muskiemike12 said:
I agree. That was some of the worst advice I have read yet on this forum. If you are ever involved in an incident and the investigator points to something on your boat that wasn't working, it could cost you a lot more than a correctly done wiring job.
Ok Mr. Landry what kind of incident could happen in my little tin boat? The investigator for the insurance on a $500 boat? I have rods and reels that cost more than my boat and motor, so what does that mean. Why can't I use low voltage wire to run my lights? Surely it is far superior to speaker wire. I cannot recomend to use that. Low voltage wire is not tinned, but if I'm 1800 miles from any saltwater what problems might I have? Please enlighten me so I don't offer any more Bad advise. [-(
The issue would most likely be not relative to the value of your boat and equipment as much as the liability on your part if you were to be found at fault because of faulty equipment. You could be anchored, or under way, at night with inoperative lights and be struck by another boater. You could get swamped and depend on that bilge pump to keep you afloat until help got there. You could have an electrical fire. To make it worse, your kid could be with you if and when it ever happens.
I have been in the marine service business on Lake Travis in Austin, Texas for over 15 years, and I have seen everything from a near miss, to minor collisions, to major collisions, to people being almost burned alive from an alcohol stove explosion, to a couple dieing in their sleep while spending the night anchored in their boat with an improperly repaired generator. Will any of this ever apply to you? Hopefully and probably not, but the point is that in any marine related accident, and particularly where there are injuries, the maggot lawyers have a field day. Everyone that has ever been in the involved boat with a screwdriver goes to court while the lawyers sort out who has the deepest pockets. It's very time consuming, and it's very expensive.
I admit that sometimes I'm not the most politically correct person in some of my comments, but when I offer suggestions on this or any other forum, it's with the intention of helping someone do a project on their boat in a manner that will not only be cost effective, but that will yield the most utility and satisfaction. Translated, the most bang for the buck, and it means doing it right the first time and going out and enjoying your boat, even if it costs a little more up front. You'll make up for that on the back end.
Regarding your question about low voltage wire. There's nothing that says you can't do it that way. It will work, but there is a product that will give a proportionately better result at a reasonable cost. I assure you that I've seen wiring jobs done with much worse. It just goes back to using a product that was designed to do the job at hand and that yields the best results, both short and long term. Long term satisfaction means you don't have to go back and do it again.
I posted this comment on another electrical thread. I think it is probably relevant here also.
"The cost differential of the wire compared to the overall cost of the project is negligible, and you are still exposing the wiring to a wet envrionment , salt or otherwise, so the same potential for corrosion still exists. That said, the main concern is that you do it with wire that is properly sized for the load and is sufficiently protected by fuses, and done with good connections that won't pull loose."
