Replacing Wiring...

[Roman_K]

Anybody know a good place to get some cheap marine grade wiring? I am lookin to replace the wiring in my boat, and boy is that stuff expensive.. The guy I bought my boat from really did a poor job, a lot of the wires that are run look like the wires you would run in a house. Also, they are all the same color for positive and negative..

[VMS]

Ace Hardware will carry red black and white as separate wires.

As for other colors, you may be able to find them at a radio shack or possibly at an automotive store...

Steve

[jwmiller33]

would ace hardware be a good place to go to get marine grade wiring in general?im looking to buy some 16 gauge marine grade wiring... can you give me some ideas of where i could go buy this wiring?

[croixflats]

What is the difference. I can see maybe marine grade would be good for salt water but beyond that I think your just wasting your money. If the wire is not going to be submerged for long periods of time automotive wiring will do the same.

[jwmiller33]

i didnt know the difference.. i jus read on a HSOforum that i should use marine grade wiring.. so auto wiring will do huh? where is a good place to buy that?

[Ralph Wiggum]

Fleet Farm.

[jwmiller33]

thanks ralph

[croixflats]

Yep Fleet Farm would be good but as you know put them blinders on or your coming out of Fleet with more than wireing.

[jwmiller33]

Yep Fleet Farm would be good but as you know put them blinders on or your coming out of Fleet with more than wireing.

so so true.... its hard to go into fleetfarm and only get whats on ur list... almost impossible

[Tyler23]

so so true.... its hard to go into fleetfarm and only get whats on ur list... almost impossible

[jwmiller33]

i like where you head is at... will i be able to buy the wire in a big roll?

[Tyler23]

yea i think you can buy it in like 100ft rolls. have you started working on your boat? if so what have you done to it?

[Roman_K]

Oh, that is awesome. I too was under the assumption that I should use marine grade wire. That is really good news..

[BoxMN]

Yep, no need for marine IMHO, but I do always run wire through tubing, if for just ease of running it next time and to protect it some from virbation. I get it a Meenards in 100' rolls. If you are going to wire for troll motor, get 8 ga. and make sure you use correct sized connectors or crimps and rings, etc.

[Big R]

Get wires that are rated for wet locations. They will be identified with a W on the insulation. e.g. THHW

[chris63]

IMHO, I think it is a mistake to use common auto wire for a marine application.You will quickly notice "green" corrosion due to oxidation of the copper strands.Marine grade wire is "tinned"which coats the strands so that they last/hold up to moister/corrosion/vibration much longer.c63

[Ralph Wiggum]

IMHO, I think it is a mistake to use common auto wire for a marine application.You will quickly notice "green" corrosion due to oxidation of the copper strands.Marine grade wire is "tinned"which coats the strands so that they last/hold up to moister/corrosion/vibration much longer.c63

They don't tin the entire length, do they? I always assumed just the ends were tinned, which can be accomplished with a soldering iron.

[Gator Slayer]

[note from admin: please read forum policy before posting again. thanks]

[chris63]

Marine grade wire is tinned throughout to resit corrosion,abrasion and increase conductivity.The insulation is also rated for gasoline/battery acid resistance.UV resistant wire is also available.(Applications directly affected by sunlight.Hope this helps.c63

[chris63]

Tinning the ends of the wires do give strength to the connectors/conductors.It is always a good practice to do so in any/all applications!c63

[jwmiller33]

what is a good gauge wire to use for running the bow and stern lights, depth finder, and LED lights for interior lighting in a boat? i have read online that 16 gauge is sufficient.... is that correct? should i go bigger? smaller?

i have also heard that running 6 gauge wire is what i should use for running the trolling motor wiring up to the front... is that true? bigger? smaller?

[Crusty old Swede]

One thing about marine wire - if for some reason you are inspected by the Coast Guard you'll be ok. If the wire is not marine grade then there will be problems. This applies mostly to waters under Federal jurisdiction.

[Tyler23]

IMHO, I think it is a mistake to use common auto wire for a marine application.You will quickly notice "green" corrosion due to oxidation of the copper strands.Marine grade wire is "tinned"which coats the strands so that they last/hold up to moister/corrosion/vibration much longer.c63 [/quote)

just seal the bare wire up with electrical tape or shink rap. if the wire is sealed for the elements it will be fine. if the wiring isnt going to be around salt water automotive will work just fine. its designed to handle the elements also? you have wire underneath your car the get covered in water, dirt, salt etc.. why wouldnt it work for a boat your going to be exposing it to basicly the same things.

[marine_man]

what is a good gauge wire to use for running the bow and stern lights, depth finder, and LED lights for interior lighting in a boat? i have read online that 16 gauge is sufficient.... is that correct? should i go bigger? smaller?

i have also heard that running 6 gauge wire is what i should use for running the trolling motor wiring up to the front... is that true? bigger? smaller?

Your recommendations should be just fine for both applications.

marine_man

[jwmiller33]

thanks