newbie

[bouttimeiv]

getting ready to rebuild my first boat and want to cover all the basics.What size wire should be used for lights ,fish finder and live well ? and where is the best place to find wire ,terminals needed for boats and basically anything else I might need to rewire this thing
Thanks and Im sure you will be getting lots of basic questions from me !

 

[marshman]

10 or 12 gauge is plenty big enough for the items you mentioned... use good connectors, use heat shrink tubing or wrap connections really good with good electrical tape...and uses fuses...(i suggest a good fuse/terminal block, run 1 good power and ground supply to a neutral location, and then from there to wherever)

im a big fan of running my wires in a conduit or wire loom or something...


something else ill add...i mentioned it in another post....i love using esso cord(extension cord)....it has the heavy coating, and insulation....itll have 3 wires in it, but you can just use the 2...or run 2 cords and have 3 pairs of wires...

 

[RivRunR]

Best practice is to use tinned marine wire, and crimp connectors that have built-in heat shrink with adhesive.
Here's a couple of sources: Tinned Marine Wire and Genuinedealz
Wire gauge depends on the amp draw of the device and total length of the circuit ( pos + neg).
For the lights, 12AWG should be fine.
Fish finders usually use very small gauge, like 16AWG or less, gauge the wire supplied with it or your manual should say.
For the live well you should try to find the amp draw of the pump(s) and aerator, and then use a chart to figure out wire gauge. Here's a Wire Size Chart
If you're installing nav lights, you'll either need 1 DPDT (on/off/on) switch to handle both lights, or 2 SPST (on/off) switches, one for each light (bow and stern).
A fuse panel and ground bus bar make for a neater install, and also make it easier to add more circuits later.
It's also a good idea to put a circuit breaker between the battery and the fuse panel.

Hope this helps.

 

[panFried]

RivRunR » 30 Jul 2013, 07:37[/url]"]Best practice is to use tinned marine wire, and crimp connectors that have built-in heat shrink with adhesive.
Here's a couple of sources: Tinned Marine Wire and Genuinedealz
Wire gauge depends on the amp draw of the device and total length of the circuit ( pos + neg).
For the lights, 12AWG should be fine.
Fish finders usually use very small gauge, like 16AWG or less, gauge the wire supplied with it or your manual should say.
For the live well you should try to find the amp draw of the pump(s) and aerator, and then use a chart to figure out wire gauge. Here's a Wire Size Chart
If you're installing nav lights, you'll either need 1 DPDT (on/off/on) switch to handle both lights, or 2 SPST (on/off) switches, one for each light (bow and stern).
A fuse panel and ground bus bar make for a neater install, and also make it easier to add more circuits later.
It's also a good idea to put a circuit breaker between the battery and the fuse panel.

Hope this helps.

This is really good advice. If you do a couple advanced searches on 'Wire Diagram' or 'switch panel', you'll find lots of good tips and tricks. Im doing all my wiring now as well, and it helps to draw out a wire diagram. I used GenuineDealz and Amazon for most items. The big thing I noticed is use correct wire size and fuses/circuits to avoid fires. Good Luck!