Re: [omc-boats] wiring help

On Wed, 3 May 2006, Ryan wrote:
> Thanks Lee. I was just at West Marine today! I found the Marine Grade wire
> that is tinned and rated 120 degrees C. for engine compartments. They have
> your basic colors but I just bought white and black. I saw the heat shrink
> butt connectors but they were like $22 for a 10 pack and I'm not sure what I
> want to do yet. They also have a wide selection of stainless steal bolts
> as well as brass. I think I will be able to find everything I need at that
> store. One question I still have. On the starter, if I use the tinned
> connectors, is that good enough or should they be also coated with grease,
> paint, or RTV? Or should I try to make some sort of boot to seal it up?

If you're going to rewire the entire engine bay, I'd suggest getting more
colors than just white and black. I've trouble-shooted systems where
someone wired everything in one color - I'd never do it again. At least
get the standard colors - red/black/yellow/green/blue/orange - in, perhaps
16 AWG, and then red and black in a larger size. I think there's a
standard color scheme that's recommended for boats.

I'd probably put a bit of electrical contact grease on the terminal to
prevent corrosion. The Stabilant-22 Lee mentioned looks like an
excellent choice. I've never done saltwater stuff - most of my experience
is in automotive applications - so I've always just used cheap grease
from a car parts store.

Another resource you'll want to refer to is the US Coast Guard's
"Boat-Builder's Handbook", which lists all the regulations relating
to boat design and construction. There's an electrical section
that will help you a lot.

  http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/boatbuilder/index.htm

Ethan Brodsky

-- 
<A HREF="http://www.engr.wisc.edu/~brodskye/"> Ethan Brodsky </A>
UW FutureCar Team Paradigm: Two-Year FutureCar Challenge Winner
UW-Madison Clean Snowmobile Team: Winner of the 2004 SAE CSC
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