[C320-list] Adding Electronics to Pedestal

[Jeff Church]

Quentin,

On my boat (1998 #545) all of the instrument wires are run thru the port side guard post and up into the NavPod. The engine-related wires and kill switch run thru the short post under the engine pod. Throttle, transmission, and steering cables run through the binnacle. The engine instrument pod attaches to the binnacle, not the binnacle guard posts.  

The port side guard post is about as full as possible. I barely managed to stuff one additional SeaTalk cable through it when I added a rudder angle transducer. It took the better part of a day just to push the wire up thru the post and fish it thru the hole inside the NavPod. If you pulled all of the wires out of that post you could enlarge the hole inside the NavPod and that would make it a little easier to fish them out of the post, but you wouldn't get more than one additional wire thru that post. Hardly worth the effort. 

I think your best bet will be to drill a new hole into the starboard post and run all the new wires through it. It'll take some careful measuring to correctly locate that hole. 

I installed a 12 volt accessory cup on the side of the engine pod and tied into the ignition switch (with an in-line fuse) for power.

Good luck.

JeffC 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Quentin Murphy 
  To: C320-List 
  Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 2:28 PM
  Subject: [C320-list] Adding Electronics to Pedestal


  My boat, like most, have the one-inch pedestal guard.  The newer boats have
  1 1/4-inch and the MK-II have the new pedestal.  The problem, especially for
  us with the one-inch guard, is adding or upgrading electronics at the helm.
  Presently I have the Raymarine Tri-Data, Wind and Auto-Helm at the helm and
  the Raymarine "Multi" below.  My existing VHF radio is an older Raymarine.
  I'm adding a Chart Plotter Standard Horizon CP170C and changing the radio
  (Standard Horizon - Quest) so I can have a RAM Mike at the helm and DSC.
  The radio itself will stay below. In addition, I'm thinking of installing a
  stereo with a wired remote at the helm.  I would think this is a common
  upgrade for many C-320 owners.  With NMEA, RAM Mike, GPS antennae and remote
  stereo wires to pull through the pedestal guard, things start getting rather
  tight.  I plan on doing all this at one time as the only way this could be
  done is to remove all the wires and pull them back in with the added cables
  all together.  Ideally, I would like to keep the Starboard side for 12-volt
  power (two #14 gauge), Auto Helm to Motor and possibly shielded wires.  Then
  the communications (data) wires can go in the Port side where they are less
  likely to be interfered with from inductance from the power cables. 

  I plan on running the power cable from the breaker (2 #14 marine cable) to
  the Auto Helm and then using the Sea Talk to power the rest of the Raymarine
  devices and then back to the Raymarine "Multi" below and back to another
  breaker (for redundancy).  I will power the GPS from the 12 volt supply #14
  wire using an in-line fuse.  I'll also add a cigarette lighter socket to the
  side of the Navpod using another in-line fuse. 

  As my boat is presently on its cradle a long way away, can anyone remember
  if the Starboard side of the guard is relatively free, or if it is used
  (lower down) for the wiring harness from the engine instrument panel
  (trapezoid) to the engine?  I know there is another tube from this trapezoid
  housing through the cockpit sole, but that might be for control mechanical
  (throttle, kill handle) linkages only?  Any pointers from anyone on the
  group who has gone through this would be appreciated before I get into this
  project this spring.  I basically want to do this upgrade in one shot.

  Quentin Murphy
  Celtic Knot #667