Wiring my boat - best methods available?

[geedubcpa]

I am rewiring my boat - what type of ends for the wires can produce a strong watertight seal and also not come loose?

Any ideas or vendors to look at?

 

[milmat1]

Re: Wiring my boat - best methods available?

I use crimp on connectors and heatshrink tubing. Or Solder and heatshrink..Sometimes a Dab of silicone over the actual screw/connection..

 

[knehdn]

Re: Wiring my boat - best methods available?

I solder everything and anything. Just make sure you use a good grade marine tinned wire, and of the correct gauge for the load.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Wiring my boat - best methods available?

I solder everything and anything. Just make sure you use a good grade marine tinned wire, and of the correct gauge for the load.

Yeh that, and liquid electical tape on exposed terminals.
Some terminals , such as the buss bar, are ring terminal and good if crimped with heat shrink, some are solder type.
Figure out what you've got to work with,

but the tinned marine wire is important to use, and home depot wire isn't for boats.

 

[knehdn]

Re: Wiring my boat - best methods available?

... and whatever you use - do not use any solid wire like the household stuff. Use only strand (and that goes for any AC wiring as well), even if you can't get the tinned wire. You'll just need to replace it sooner than later. Solid wire does not belong on a boat. It could negate an insurance claim if such a worse case scenario occurs.

 

[Intermediate Mariner]

Re: Wiring my boat - best methods available?

what ive been doing on my rewire is using the crimp on connectors BUT I remove their little plastic sheath so it doesnt melt and I can solder the wire with mini torch (and then the solder follows the wire into the insulation a little). Then shrink wire on every wire and THEN I run em through loom with large shrink wire ends. I concur on the liquid tape also and use it on every connector that I soldered.

I feel the nice thing about the loom is it offers a semi protection but will still drain if it gets wet. And on my "from scratch" rewire I am trying to run them all in front of the motor to keep them away from heat of the motor.

Also have you priced that tubing from engine to hole in the bilge area (don't know proper term)? Wow. I am still looking into this but considering just a large piece of automotive hose of some kind that you can always cut off and replace cosst-effectively.

And call me crazy, but on my rewire I have noticed that the book specified gauge of the wire is visually smaller than the old wires... consider one bigger gauge for each wire, I wish I had.

 

[geedubcpa]

Re: Wiring my boat - best methods available?

... and whatever you use - do not use any solid wire like the household stuff. Use only strand (and that goes for any AC wiring as well), even if you can't get the tinned wire. You'll just need to replace it sooner than later. Solid wire does not belong on a boat. It could negate an insurance claim if such a worse case scenario occurs.

Not that I was going to use the solid wire - but why is it a problem?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Wiring my boat - best methods available?

Not that I was going to use the solid wire - but why is it a problem?

Ayuh,.... Vibrations....

Copper work-hardens,.... It'll just Snap in no time....

Same reason you should Crimp,+ seal, rather than Solder....

 

[DianneB]

Re: Wiring my boat - best methods available?

Copper hardens with flexing and a solid copper wire in a high-vibration area will work-harden and have a tendency to crack where it enters a connection. Unfortunately that crack usually causes heat in a high current application and can result in destruction of the terminal or even a fire.

 

[vxtech]

Re: Wiring my boat - best methods available?

deutshe connectors and stainless pins and sockets, awesome stuff but very pricy,connectors are reusable, requires special tool to crimp , a good choice for waterproof protection