wiring pontoon boat

[FSHKPR]

just finished refurbishing an old pontoon boat. and now am about to start the wiring. the question i have is do you run a ground to the frame of the pontoon as in the way a car is wired. or do you run two wires to every light or accesory? Thanks

 

[DJ]

Re: wiring pontoon boat

FSH,<br /><br />You do not want to ground anything to the hulls/frame. Two reasons.<br /><br />1. They make lousy grounds.<br /><br />2. The electrolysis created will destroy them in short order.<br /><br />You are correct, every component gets two wires.

 

[billfishfla]

Re: wiring pontoon boat

I have two main strips under my console for ALL my wiring<br />one is a groun - to the battery and the other is ( no surprise the positive )

 

[CharlesW]

Re: wiring pontoon boat

Buy a fused terminal strip and install it in your captain's stand. Run your negative and positive terminals from your battery to that terminal strip for a start. Then run a pair of wires from the fuse block to each switch for any lights or horns you are connecting, then a pair of wires from that switch to the connected load.<br />One thing I didn't think of until too late. Instead of running the wiring in the pontoon support channels like mine was done originally, I wish I had run all the wiring inside of the side rail channels while I had them off. Wouldn't work any better, but it would be a really sanitary installation.<br /><br />Charles<br /><br />Edit: I forgot to mention. The main wire feed to the fused terminal block should also be fused. I don't know if it is necessary, but I fused both the positive and the negative feed wires.