Fairline Phantom 46 - Cable Routing Lower Helm to Engine Bay
I wanted to route an NMEA 2000 cable through from the the lower helm to the engine bay of my 2002 Fairline Phantom 46.

People on the FB Fairline Owners Club were very helpful, particularly Peter at My Marine Ltd who kindly accepted my call. His solution was very close to the final one used, though I couldn't locate one removable panel by the helm seat, or may have misunderstood his instruction on this.

Other people came up with two other possibilities, which were considered. Eventually, I opted to get some help from Kevin at KM Electronics. We did look at all possibilities but he eventually found a 4th way that is close to Peter's solution.

There are three entry points that can be used to assist with this cable run on the starboard side:


1. The footwell next to the lower helm navigator's seat, has a gap (Entry Point 1) between the wood-finish side-panel and the carpeted section below it. 



2. Remove the double AC socket (Entry Point 2) above the sofa behind the navigator seat.



3. Remove the double AC socket (Entry Point 3) at the rear corner post.



Obviously, if your boat doesn't have AC sockets in these locations, the rear corner post would need to be removed and the procedure would have to be modified.

The sequence is as follows:-

  1. Insert a cable pushrod through Entry Point 2 backwards along the cable run towards Entry Point 3.
  2. Attach the helm end of the NMEA 2000 cable to the cable pushrod at Entry Point 3, and pull the end out of Entry Point 2.
  3. Insert a pushrod up and forwards through Entry Point 1 and attach string or spare cable to it from inside the starboard guest cabin.
  4. Pull the end of the string through and out of Entry Point 1.
  5. Insert a pushrod at Entry Point 1 backwards and up until it can be grabbed through Entry Point 2.
  6. Attach the string to the other end of the pushrod at Entry Point 1 and pull it through to Entry Point 2.
  7. Now attach the string to the end of the NMEA 2000 cable at Entry Point 2 and pull the cable through to the forward cabin with the other end of the string.
  8. Finally, at Entry Point 3, drop the other end of the NMEA 2000 cable through the large space behind it into the engine bay (it will sit on top of the starboard fuel tank) and retrieve.
It should be noted that steps 1 to 7 are the starting point for routing a cable to the upper deck via the space behind the rear corner post.