Thru deck connections for the masthead electronics
Finally last week I got the thru-deck connectors for the masthead light in the mail. I have had to wait on this project since I got the wiring through the mast about a month ago for a couple of reasons. First is I didn’t really know where I wanted to drill the holes for the thru deck connections. I didn’t really feel comfortable with drilling holes directly on the deck as any mistake may lead to water getting into the core of the deck and cause big problems later. Another reason was the antenna connectors have been difficult to find. No one seems to have the exact part I need. There are some thru deck antenna connectors that allows the wire to be fed thru but it will be a problem for me when I lower the mast for transport. What i really needed was a PL-259 type coupler that can be fed thru a hole on the deck and secured using nuts and washers on either side. I ended up having to piece this together using parts I got from Fry’s Electronics and Lowes hardware store.
I finally decided to drill the 2 holes on the forward hatch of the boat. It is a few more inches forward on the deck then I’d like but I figured it would not really get in the way of the headsail during tacking and a hatch is made of solid fiberglass and easily replaceable so my deck core will be safe from water penetration.
I prepped it by simply measuring where my holes needed to be and applied masking tape to the surface to be drilled.
Once the holes are drilled I applied marine silicone sealant and inserted the connectors. I used stainless machines nuts and bolts to secure the masthead light connector and the PL-259 coupler is just secured with the standard nut and washer I got from the hardware store.
After some more splicing, soldering and taping, I have my thru-deck connectors in place.
Electrical tape doesn’t look as pretty as it can be but it will work for now…
