Cable stuck in Starboard Conduit on 21 SE

Shootinducks · Apr 3, 2017

My dead trim tab cable is stuck in my starboard conduit.......has a break somewhere and is not carrying a current.......I need to run a new one but no room for it unless I can get the old one out without snapping it off somewhere in the conduit..........does the port side on the 2001 have a conduit? Any other thoughts on just leaving the dead cable in place and running a new cable through a different route? If none of that is available any thoughts on how to get the dead cable out without making things worse? Thanks.

PKS1801 · Apr 3, 2017

Did it move significantly and then get stuck, or not move at all? If the latter, someone may have run another cable at the same time, and taped them together.

windknotnc · Apr 3, 2017

Please describe how far it moved before it got stuck. From which end were you pulling? There are 2-3 hangup points. One is under the rubber boot screwed down to the floor under the console. You must unscrew the boot to ensure the cable isn't bound up there. The second place is just starboard of the boot under the console where the 4" PVC chase ends. Cables etc can catch the edge of the pipe and stick. You often have to pull back and forth to miss the edge. The last place is at the other end of the 4" chase on the starboard side near the transom. You may have to reach through the back bilge hatch and ensure the cable isn't hung on the other end of the 4" chase. Cables get hung because all the wiring tends to bunch up in the same place closest to the inside edge of the chase. A good practice is to always securely tape a 1/8"-1/4" piece of nylon tightly woven rope to anything you pull out of the chase. I try to keep 2 pulling ropes always available for future needs. Good luck.

Shootinducks · Apr 4, 2017

Thanks for the thoughts. Cable is not moving at all either way. Moved maybe a half inch when 1st pulled but it might just be stretch.

A port side rigging conduit doesn't exist on the 21SE?

PKS1801 · Apr 4, 2017

Do any other cables in the chase move at all, either independently or together? I'll stick to my theory that your's is taped to at least one other, or more.
If there is another wire in the chase that is free, I would pull it out with a good pull cord attached, and then try to pull it and your new trim tab wire back through together.
Use a lubricant, available at any electrical supply.