Which tool for this job?

[Bennylava]

I've installed this plug in the side of my pontoon boat, for ease of charging:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ANV81S/?tag=atomicindus08-20

For some reason, they didn't install one from the factory. I guess they want you to have to crawl up in the boat every time, to charge the batteries. So anyway, I got most of the way through the installation, and hit a snag. The part where the cord begins on the back of the plug, is a bit too thick, and doesn't want to fit in between the boat fencing, and the driver's console. The rest is fine. As seen in this pic:



The console is made of fiberglass, so I thought I'd post a thread and ask which tool you'd use to cut a small notch, to make that part of the cable fit. As it is now, if I try to go ahead and complete the installation, I can't get the bottom of the plug to sit flush with the outside of the boat. It has about a 1/4" gap between the plug and the fence. And we certainly can't have that.

I can get at the problem area from the console access door. For the tool, I'm thinking the tool to use is a die grinder, but I'm not sure what bit to use for fiberglass. I'd also like the bit to be wide enough so that I only have to make one pass. Maybe a little widening after that, but one main pass. But if a die grinder isn't the best tool for this job, please post it up.

 

[pacemade]

That's a nice boat, do you use it for fishing or lounging?

 

[firworks]

Is there a reason you can't just whittle away the strain relief a bit? I'd probably take a box cutter or small knife and just take a few slices off the strain relief and see if it fit. Strain relief like that are to protect the cable from bending too tightly and being damaged from repetitive motions. If you're installing it permanently behind a panel then it's probably not going to be bending all over the place so it may not really need the strain relief. Would that give you enough room to make it fit?

 

[General Geoff]

That's a nice boat, do you use it for fishing or lounging?

Aren't those same thing?

 

[pacemade]

Sometimes that extra rubber is to hold the wire in place and protect it from vibration.

 

[Bennylava]

That's a nice boat, do you use it for fishing or lounging?

I guess I'd have to say both. Fish half the day, lounge the other half. Got a lot of mods to do to it though.

As for the strain relief, I'd really rather leave it intact. Plus it doesn't look to me like it would help enough. With the angle that its protruding away from the base, I think cutting a small notch in the console is the only way I'd ever have enough room. If I started shaving on the strain relief, I'd basically have to just peel the relief all the way off, so that the wire could actually stick straight downward. That's they only way it would ever fit. There is just enough room for the back of the plug itself. When it comes to the wire, its sticks out way too far.

 

[LumpyMusic]

Die grinder seems appropriate. Perhaps even simpler and quicker is a rotary rasp bit in a cordless drill.


Sgt Lumpy

 

[LXCam]

Die grinder gets my vote. And almost any rasp style cutter will eat the fiberglass so you don't need anything real expensive.

 

[Kenskip1]

Looks like the AAA party barge from this view.Why do you need a charging plug? The outboard should provide more than enough amperage to keep the battery charged? Personally, I would remove the battery for the winter and store it someplace.If your battery is loosing charge then you may have an electrical problem.

 

[Bennylava]

Its the fishing version. The alternate non-fishing version of this boat, has two more "couches" up there at the front, instead of fishing seats. I wanted a boat that does a bit of both. And thus, it has a 24v trolling motor system. Gotta charge those batteries. And unless I install a plug, I get to crawl up in to the boat, and crawl around down inside that console each time I need to charge. No thanks!

Something like this

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...c-Grinder-Set-6mm-1-4/436348_32269093959.html

Wanted to make sure there isn't something specific to fiberglass.