Looking for economical source for components...

[dsuden]

I was just buzzing around the Mills Fleet Farm site and they have a lot of the parts I'm looking for such as:

Marine wire
Bow light
Stern light
Bilge pump and connection kit
Tie-off cleats
Trolling motor receptacle and plug

It adds up to a lot though. I'm wondering if there might be a more economical source of these items.

I'm also hunting around for a good, inexpensive gang switch panel to wire up my bilge pump and lights to.

 

[JMichael]

I've found several of the items I've needed at Academy Sports and Walmart of all places. And some at pretty good prices. So not only did I save money on the price of the item, I saved the shipping incurred from online orders.

 

[MrSimon]

Amazon will have all that stuff .... and if you have a Prime membership, two day shipping is free.

 

[chevyrulz]

i bought my navigation & anchor lights and cleats off amazon way cheaper than west marine, i should've bought my wire from west marine, but i cheaped out & got it @ lowes

i got my bilge pump from wal-mart because the price was the same as amazon, but i bought the through hull bilge exit from amazon because wal-mart didn't have it, & west marine wanted like 3x as much

for my other boat though, i just got a 1200gph attwood bilge pump off amazon for $35 on sale, $50 for the same pump @ wal-mart, probably $70 @ west marine lol

i like amazon, because i can read the reviews to (hopefully) make sure i'm not getting a piece of junk, i used to use ebay, but amazon is better

 

[dsuden]

Man, Amazon's a good call...definitely less expensive!

A few misc related questions...

- For wire, what gauge is typical for the wires leading to the gang switch that feeds to the bilge and lights?

- How about the gauge for the wires leading to the trolling motor receptacle?

- What's a good, inexpensive form of flexible wire channel/conduit?

- As it looks right now, the battery is going to be sitting on the floor of the boat, and I want to strap it down so it doesn't slide around. It's in a battery box. What's the best way to "strap it to the floor?" Something like this? https://amzn.com/B001ASGXSO ...and do those look like the right kind of screws? I think the floor is aluminum.

- What do you guys like for screws, for use into aluminum jon boats? For example, "If I were you, I'd buy a box of ___ sized ____ screws"

 

[chevyrulz]

dsuden » 3 minutes ago[/url]"]

- For wire, what gauge is typical for the wires leading to the gang switch that feeds to the bilge and lights?

whatever device your running may have different gauge wire. for example my bilge had like 12ga & my nav lights were smaller like 16 or 18ga. i used 14ga for all of my wiring to the systems & switches, and 4ga for the battery cables, but i also didn't used marine tinned wire either so i don't go by the book. click the link in my signature if you want to see my build. make sure to put a fuse on the power wire as close as possible to the battery. it's best to match the gauge of wire to the device, so i should've used 12ga for the entire bilge circuit & 16ga for the entire light circuit

dsuden » 3 minutes ago[/url]"]

- How about the gauge for the wires leading to the trolling motor receptacle?

these will be lower gauge, bigger wire, than your lights or bilge because they must carry more current. probably 8 or 10ga if i had to guess

dsuden » 3 minutes ago[/url]"]

- What's a good, inexpensive form of flexible wire channel/conduit?

i used pex pipe & various sized ribbed plastic conduit & lots of zip ties from lowes. pex is plastic water pipe on the plumbing aisle, but it's not very flexible so for 90 degree bends you have to use an elbow, pex can bend a slight curve though. most manufacturers though use, spiral wrap wire loom which is available @ west marine or maybe online cheaper.

dsuden » 3 minutes ago[/url]"]

- As it looks right now, the battery is going to be sitting on the floor of the boat, and I want to strap it down so it doesn't slide around. It's in a battery box. What's the best way to "strap it to the floor?" Something like this? https://amzn.com/B001ASGXSO ...and do those look like the right kind of screws? I think the floor is aluminum.

yep, that's what came with my battery box. i put a plate of aluminum under my battery box & pop riveted the plate to the ribs on the floor of the boat, then riveted the strap to my plate. i also added aluminum angle to the plate around the box for extra insurance in rough water. (see my build for pictures)

dsuden » 3 minutes ago[/url]"]
- What do you guys like for screws, for use into aluminum?

i didn't use screws, i used aluminum pop rivets. they're cheaper, hold better, & they last longer than self tapping screws. if you must use screws, use self tapping screws that are NOT, i repeat, ARE NOT galvanized.

 

[FerrisBueller]

I got the majority of my wire at https://www.GenuineDealz.com

they have great prices and free shipping, and they have a nice selection of electrical components such as connectors and breakers.

 

[parkerdog]

FerrisBueller » Today, 3:19 pm[/url]"]I got the majority of my wire at https://www.GenuineDealz.com

they have great prices and free shipping, and they have a nice selection of electrical components such as connectors and breakers.

That's where I got my 6 gauge to run the length of the boat plus it was nice that they will put the ends on too. (small fee)

 

[dsuden]

A local dealer offered to sell me wire off his bulk spools so I thought I'd get a deal. Wound up costing me $88.

 

[Captain Ahab]

I use Overtons a lot - they will have some really good sale, great service and free shipping