Looking for advice on a install of a fish finder on a 268MCC. How do you run wiring?
 

Anyone out there have expierence with a install of a gps/fish unit replacement on a cruiser? How do you get access to the back of the dash? Also how do you run wiring from transom to the dash? Are there panels that I can remove on my 268MCC ?

Re: Looking for advice on a install of a fish finder on a 268MCC. How do you run wiri
 

There are very minimal panels you can remove on the cruisers. I'm not 100% familiar with the layout of the 268's, but from looking through the gallery I can recommend a few ideas.

First off, DON'T try and remove the plastic woodgrain gauge panels AT ALL. They are made from ABS vacuum formed plastic and due to years of UV exposure, they are very brittle and can break very easily. These parts were made in-house at Mariah and can't be found anywhere, so the only option is repairing them, which can get VERY expensive. Trust me on this one. http://www.mariahownersclub.com/foru...finishing.html

There may be access in the padded panel in the cabin ceiling between the head and the bulkhead. Not sure though. Can you post a pic or two of that area?

There should be some limited access inside the cedar lined closet. I'm sure it's very limited, and it might be a tight squeeze, but you could probably run cabling through there. There's usually a few inches of space in between the cabin walls and the hull. With a cable snake, you can probably run things from the bilge area through. Regardless, a cable snake like this will be your friend. $15 at Harbor Freight
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...57876C&01NA=na

What I'd recommend is doing things in steps. If you can't get full access behind the gauges, try and move the things you can (stereo, cd holder, etc) and route your cable as close as you can to the final mounting location. Just don't try and move anything with a woodgrain finish as it will most likely break.

There appears to be 4 screws along the bottom of the fiberglass molded dash cluster. I'm not sure, but these may be a way to move the entire cluster, but I don't know. I'd be very careful with this. You're moving everything and I don't know how much slack there are with the wires... You could end up pulling some critical cables loose. Just be extremely careful if you go this route.

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