330 Express: How to run wires from TV/Stereo to helm? (Also: TV install on starboard wall)

[Flot]

I'm stumped.

I'm trying to connect a NMEA 2000 cable from the stereo (original location, above the TV) to the helm where my NMEA bus is.

I can get the wire anywhere I want on the port side of the boat - but can't figure out how to cross over to the starboard side so I can go up the helm wiring loom, short of running it all the way to the bilge and back up... or maybe all the way to the bow and back down, but I'm not having a lot of luck on that side, either. Grady shows a rigging tube midships, is that beneath the rear berth floor?

According to the manual, grady went up and over the headliner, but I don't think I can chase something through there - if I'm wrong, please let me know.

What am I missing? Any tips?

 

[Flot]

Following up, another couple hours on the boat and I did find the midships rigging tube - not that it really did much other than keep the wire out of the bilge water. Was able to chase the wire down the hoses on the port side, across that tube, and then up where the holding tank is. I ended up using 20' of wire and still have another 6-8 feet before I'll reach the helm though, which was a much longer run than I had hoped for.

Now the question is, do I try to chase back audio wires from the TV (mounting on the outside wall of the head) back to the stereo. Probably, but it was getting pretty tight everywhere. That may end up being a 35' run.

Lesson learned: easier to chase wires, hoses, etc, up and down the boat than it is to try to cross anywhere forward of the helm.

 

[fsc60]

I have a 2001 330 Express and did the same job, here is what I did. Dont know if its that much shorter. I removed the circuit panel and let it hang down, inside that area, in the bottom right corner ( towards the stairs) I drilled a hole. There is a trim piece that goes left to right above the entrance of the aft cabin. Also goes over the very top of the stairs. I removed it. Made another hole above the stairs, that allows you to get in where the AC unit is. From there you can go up and behind the mircowave and over to the radio/tv area. Nothing about this is easy, just wanted to share what I did.

 

[Flot]

You know, I was close to doing that - but a previous owner had already butchered the electronics tub AND the inner liner beneath that, so of anything I thought I'd try to keep the deck watertight. I was so ticked off when I removed that piece of trim above the stairs and it didn't reveal anything helpful.

Luckily I don't think I really need much to go side-to-side but it was a good lesson in the limitations of what's easy to get to.

On the newer models, I wonder how Grady manages to air condition the head?

 

[fsc60]

I was wondering that myself, i like upgrading my boat to whats on the new ones but i cant see how to get a hose there.

 

[Flot]

Just to follow up on my TV install. I went with a 32" smart TV from best buy (Toshiba 32LF221U19), which had the added benefit of bluetooth for audio out, so in the end I didn't need to run audio cables back to the stereo.

I mounted using a standard wall TV mount bracket - I re-used the two bolt holes from the original grab bar on a piece of 3/4" plastic lumber, then screwed the mount to that. It protrudes a bit more from the wall than I'd prefer but I didn't want to put new holes into the wall before I was sure I was happy with the setup. All this TV really needs is power since it's a smart TV with wifi connectivity etc. I ran a new 12v line from the panel to behind the TV, and hooked up a $15 150w inverter to power the TV, since it is a small load I'd rather have it on DC when possible. I also ran HDMI from my chartplotter back to the TV so I'll be able to easily see what's on the main display. Those two wires go through the padded trim at the very top corner of the head. I did have to remove one of the 12v reading lights to get enough clearance for the TV, but this is no big loss.

Pic for reference, the power wire hanging down was just for testing purposes.