navagation lights

[brianlt21]

What wire is recommended for running nav lights, also want to add a 12volt power outlet, and some nice leds from blue water.. This will all be tied into a nice switch panel..

 

[ben2go]

12 gauge tinned wire will work fine.Red for positive and black,white,or green for ground.White is the correct color for a marine ground but black or green will work fine as long as the positive wire is red.


https://bestboatwire.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=23

 

[Captain Ahab]

Make sure you get Marine grade wires


Here are the proper color codes (I suggest that you follow them - can save you some headaches with any future mods)

https://www.cncphotoalbum.com/doityourself/wiring/wiring.htm

 

[ben2go]

Make sure you get Marine grade wires


Here are the proper color codes (I suggest that you follow them - can save you some headaches with any future mods)

https://www.cncphotoalbum.com/doityourself/wiring/wiring.htm

Where do you find this stuff?It conflicts with my wiring guide.I dunno what's right from wrong.Over load,over load,over load (big explosion) #-o

 

[Hanr3]

12 gauge is overkill for nav lights unless your boat is like 100' long.

Tinned wire is great for salt water boats. However for small freshwater boats swing by your local autoparts store and pick up stranded 16 or 18 gauge wire for the nav lights. Your average daily driven 4x4 truck sees more punisment than the average weekend warrior fishermans boat. That truck wiring is subjected to the worst vibration, shock, road salt, rain, snow, ice, oil, gas, and thats on the pavement. When you get off pavement the abuse goes up 10 times and you can add in mud, rocks, sticks, and everything else your tires kick up or the truck drives over. The key is the connections, protection (loom), and wire anchors. Once air gets to the cooper corrosion starts. The only thing the tin does is add another layer of protection, and increases the cost.

To figure the load take your wattage and divide by 12 volts. If your bow nav light is 7.5 watts, your drawing 7.5/12=.625 amps. If your adding in the all around light and it draws 9 watts your up to 9/12=.75 amps. A 2 amp fuse (.625 + .75=1.375 amps) and 16 or 18 gauge wire will be all you need.

Figure out how many watts, or amps your accesories will draw and go from there. I would keep the accessories on a seperate circuit than the nav lights.

Take for example a small boat with bow nav light (1amp), stern all around light (1amp), livewell pump (3amp), bigle pump (3amp), deck lights (5amp), accessory outlets (10 amp), and a fishfinder (1amp). The largest circuit is the accessories, buy 16 gauge wire for everything.

The exception are the trolling motor and the wire feeding your fuse panel. Generally trolling motors are either 6 or 8 gauge wire. Longer runs go with the 6 gauge, its more expensive, however you can kill a motor by under powering it. I would also use the 6 or 8 gauge to feed my fuse panel. Run one set of wires to the trolling motor, and one set of wires to the fuse panel. Now all you have to do is buy two different size wires, 16 and 8 gauge or 14 and 6 gauge (longer runs go up a size). If you have a large trolling motor use the 6 gauge.

Only reason to do the color codes is if your boat has a ton of electrical circuits. Each color means another roll of wire. For the example above I would only use 2 colors of wire, black and red. You do need at least two colors, red for positive and black for negative. I prefer the KISS method. Keep it simple stupid, or is it Keep It Stupid Simple. :mrgreen:

 

[Captain Ahab]

Good advice Hanr3


I always recommend tinned wire becuase there is a good chance that any boat aroudn my area might see some salt water sooner or later. The salt line in the river is not that far away and many of the local areas will have at least brackish water.


I have had experience with untinned wire and it is not fun at all - but as you point out, the average 4X4 might see more abuse then a sweet water, weekend, boat.

 

[Hanr3]

Thanks Capt Ahab. In your case I would also use the tinned wire, salt water is brutal. And I agree there is nothing more frustrating than chasing an electrical problem around the boat. Generally by time you figure out the problem you could have saved yourself a ton of time and anguish by replacing all the wire in that circuit. I also highly recommend enclosed raceway (Conduit, pvc electrical pipe) for the wire. That way if you do have a wire problem, attach your new wire to the old with electrical tape and pull the old wire out. As you pull the old out the new goes in, make your connections and your done. If you dont use the raceway you will spend most of your time pulling everything out of your boat just to get to a strap/staple holding the wire in place. It's an exercise in futility and extremely frustrating while everyone else at the "annual guys weekend of fishing" is out on the water catching the big fish to collect the money and honors till next year. Seen it happen this past year. Poor guy had practically everything from his boat on the dock and scrattered all over the boat.

I would use one raceway for the trolling motor and fuse panel wire, and at least one more for the rest of the circuits. Try not to put too many wires in the conduit. I would run the fishfinder transducer wire all by itself, you dont want electrical interferrence from other wires on that circuit.

 

[komodopb]

Great post Hanr3 =D>

I plan on doing the wiring for my boat this week (which includes every accessory you mentionedand) and I wasn't sure what gauge I needed or how to figure it out. Thanks!