
I have attached a short length of sash chain to a piece of chalk line and let gravity take it through the tube. Then use it as a pull cord to bring the wire through. The second method, if the hole is big enough, is to tie a cotton ball to a string, force it through the hole, and use a vacuum cleaner to suck the string through. The cotton ball method works better in a piece of conduit.

When I pull a wire, I usually pull another piece of chalk line with it just in case I need to pull another wire through in the future.

Sometimes, cutting off a plug is the only choice, but splicing works if its done carefully.
 
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