Chafe protection through fiberglass... best solution?

[hellosailor]

For that matter, you can also use a hot glue gun to simply run a glob of hot glue around the wire where it passes through the hole. Now all is fused in place, 20 seconds later all dry and finished.

And they make those butane-powered too, no need for power cords.

[BlackHeron]

I dunno why everyone is trying to save the measly $0.20 it costs for the correct snap-in bushings.

[cyan]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

I dunno why everyone is trying to save the measly $0.20 it costs for the correct snap-in bushings.

Because snap-in bushings are a pretty good start, but houses don't move around like boats do?
(Though in fairness you did say earlier to secure on both sides.)
There are a lot of commercial cable-management options that provide good protection and neat layout, but I don't see a problem with using scrap hoses, etc.

[BlackHeron]

Originally Posted by cyan

Because snap-in bushings are a pretty good start, but houses don't move around like boats do?
(Though in fairness you did say earlier to secure on both sides.)
There are a lot of commercial cable-management options that provide good protection and neat layout, but I don't see a problem with using scrap hoses, etc.

We use these same bushings in the commercial/industrial world on heavy equipment for the mining and manufacturing industry that rivals the movement and vibration of seagoing vessels, if not makes it seem inconsequential in comparison. Ever seen a heavy-duty rock-crusher in operation?

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by Suijin

I have a few sheets of 3/16 rubber that I use for all sorts of things, one of which is for chafe protection. I just cut a piece, wrap, and secure with zip ties.

I don’t like using caulk or silicone or foam for things that don’t need it. Makes it easy to run more wires or inspect without digging out old caulk.

X2

I use some rubber fuel line split along it's length wrapped around the wire and zip tied on both sides. The problem is not just chafe it is flexing at one point where the wire is in contact with the hole. If you cut the hose 3" long the flex takes place over a longer section of wire and will last longer.

I have also used 3 pieces of heat shrink of 3 different lengths. The longest on first then the next 2 in order of length centred over the first. Then zip tied each side of the hole. I use the same for wiring at any fixed connection for the same reason.

[hellosailor]

The bushings only cost 20 cents IF
You're already at some place that stocks them, so you don't have to spend 1/2 hour and fuel on a special trip. And IF
You happen to know the right size for all the holes. And IF
the place happens to have the right size in stock.

For many folks, it is quicker, simpler, cheaper, and way more effective to just "make do".

[BlackHeron]

Home Depot, Lowe's, Menard's, ABC -just about every big-box store in North America and many decent hardware stores carries them and they are pretty cheap. Maybe outside of the USA they get harder to find but these things aren't exactly rare.

Some of the folks above were saying they use hose clamps on either side of a bulkhead with some form of tubing. How expensive are SS hose clamps compared to a 20 cent bushing? What a waste. Different strokes I guess. In the end I would chalk it up to just not knowing any better.

I think a lot of sailors consider land-construction methods to be inferior to "marine" practices and if you only look at chintzy residential and stick-build commercial garbage as the standard maybe so. But that's only scratching the surface of the actual construction industry. Some of us build stuff that is meant to last. Many heavy industrial and commercial building practices make the way boats are constructed look like utter crap. Not all of us electricians are clueless low-dollar Romex-Cowboys.

[cyan]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

We use these same bushings in the commercial/industrial world on heavy equipment for the mining and manufacturing industry that rivals the movement and vibration of seagoing vessels, if not makes it seem inconsequential in comparison. Ever seen a heavy-duty rock-crusher in operation?

This is very good information, BlackHeron, thanks! Not sure what a "bushing" means in this context, but I imagine a rock-crusher has cabling with really beefy insulation to start with.

My experience is with man-rated hardware for aerospace. (that CANNOT fail) I can tell you that the cheap grommets you suggest would slice right through a thin wire jacket on shaker table. I believe that the cheap non-plenum rated cat-5 cable that is on many cruising boats deserves a better cable management than to flop around on a sharp plastic edge, though it will be a bit better than a sharp fiberglass edge I suppose.

I like those nylon/velcro wire ties on a boat because you don't need dikes to cut them if you need to add or remove a wire. Once you lace and secure a cable bundle, the through-hole simply needs a decent grommet, but with the flimsy wiring used for boat sensors, I would use something better than plastic grommets. Different strokes, indeed,

[Suijin]

I could care less about the price of bushings. It’s the value of my time I care about. I’m sure bushings are a great solution, particularly on a liner boat, it’s just that when I drill a hole the thickness of the material varies as I don’t have a liner. Sometimes it’s not even a round hole. It’s easier to wrap the bundle or hose or whatever in rubber, zip tie it, and be done with it. Bushings are not the only “right” way to do it, by a long shot.

[Cadence]

* rubber bushings (but these have such a narrow slit in them they're better suited to going through metal than thicker fiberglass

If you have a good hardware store around, you are likely to ferret out some with a large enough slit with a little bit of hunting and asking.

[US1Fountain]

Originally Posted by Cadence

* rubber bushings (but these have such a narrow slit in them they're better suited to going through metal than thicker fiberglass

If you have a good hardware store around, you are likely to ferret out some with a large enough slit with a little bit of hunting and asking.

Just to expand on the above post offering an even larger selection....McMaster-Carr has a huge selection of rubber panel grommets with different slot widths and dias. But then going this routes requires a set hole size, a set wall thickness. Or a large stock of gromments hoping one has the one needed handy. Not quite as simple as some of the other suggestions that will universally fit/work with all hole sizes and wall thicknesses.