Bus Bar, Wire Gauge and General Wiring Questions

I have run all of the wiring to but am having trouble with getting it all together. I am having issues with wire gauges and what to use.



Bow Trolling Motor - Plug in the deck attached to 6 gauge wire. This will have a 50 amp breakered fuse inline in the hatch next to the plug so if it blows I can reset it from the front. This wire runs where? Directly to the battery or can it go to the bus bar? I like the bus bar idea.

Rear Trolling motor - basically the same as the bow mount.

Navigation lights (bow and stern) - Run using light gauge wire (can't remember which gauge). Attached using ring connectors to red and black bus bars. Then the black goes to the black side of the switch on the switch panel? Then the red from the switch panel comes back to the bus bar (I know there's only 1 red for all the switches, but each black has it's own run back to the bus bar or do I jumper them the same way? I would think if I jumpered them that they would all be interconnected.

Fish Finder - Same as Nav Lights but wired to ACC switch.

A big deal that I have is with the 6 gauge wire. I got ring connectors for it but the posts on the bus bar are way too small for the connectors. How to I step the connector size down or am I just missing something?

CHECK THE LINK IN MY SIGNATURE I HAVE FOUND IT VERY USEFUL

I'm not sure about the trolling motor wiring, but for the accessories I believe that positive power coming from the battery goes to your positive bus bar, then red wires from panel goes to bus bar. Then positive from whatever accessory goes to an open tag on back of panel. The negative battery node is connected to your negative bus bar, and all your negative wires from your accessories are connected to the negative bus bar to complete the curcuit. I think that's how it suppose to work.

All of the sudden it makes sense. Got it. Here's the updated drawing.

I cant' hook the trolling motor to the bus block since the bus goes to the switch and won't have constant power.

I'm not positive, but I think your positive bus bar and you panel need to be swapped around.

Good catch. That seems right.

If you switch the switch panel and positive bus bar you should be ok. Although I don't see a fuse panel built in. You will need to fuse each accessory (before or after the switch) Also you should have a main fuse/circuit breaker between the battery and the positive bus bar.
On your trolling motor wiring the circuit breaker should go within one foot of the battery, not in the front near the motor.

Derek said:

If you switch the switch panel and positive bus bar you should be ok. Although I don't see a fuse panel built in. You will need to fuse each accessory (before or after the switch) Also you should have a main fuse/circuit breaker between the battery and the positive bus bar.
On your trolling motor wiring the circuit breaker should go within one foot of the battery, not in the front near the motor.

Click to expand...

Good info. The switch has fuses built into it, so the accessories should be ok. I have a quick disconnect that I'm going to hook the the positive side, but what would you suggest for the main fuse/breaker? How big should the fuse be?

Good to know about the trolling motor breakers.

here is my setup. I have since cleaned up the wring.

The 2-50 amp circuit breakers are the main feeds for the (2) fuse panels under my console.
The bus bar is for ground connections for the accessories in the rear of the boat.


The 2 larger red wires are the feed from the above circuit breakers.
I have 2 fuse panels because of the number of accessories I will eventually have. Each accessory has its own fuse then the power wire runs to the switch (for switched accessories such as nav lights) or directly to the accessory. That bus bar is again for all the grounds in the front of the boat.


My trolling motor has its own battery and another 50 amp circuit breaker.


the main fuse is to protect the wiring running to your switch panel, so it should be rated at the amperage of all your accessories added together.