Watertight Cable Glands

[Sea Dog]

I'm intending to pass a cable through the static upright rail of my rear slide.  As is frequently the case in our boats, access from the inside is tricky.  Can anyone recommend a decent cable gland that can be fitted and tightened from the outside only?

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Hi Seadog,

I used https://uk.rs-online.com/mobile/p/cable-glands/4443029/

M12 x 1.5mm thread cable glands in the roof of my boat for some solar related cables. Have been  waterproof for ten years. Can be fitted on one side only without a backnut if the hole is tapped. My roof is 4mm, so plenty of metal to put a thread in to. Only problem is that you need a fine pitch M12x1.5 tap as the normal M12 pitch is 1.75mm. drill diameter is 10.5mm. The glands are avaable from other suppliers, including ebay. Bigger cable glands could be used, provided there is enough metal thickness to get several threads in and a good watertight seal.

 

Jen

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I'm intending to pass a cable through the static upright rail of my rear slide.  As is frequently the case in our boats, access from the inside is tricky.  Can anyone recommend a decent cable gland that can be fitted and tightened from the outside only?

Available from most chandlers

 

Used a couple to run the Nav lights / GPS & VHF aerial cables, and on the other side the radar cables.

 

 

[Sea Dog]

4 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Can be fitted on one side only without a backnut if the hole is tapped. 

Thanks Jen, I confess I'd not thought I might get away with something with a hole small enough to be tapped. Food for thought.

4 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

 

 

4 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Available from most chandlers

 

Used a couple to run the Nav lights / GPS & VHF aerial cables, and on the other side the radar cables.

 

 

Thanks Alan.  I picked the side of the rear slide rail as my preferred entry so that it would be on a sheltered, vertical face.  Whilst this type of gland might be a bit big to fit in that space, they're certainly an option should I have to resort to going I through the roof itself. If they're fine on a sea boat, they should have an easy life on a narrowboat! 

[Alan de Enfield]

11 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Thanks Jen, I confess I'd not thought I might get away with something with a hole small enough to be tapped. Food for thought.

 

Thanks Alan.  I picked the side of the rear slide rail as my preferred entry so that it would be on a sheltered, vertical face.  Whilst this type of gland might be a bit big to fit in that space, they're certainly an option should I have to resort to going I through the roof itself. If they're fine on a sea boat, they should have an easy life on a narrowboat! 

Small ones are available and there are any number of different designs, if you cannot D&T have a scoot around this website for 'deck glands'

 

https://www.force4.co.uk/department/electrical/plugs-sockets-deck-glands.html

 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2018 by Alan de Enfield

[Sea Dog]

14 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Small ones are available and there are any number of different designs, if you cannot D&T have a scoot around this website for 'deck glands'

 

https://www.force4.co.uk/department/electrical/plugs-sockets-deck-glands.html

 

 

 

Thanks Alan - I'd looked at that very site after reading your first post!  The link may be useful to others reading this thread.

 

There's definitely a number of options out there that would do the job, but there's nothing quite like someone's recommendation to either find what's the best or to turn up something you hadn't seen before.