I have been running a bunch of new cables up to the instrument pod on our new-to-us J/109 while installing a better on-deck navigation system, including radar.
The cables run through the head under some trim in a very tight space with no room for wire ties, and they needed to stay put while I got the trim back on.
The answer was a hot glue gun. Worked a treat as you can see in the above photos and only took a few minutes.
I bought a low-temperature gun (100c) to avoid any risk of melting the insulation on the cables (105c).
I wouldn’t relish the thought of having to move wires and cables once they’ve been hot glue gunned in place. I guess a hot air gun would soften the adhesive enough to release but then you’d have the messy adhesive to deal with. And to be brutally honest the finished product doesn’t look good, kinda messy. I know it’s out of sight and I’m probably over zealous with how a finished project looks.
Have you tried the Weld Mount system? Does a truly great job with all the varied styles of fasteners and adhesives, looks ultra professional and is easy to modify/add wires. Our boat (a 48′ custom Bruce Marek) is a poster child for Weld Mount fasteners – I use them for everything. You can route wires in very inaccessible places and on very thin substrates that can’t take a screw or you don’t have access to the rear of.
Ron Kraus
S/V Sola Fide
Annapolis, MD
Hi Ron,
Good point, although I don’t think it would de that difficult to get off, particularly since I used a low temp gun.
And yes, I have used weld mounts, but in this case there was no room for them, or anything else that would add even the slightest bulk, under the trim, which is why I used the hot glue.