Running Wire From Bilge To Dash- 400 Sundancer

midexp

Active Member
Oct 5, 2016
423
Harrison Township, Michigan Lake St.Clair
Boat Info
1999 40' Sundancer
Engines
454 merc
Can any owner of a 1997-2000 40' Sundancer offer any advice on how you fished a wire/cable from the bilge up to the dash? I have a wire loom with a wire in it that that goes to the dash that I tried to pull my cable through, but it gets stuck trying to pull it. I can't seem to find any other opening.

Thanks
 
Our 2002 410 had a huge glob of silicone sealing a hole between the big void under the gunnel and engine room, right above the starboard fuel tank. I think the tank sender wires even went up through it. I used a flat metal fish tape to get through there for my nmea and boost/egt wires. We have a giant storage bin next to the helm on the side that comes out with 4 screws allowing you to get your head in there and grab the end of the tape. Not sure if the 400 has something similar though
 
On the 400DA you need to pull the bookcase mirror in that aft stateroom out. Then behind the mirror is a hatch. Remove the hatch and there is the harness that feeds up to the helm and into the solon. And if you want to get into the solon from the helm or engine room you need to remove the medicine cabinet in the aft head.
cubby compressed 1.JPG
cubby compressed.JPG
IMG_3682.JPG
IMG_3683.JPG
IMG_3684.JPG
 
On the 400DA you need to pull the bookcase mirror in that aft stateroom out. Then behind the mirror is a hatch. Remove the hatch and there is the harness that feeds up to the helm and into the solon. And if you want to get into the solon from the helm or engine room you need to remove the medicine cabinet in the aft head.
View attachment 121484 View attachment 121485 View attachment 121486 View attachment 121487 View attachment 121488
Excellent post Tom! (as usual) Great pics with pertinent info.
 
Had the same issue 1998 40 DA, raceways to dash full. I found another path by going up on top of the starboard fuel tank too. Removed a few speakers and cover plates and snaked my way up to the helm that way. If you take the sub woofer speaker at the helm out you can stick your head in there, look towards the stern and the path becomes more evident. I do recall having to drill a hole in a thin plywood bulkhead along the way. I didn’t have to use the aft stateroom route.
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone. So if I understand, there is direct access from the aft cabin behind the mirror and that allows for a path from the bilge to the helm? I don't need to run a cable to the solon.

I did remove the woofer and could get my head in there, but could not see any direct path to the bilge. And I don't see how I could get my head and arm in at the same time. But I will retry these ideas. I'd easily pay someone who knows what they are doing to do this.
 
Thanks everyone. So if I understand, there is direct access from the aft cabin behind the mirror and that allows for a path from the bilge to the helm? I don't need to run a cable to the solon.

I did remove the woofer and could get my head in there, but could not see any direct path to the bilge. And I don't see how I could get my head and arm in at the same time. But I will retry these ideas. I'd easily pay someone who knows what they are doing to do this.
To remove the mirror first remove the light and receptacle from the mounting on the cabinet sides; you can leave them hanging from the wires. Then slide your fingers along the edges to feel the screw heads under the vinyl. Where the screws are "pinch" the vinyl and pull it out where it is tucked in; that will expose the screw heads so the mirror can be removed. I seem to remember that there are only two screws, one on each side in the middle of the edges.
I knew that 400DA pretty well and from my recollection the only to get wiring between the engine room and helm is through this access. There is also a plastic conduit wireway but it was smashed between the lower and upper hull sections when they put them together so I couldn't simply use the pull string that was existing in that duct.... Maybe you are luckier.
 
Last edited:
Another picture. Here you can see the wire harnesses drop down atop the fuel tank from that access hatch above going into the engine room. This access is from the hatch in the bottom of that book shelf looking aft.
IMG_3686.JPG
 
To remove the mirror first remove the light and receptacle from the mounting on the cabinet sides; you can leave them hanging from the wires. Then slide your fingers along the edges to feel the screw heads under the vinyl. Where the screws are "pinch" the vinyl and pull it out where it is tucked in; that will expose the screw heads so the mirror can be removed. I seem to remember that there are only two screws, one on each side in the middle of the edges.
I knew that 400DA pretty well and from my recollection the only to get wiring between the engine room and helm is through this access. There is also a plastic conduit wireway but it was smashed between the lower and upper hull sections when they put them together so I couldn't simply use the pull string that was existing in that duct.... Maybe you are luckier.

ttmott, I certainly don’t want to start an argument about this. On my 1998 40 DA I ran a new transducer cable along the path that I described. I liken it to being one floor above the path that you that you describe.

midexp, not sure if your 1999 DA has a different starboard layout than my 1998. I’m in FL until 3/15, but I’d be happy to send you pics of the route that I took when I get back to Buffalo if you can wait. I guarantee that there is no reason to go through the aft cabin to get from the bilge to the dashboard on a 1998 40 DA, perhaps the 1999 is different.
 
Technically, the bilge extends from the transom to the waterline at the bow.

My '97 has a grey conduit in the ER above the stbd tank that runs to the cavity behind the sub woofer next to the helm.

