Best way to run wires along fibreglass

[zachduckworth]

Hi,

I have some wires hanging down in my transom that I really need to get organized. Some where previously stuck in place with some kind of white clip with a sticky backing that has failed. I can’t use screws so I need to use an adhesive of some sort. Any recommendations on what product would work best? These are not heavy wires so not much weight needs to be supported.

[markxengineerin]

Google "zip tie adhesive mount"- they work and are available from any hardware store

[steve77]

I have had to do this in several places in our steel boat. I haven’t had a lot of luck with the adhesive cable clamp bases and find a lot of them only hold for a few years.

In your case, I would take a strip of 1/2” plywood, perhaps 2” wide, coat it with epoxy to make it last, and when cured attach to the interior of the transom using your favorite adhesive. I have used Sikaflex with excellent results. This gives you a lot of flexibility in attaching cable clamps. It’s also strong enough for clamping bilge pump hoses or anything else you have in that area of the transom.

To mount a fire extinguisher in our lazarette, I used 1/2” Starboard rather than plywood. It has held a fairly heavy fire extinguisher for five years.

Best of luck!

Steve

[Rumrace]

Heavy wires can get hot and damage gel coat. So can bad batteries. The loops held on with Lexel and the bundle in snug tie wraps but not tight. The clamps should be spaced so the wires stay clear of contact.
Other wires are best in conduit races with sealing caps. Silicone wires are an expensive reliable option on electronics. Over loaded lines is the most common mistake I’ve seen.

[thinwater]

Adhesive mount (Plexus) should be permanent. Self-adhesive, not so much. I think we are confusing the two.

[Shrew]

The transom should be fairly solid. How many of what gauge wires? I'm surprised that where the transom is married to the deck, there isn't reinforcement that can drilled and screwed. clusters of small wires don't need a ton of thread.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by steve77

I have had to do this in several places in our steel boat. I haven’t had a lot of luck with the adhesive cable clamp bases and find a lot of them only hold for a few years.

In your case, I would take a strip of 1/2” plywood, perhaps 2” wide, coat it with epoxy to make it last, and when cured attach to the interior of the transom using your favorite adhesive. I have used Sikaflex with excellent results. This gives you a lot of flexibility in attaching cable clamps. It’s also strong enough for clamping bilge pump hoses or anything else you have in that area of the transom.

To mount a fire extinguisher in our lazarette, I used 1/2” Starboard rather than plywood. It has held a fairly heavy fire extinguisher for five years.

Best of luck!

Steve

I like this solution as well. Only thing I might add is to look into using PVC board instead of wood or starboard in this application. It has very good structural strength and 5200 holds it like steel.

[goboatingnow]

I usually use structural adhesive and tie wraps for low current wiring , works well and is fast, timber doesn’t suit curving GRP ! ,