Boat Changes shape on the hard?

[tikirawker]

Background info:
Two months ago I ran new a new cable from the radio to the top of the mast. There is a portion of the run that goes through conduit near the fuse panel behind the galley seat an terminates under a floor panel.
The wire was very easy to pull. At the time the boat (38.5') was in the water

Now I tried to pull a new wire to replace depth/speed...
I could not even get the wire to budge. I also tried pulling the new wire I had just easily replaced. It will not move either. The boat is currently on the hard.

Is it possible that the boat keeps a different shape out of the water? I can't think of any other reason for the wires to magically and suddenly kink.

[boatpoker]

Your boat is plastic. It most certainly changes shape out of water and in water every time you go over a big wave.

[a64pilot]

Some boats way more than others, my old design full keel doesn't change noticeably.
Some of the more modern designs you have to be very careful how to shore up as they flex so much that if not adequately supported there will be damage,
Example you can align your mounts on the hard, but I wouldn't bother connecting the shaft to the transmission, cause after she is floating overnight, likely there will be enough difference that your re-adjusting.

[Suijin]

Boat hulls deform more or less on the hard based on a slew of issues including hull shape/design and layup thickness, load, and how the boat is blocked. I know people who empty their tanks before their boat is hauled, for example, to reduce weight. If the boat's weight is not evenly on the keel (i.e. too much weight on the front or back) that can cause some deformation too. Early Valiants would "oil can" if the boat's weight was primarily on the back 1/3 of the keel for example. The keel in most fin keel boats should be blocked so that the boat's weight is distributed as evenly as possible along the length of the keel/hull join or primarily at the thickest part of the foil, if necessary.

That said, I'd be surprised if it flexed so much that it impacted your ability to pull wires through the chase. You could go ahead and adjust some of the jack stands (provided you know the proper method; or have the yard do it for you) to see if that changes things.

[Alastair A]

Hi. I agree with all above. Please check and prepare on hard. Please set and make active in water. It is pretty simple, after-all you sail in water. Any big sea will give you this same trouble. It is best that you deal with it prior to being far off shore. Best wishes truly. Cheers A.

[Bluebeard]

Hopefully your boat is elastic, nor plastic, but I would be very surprised if it deformed enough to trap the cable in the conduit.
Do you have a spare length of conduit and cable? If so set up a dummy run and see what needs to happen to the conduit to trap the cable. If it looks totally silly then you should be looking for some other reason it is trapped.
I'm guessing of course, but do you now have too many wire or cords in the conduit?

[hamburking]

1) The keel usually HANGS from the boat, but on the hard it pushes UP into the boat. This is a huge change in the direction of force.

2) The rig is in tension and attached to the boat fore, aft, and sides. Considering just the long axis of the boat (fore and aft) there was a strong force pulling UP at both ends of the boat that is now gone, allowing the ends to sag.

Combine 1 and 2 and you get a change in shape. This is not a problem in most boats.

[tikirawker]

Originally Posted by Bluebeard

Hopefully your boat is elastic, nor plastic, but I would be very surprised if it deformed enough to trap the cable in the conduit.
Do you have a spare length of conduit and cable? If so set up a dummy run and see what needs to happen to the conduit to trap the cable. If it looks totally silly then you should be looking for some other reason it is trapped.
I'm guessing of course, but do you now have too many wire or cords in the conduit?

I have a 20' endoscope that I am going to try on Saturday. Maybe I will get lucky and see the issue. I couldn't even get a fish tape to go through so something is clearly different.

[UNCIVILIZED]

If the boat has flexed that much because of hauling, then it may flex that much or more when underway. And I'd thus be concerned with the pinching on the wiring causing it to chafe through, or partially through, with the possibility of shorting, etc. Regardless I'd want to inspect the length of that space that the wire is run through, looking for possible pinch points along the entire route that it takes.

[CaptRory]

Absolutely. How it's blocked matters too. A few years ago, I had my boat out of the water and the engine out the boat at the yard. When the work was done, the yard insisted that it had to be back in the water, with the entire hull supported by the water, for a week before they could accurately re-align the engine and shaft.

[carlheintz]

Hull deformation while on the hard is pretty well documented. In fact, if you see a boat that's been on the hard for a long time, there will actually be visible dimples where the jackstand pads are. Once put back in the water, it may take several weeks for these to "readjust" to normal.

My concern is with the apparent tightness of the lines. You didn't leave any slack? It's always a good idea to have some slack in any electrical or control lines. Boats flex a lot in the water, with the wind, out of the water, wherever they are. Without some flex afforded by ample slack, you are asking for abrasion and more problems than you can imagine!

Corollary to the "slack" issue is the need to always use stranded wire cable. Solid cable shouldn't ever be used on a boat. It's a break waiting to happen. Some would even claim that the grounding wire, so often a # 8 solid copper wire should be stranded. I wouldn't disagree!

Finally, be sure you use good crimping and soldering, and be sure to use a terminal block for connections. My current boat had instrument wires installed by PO using handyman technology, and I've had to rip it all out due to intermittent "open" connections caused by twist-ons used to attach extensions to the cables. So much fun! (NOT)

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by CaptRory

Absolutely. How it's blocked matters too. A few years ago, I had my boat out of the water and the engine out the boat at the yard. When the work was done, the yard insisted that it had to be back in the water, with the entire hull supported by the water, for a week before they could accurately re-align the engine and shaft.

They did you a favor, most yard would have tossed it in there and collected your money

[JDeachman]

Similar question. I purchased a boat that was on the hard for several years. After launch, in the quiet evening I could hear little crackling noises from the hull. I assumed it was a termite problem. Would a fiberglass hull make this kind of noise while "settling"?

[Cadence]

Hull flexing and engine alignment is a give for doing it in the water but we are talking thousands of an inch. I somehow don't think the OP's problem is hull flexing.

I hope he finds it without getting ulcers and lets us know.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by tikirawker

I have a 20' endoscope that I am going to try on Saturday. Maybe I will get lucky and see the issue. I couldn't even get a fish tape to go through so something is clearly different.

Maybe you will get lucky and you'll find a wasps nest, or a dead rat!