wiring to battery

[jwmiller33]

i have a couple of wiring questions.

i was told by a guy who works at cabelas that i should use 6 gauge wire that they have there (about 2 bucks a foot) to run my transom mount trolling motor up to the battery in the front of my boat. do you guys think this is sufficient gauge wire for running a 55lb trolling motor to a 12V 200 min reserve battery?

i am going 2 have 2 12V 200 min reserve batteries on my boat.. one for the trolling motor... and one for the 2 LED lights, bow and stern light, and fish finder/GPS and bilge pump..

what kind of wire should i use to wire all of this stuff in my boat? could i just buy a certain gauge wire for all this stuff in my boat (i could just buy a big rol, somewhere).. should i use different wire for different accessories?

what is a good place to buy this wire?

thanks much

[Hafnutz]

6 Gauge is pretty heavy but may not be heavy enough depending on the length. You won't need anything that heavy for the lights etc. Some of the better quality jumper cables have wire that is aroung 6 gauge. They may be long enough. Best to put the trolling motor and battery close together to help eliminate voltage drop. I'm sure somebody who knows a lot more about this than me will chime in with more info.

[jwmiller33]

i heard somewhere that i should use a high quality 16 gauge marine grade wire for wiring my bow, stern, and LED lights, and fishfinder/gps and bildge pump.... is this correct?

where is a good place to buy marine grade wiring?

[BobT]

6awg should be just fine. I don't think the length is really a factor in a boat application. At best you're talking 17' plus the wire is not in a conduit or raceway, it's in free air.

Bob

[Pat K]

For the trolling motor 6 guage wire should heavy enough for a 16' to 18' run. 16 guage would be heavy enough for a depth finder, gps and led lights. You should check to see what wattage is needed for the bilge pump and use whatever is recomended for it.

I'd put the wires in flexable conduit. Easier to tie neatly out of the way, cuts down on abrasion and easy to fish new wiring through if you need to replace any.

[jwmiller33]

where can i buy that flexible conduit?

are you suggesting that i run all my wires in that flexible conduit stuff?

what kind of connection do i need to connect the 6 gauge wire to the trolling motor wires?

thanks much

[jwmiller33]

and where is a good place to buy the wire(the 16 gauge wire)? probably need a bunch of it... at least like 40-50 ft

[Pat K]

You can get the flex conduit at any hardware or big box store. The marine 16 guage wire you could get localy at any boat dealer, Cabelas, Gander, Fleet Farm or West Marine.

Online from Cabelas, West Marine and any of the hundreds of marine electronics sites.

The same places would have a selection of plug & recepticle set ups for a trolling motor or the flat plastic quick connect couplers.