Cable clam, or not to cable clam

Howdy, folks-
I'm installing my FF this weekend and I plan to do the foam puck method. The main reason I'm doing the foam puck is because I have two kayaks and will be going back and forth. Here's my question: I am going to drill a hole in my Cobra Tandem so that I can run the transducer/battery cable up through the deck. Assuming I want this passageway waterproof, I need something like a cable clam, yes? If that's the case, when I need to switch boats, am I able to remove the cable from the clam  (sorry, that sounds bad ), or is it a permanent ?   Are there any other similar products that are more effective and perhaps less expensive?  I checked West Marine on Sequoia Pkwy, and they only had the "Cable Clam".
Any suggestions are appreciated!

Do you mean this?
http://kayakfishinggear.com/12liquidtitefitting.aspx

Howdy, folks-
 Here's my question: I am going to drill a hole in my Cobra Tandem so that I can run the transducer/battery cable up through the deck.
Any suggestions are appreciated!

It depends on how you mount your head unit. But the best hole is no hole at all.

If your head unit is relatively near a strapped hatch, just lead it under the edge. The cable will be fairly well sealed as the "breach" will be minor and in the proper direction. (facing the bottom of the boat above the waterline) You'll get very little if any water intrusion even if you huli.

If your not near the hatch (which is a bit of a challenge as your on a kayak ) or you just don't want to see the cable at all, the cable cams and such are fine. But depending on what FF you have, the size of the connector may leave you with a big knob coming through the deck. Unless you cut the cable and slice it back together, the  cable-cam would have to be big enough for the connector to pass through. Then you might be able to mount just the cable cam on both boats.

 Thats one of the reasons I like the Lowrance/Eagle ff's and, at a shade better than 1/2" in diameter, it's one of the smaller connectors. Another reason is I like the compact size of the head unit.

I also like a clean deck with as few protrusions as possible and, in keeping with my self proclaimed title of Kayak Pimp of the Millennium, I lead the cable through the shaft of a rod mount I modded to hold the head unit.





This is a scotty rod mount and I used foam tile plugs to fill the space between the "ears" of the FF head.



This is a generic rod holder (Roberts?) that I found at Hagg during the low water. It's easier to fit to the FF head, but most of the stub was cut off. A few minutes in a lathe would have made this a bit easier and the shaft longer.



 It works fine though.



Ahhhhh, I miss my orange BigA.    It sank because I drilled too many holes.**



This entire process would be MUCH easier if I'd cut and spliced the cable, but I'm chicken.








**Not really, It sank because of the 2005-2006 factory defect drivewell hole and was replaced with a brand new 2009. Hobie stands behind their stuff.

Thanks FFT, that's a pretty ingenious way to mount your FF.  I will be mounting my FF on a removable Johnny Bar, and I don't have a convenient hatch cover (mine's a screw down aftermarket cover) so I'll have to drill for the cable to run through, -and- my battery is in a waterproof box, which also needs one of those valves that rrdStarr posted previously.

@  rrdstarr, can i find those locally in a store?  West Marine just has the Cable Clams, and they're not quite what I'm looking for.


Thanks guys-

@  rrdstarr, can i find those locally in a store?  West Marine just has the Cable Clams, and they're not quite what I'm looking for.


Thanks guys-

I am pretty sure you can!  I need to find one myself!

Thanks FFT, that's a pretty ingenious way to mount your FF.  I will be mounting my FF on a removable Johnny Bar, and I don't have a convenient hatch cover (mine's a screw down aftermarket cover) so I'll have to drill for the cable to run through, -and- my battery is in a waterproof box, which also needs one of those valves that rrdStarr posted previously.

I put a bar across my Revo just aft of the front hatch.  The transducer cable is just fed under the hatch cover.  For power you might consider installing a marine power plug like this:

http://www.demonick.com/kayak/FF.GPS/power.html

I put a bar across my Revo just aft of the front hatch.  The transducer cable is just fed under the hatch cover.  For power you might consider installing a marine power plug like this:

http://www.demonick.com/kayak/FF.GPS/power.html

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@Demonick~  Great suggestion. I just finished up with my FF /battery installation, it's not as pimpy as other ideas, but I think it'll do the trick. Will post picks when we get home.

I did mine last weekend!