Through Deck Coax Fitting - Precision 23


Thru deck coax fitting

We have had our P-23 on Lake Superior (Thunder Bay), Lake Michigan (door county to Upper Penninsula) and Lake Erie (Sandusky and Islands). When we went to Lake Erie this year, I decided I needed a mast antenna and fix-mount radio. The challenge was to get the coax from the antenna to the radio. I settled on a female-female fitting from Radio Shack that is threaded for it's entire length of about 2". The fitting has two nuts. I crafted stainless washers and used plenty of sealant to make sure the fitting doesn't leak. The hard part emotionally was drilling the hole through the deck. In all my modifications, I do as little drilling as possible.

Inside view of coax fitting

The second picture shows how the coax is run inside the boat. I use velcro to hold the coax to the carpeted ceiling. It is not elegant but it keeps the coax out of the way and is unabtrusive. The radio works great with the antenna at the top. I fished the coax through the mast (which was hard) and was unable to use the wire conduit that the electronics runs through. This gives me a line that can bang inside the mast. Any suggestions on how to improve on this are appreciated.

For details, contact:
Brooks Albery
P-23 in Kansas City

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