PULLING WAKEBOARD TOWER SPEAKER/CAMERA WIRES IN MINUTES VS ALL Day

[Marco4Ever]

I have helped a few friends install Tower Speakers and MacGyvered a simple and effective methodology to “git-er-done” as Larry would say.

Before you start the timer, you will need the following items:

* Short piece of tubing, 8” or so - I used refrigerator water tubing

* String - waxed is best, dollar store has them

* Steel Nut - that will fit through the holes on top or on the sides of your WakeBoard Tower the wires will pass through to your speakers

* Strong Magnet - kind you use to fish dropped tools from your dock

* Sock - just a plain sock to put around magnet to prevent scratches on tower


Step 1 - Pull off the side covers or access panel area to reach of the bottom/underneath your wakeboard tower.

Step 2 - If you have a black plastic racer tube containing existing wires etc, leave it alone, its crazy to try and use that

Step 3 - Thread string through the plastic tube and tie on the steel nut at the end

Step 4 - Pull the nut flush to the end of the plastic tube

Step 5 - Push the plastic tube & nut though the rubber grommet the existing racer tube is going through. All you want is to get the wire past the rubber grommet the boat manufacturers typically have installed.

Step 6 - Put the magnet in the sock

Step 7 - Giggle the magnet, slide the magnet, moving it around the wakeboard tube and simply drag it up and around the bends, twists to the desired exit location

Step 8 - Gently pull the string through the wakeboard tower until it exits through the hole in the tower where you want the wires

Step 9 - Tie & Tape the wires to the end of the string keeping it as flat and smooth as possible to prevent snags and pull your wires.

Step 10 - Mount speaker, connect to power and you are good to go.


Notes: Sometimes the shortest way isn’t the easiest way to pull the wires. On difficult pulls, I have pulled to a certain point and came out of the pipe and started another pull from that point as the wakeboard tower pipe split into two different directions. Also, when selecting the nut, make sure it will exit the hole and this is key, spend a couple of minutes and find nut that is the hardest to pull from the magnet.

Good Luck.

[wss48126]

Funny that this was just posted as I just walked inside 20 minutes ago from pulling wire for my 4 post tower speakers on my 242. I used a fiberglass fishtape and ran it from the bottom hole where the cable comes out to the top Hole. Then used a pair of pliers to reach into the small cable hole to grab the end of the fishtape at teh top of the tower where the speakers are going to mount. I tied pull string on it and pulled it back through. It took me under 10 minutes total to complete both sides. Just another option as I had been dreading this for a while. But ended up being much simpler than I had thought it would be.

[Marco4Ever]

On my SC25, friend #1 R6 and friend #2 R8, I tried and tried with fishtape and the wires were so dense inside the pipe I was amazed they got them pulled in the first place.

I would totally recommend buying a FishTape and give it a shot on your boat first, results seem to vary by make, model and number of adult beverages consumed during the project.

Cheers

[NautiWeasel]

This post / thread should be made a sticky, so that others can find it easily.

Great write up. I hope to not need it, but I'm going to be replacing a stern light at the top of my tower in a couple of weeks (don't ask how it got broken) and I'm hoping the wires are long enough I can just cut and splice the new light on. Otherwise, this method will be used!

[AsLan7]

.
Yes, that is a great write up. I’ll let John know and he’ll make it a sticky if he so desires.

[RWM250]

I can certainly use this, appreciate the time, and effort you took to post Marco! I'm sure this will make my process go much better when I wire mine in a few weeks. Thank you very much!!