Hiding low-V wires in Fillets and Timber

[Creekboater]

I have an idea for hiding wire. See what you think…

At the local big box store I found some clear vinyl tubing with a really small inner diameter. Would probably fit no more than one pair of 14ga Type 3 wire.

My thought is that I could use this as conduit and embed in either fillets or cleats/stringers/carlins.

Fillets : Lay in a small fillet and let it cure halfway (or find some other way to hold the tubing in place while laying a fillet). Then press in the tubing and lay the final fillet on top.

Cleats/stringers : Using a dado stack, cut a rabbet (width of the tubing) in the center of the carlin/timber piece. Shove the tubing in the rabbet and then fill the remaining void with thickened epoxy. See attached sketch.

One particular place I’m thinking of using this is mounting a light or fan in the upper aft corner of the cabin. There will be a carlin where the cabin roof joins the topside panel and I’ll run my tubing conduit inside that carlin. Now I have hidden wire from behind BH2 to the upper aft corners of the cabin.

Another use might be the embedding tubing in the continuous fillet that joins the bottom and side hull panels. This gets wire fore-aft, passing all bulkheads, effectively watertight.

I’m not sure what the cons would be. The only thing I can really think of is the wire generating heat in such a confined space, but I can't fathom that much heat would be generated. I'm talking LED lights, and other low voltage stuff. In the case of embedding in fillets, I guess you're robbing the fillet of some % of strength but we're talking a little more than the diameter of two 14ga wires.

Anyone have any thoughts?

[Hooky]

G'Day Martin,
Interesting idea mate, certainly another way to run unexposed wiring. My only concern would be running a wire in the fillet between the hull bottom and side may reduce strength in an area that needs to be strong. But I like the rabbet idea through the top cabin cleats.
Cheers mate
Terry

https://hookypocketship.blogspot.com

[dbeck]

Martin,

I have not looked into boat electronics yet, but I imagine entombing wires into structural parts is no good practice. I don't buy the argument of low power LED lights. If things go wrong (according to Murphy they will), you'll be running amps not milliamps through those wires.

Why no start with battery powered LED lights? After one or two seasons you may want to install other electronics in the vicinity of the companionway and need more serious wiring anyhow.

Cheers,

Dietrich

[Creekboater]

Martin,

I have not looked into boat electronics yet, but I image entombing wires into structural parts is no good practice. I don't buy the argument of low power LED lights. If things go wrong (according to Murphy they will), you'll be running amps not milliamps through those wires.

Why no start with battery powered LED lights? After one or two seasons you may want to install other electronics in the vicinity of the companionway and need more serious wiring anyhow.

Cheers,

Dietrich

Thanks Dietrich. That's probably a wise word of caution. Remembering Murphy, that is. My thinking is that these instances would be for simple low V stuff and I'd add fuses on the upstream end of the structural parts. But still...I guess the unintended could always occur. Or...if I'm ever boarded by pirates I could use this to scuttle the ship.

[Creekboater]

Why no start with battery powered LED lights? After one or two seasons you may want to install other electronics in the vicinity of the companionway and need more serious wiring anyhow.

Cheers,

Dietrich

Sorry, I forgot to answer this. I want to wire my lights so as to avoid dead batts and no spares in a pinch as well as being able to turn all on/off from single location.

[slash2]

I’ve been thinking something along those lines. I made the last little compartment of the starboard seatback into a storage area. I want to add USB and 12 volt receptacles in there. I’m thinking about running my line along where the bottom hull meets the top of the hull in the cabin. It would sit in the angle they form and I’d put a strip of oak over it with a recess in the back to make room for the cable. Would look nice too I think.