The only thing that was in mine was the cable for the fume detector, which I used to pull my NM2K backbone.
 
On the 400DA you need to pull the bookcase mirror in that aft stateroom out. Then behind the mirror is a hatch. Remove the hatch and there is the harness that feeds up to the helm and into the solon. And if you want to get into the solon from the helm or engine room you need to remove the medicine cabinet in the aft head.
View attachment 121484 View attachment 121485 View attachment 121486 View attachment 121487 View attachment 121488


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I have been keeping a WORD document full of cut & pasted CSR tips, tricks, ideas and comments.

This one was just entered, as my 450 is likely similar. THANKS TOM
 
Once again, thanks to all for the help.

ttmot, great pics. I also have that conduit wireway with a wire in it that I thought would make pulling my backbone cable through a snap - not. Your pic from the aft cabin show the wiring going from the bilge up to the helm is great, but I don't see how you could reach it from where you took the picture - unless it's much closer than it appears and you could reach it by hand?

sgrochow, yes I would love your pics when you can get them.

Rollercoastr, I just can't get my BB cable to pull through that conduit. You're lucky if you were able to make that work.

I will give it another try this weekend (going to be 60 in Michigan).

Thanks again to all.
 
I don't know if this helps, but in my 98 400 this is what is behind the sub on the starboard side of the boat. There are several wire looms with direct access to the bilge right there. First pic is directly behind the sub, second facing bow, last facing aft. Btw, does anyone know what raymarine randomness this is? Maybe a black box vhf? It says handset 1,2,3 and antenna but IDK what it is. This boat came with B&G VHF originally so no idea. Pardon the derilict wiring wasn't me. I was surprised how much room is back there.

Area behind sub in cockpit 1.jpg
Area behind sub in cockpit 2.jpg
Area behind sub in cockpit 3.jpg
 
Once again, thanks to all for the help.

ttmot, great pics. I also have that conduit wireway with a wire in it that I thought would make pulling my backbone cable through a snap - not. Your pic from the aft cabin show the wiring going from the bilge up to the helm is great, but I don't see how you could reach it from where you took the picture - unless it's much closer than it appears and you could reach it by hand?

sgrochow, yes I would love your pics when you can get them.

Rollercoastr, I just can't get my BB cable to pull through that conduit. You're lucky if you were able to make that work.

I will give it another try this weekend (going to be 60 in Michigan).

Thanks again to all.
If I remember that gray conduit is the one I tried to pull the wire through; it had a pull string. Upon closer inspection it was caught between two halves of the boat coming together and smashed flat; useless. So, from the engine room - I pulled the NMEA 2000 and audio cabling across to the starboard fuel tank directly in front of the generator's racor filter and up top of the starboard fuel tank then up into the horizontal chase that is behind the mirror. Then that chase turns outward toward the gunnel and through that hole you see then up through the penetration you see behind the subwoofer speaker. I was able to ferret a fishtape down and out that hole where the wiring goes behind the mirror then see the fishtape and with some long needle nose pliers pulled the fish tape out so I could attach the new cables....
 
We'll I was able to get the cable up to the helm. Only because the PO had a fish finder cable running from the bilge to the cockpit. I removed the fish finder a while ago so I could sacrifice its cable to pull my backbone cable through.

And I take it from my experience and from what others have commented that Searay never tried to check if the large wire flume they run from the bilge to the helm really works (see third pic below). You'd think someone would try to fish something through it to see if it really works.

As the pics show, I access the cable from inside the cavity on the starboard side behind the genny. I connected it from the space behind the subwoofer (second pic).

IMG_0987.jpg



IMG_0985.jpg


IMG_0991.jpg
 
We'll I was able to get the cable up to the helm. Only because the PO had a fish finder cable running from the bilge to the cockpit. I removed the fish finder a while ago so I could sacrifice its cable to pull my backbone cable through.

And I take it from my experience and from what others have commented that Searay never tried to check if the large wire flume they run from the bilge to the helm really works (see third pic below). You'd think someone would try to fish something through it to see if it really works.

As the pics show, I access the cable from inside the cavity on the starboard side behind the genny. I connected it from the space behind the subwoofer (second pic).

View attachment 121984


View attachment 121985

View attachment 121986

Glad you found a way! On my 1998 40 DA that conduit doesn't seem to exist.

I started here:

access cover.png


There is conduit towards the stern that goes down into engine room near starboard fuel tank.


access to engine room.png


This is looking forward through that access hole in pic 1. Not enough room to go through the existing hole so I drilled another high up. Was drilling blind but kept my hand near the "outside wall" You can reach that bulkhead with your arm inside, enough room to feel around and run the fish tape through. Pulled a string from forward to aft using access behind the subwoofer. The useless ice bucket is on the left.

bulkhead.png



Here's the hole from looking towards the stern from the subwoofer hole. That's the useless ice bucket now on the right.

bulkhead from forward.png


This is looking forward in the subwoofer access hole. Dash access is through those holes.

to dash.png
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,950
Messages
1,422,865
Members
60,932
Latest member
juliediane
Back
Top