Marine grade wire?

M

Macboy

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Aug 8, 2014
254
Macgregor 26S Sherwood Park, Alberta
So, aside from buying wire at a marine shop - why is it that nobody seems to know what I'm talking about when I say marine or waterproof wire? Wouldn't it all be kinda inherently waterproof as long as all connections are made properly (with adhesive containing heat shrink)?

This would be for wiring low voltage accessories / lights / meters / switches.
 
jibes138

jibes138

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Jan 27, 2008
3,086
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
What you want is tinned wire. Wire is not waterproof. You can make the connections waterproof, but the tinning helps protect it from corroding. Bare copper corrodes quickly and the corrosion will travel right up inside the insulation. Tinned wire helps prevent this and keep the connection resistance low.
 
M

Macboy

.
Aug 8, 2014
254
Macgregor 26S Sherwood Park, Alberta
Does that meant the entire length of wire under the insulation is tinned? That's crazy! And cool.

And pricey I bet?
 
CHM

CHM

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Oct 30, 2011
70
Beneteau 432 Merritt Island
Yes. Tinned all the way and not much more expensive than other wire if you shop around
 
Windtherapy

Windtherapy

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Apr 25, 2015
282
Oday 26 Oscoda, MI
Its really not that bad. I just bought 2 rolls of 100 feet each (12/2 & 14/2) on Ebay for about total of about $120. Rewiring the entire boat.
 
catalanc

catalanc

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Mar 23, 2015
259
Catalina 22 MK-II Dillon, CO
Yes, in the long run better to use tinned wire. Between corrosion of bare copper wire and all the vibrations on a boat, the connections can break if not done properly. Just another thousand for your toy ...
 
Terry Cox

Terry Cox

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Dec 25, 2000
5,911
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Marine Grade Wire

Hi Macboy, if you have an Interstate battery place, or battery dealer nearby, find out from them how much a 100' spool of tinned copper 18 AWG will cost. Our dealer charged $8 per 100' foot spool. Saved a bundle compared to other sources when I installed a Link-1000 on our boat.
 
woodster

woodster

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Sep 15, 2009
6,243
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
you can also try genuinedealz in brunswick ga they sell it by the foot and free shipping in the 48 states not the cheapest and not the highest but good service and product all my wire came from there and i rewired my hole boat stem to stern.......apologizes SBO if i offended you on my referal
 
C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,381
-na -NA Anywhere USA
As a former dealer, I always used marine grade wire for several reasons. First most is double thicker sheathed wiring that is stranded. Stranded of course the wire is more pliable. If running inside, not sure if tinning would be necessary unless for outside which is suggested. However, if running any wire, I would suggest leaving some extra at each end particularly for running lights and so forth if the wiring should ever break and/or corrode over time.
 
G

gettinthere

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Nov 26, 2008
1,970
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
Marine grade has thinner strands vs other stranded wire to hold up to flexibg and vibration.
Marine grade is tinned wire to resist corrosion.
Marine grade has a higher quality jacket to resist oil and water absorption.

Interior wires can definately be exposed to water and oil inside the boat. Leaks happen as well as high humidity and condensation.
 
Bad Obsession

Bad Obsession

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May 23, 2004
3,319
I'm in the market as were . Colonial Beach
I just rewired my boat this past spring. It is actually prettier than the original wiring since it was 1989 wiring.

I used all pre-tinned wire that is marine wire. I then used the very good crimp and shrink connectors. If you are going to do the job, do it right and this is the right way. This will last longer than I will keep the boat and the next owner will enjoy it.

It extends to more than just wire. I did this right so I didn't splice wires at all. Where I needed it I added marine bus bars. I also used marine panels in the boat.

Make sure you know what wire sizes to use as well. Where I could get away with it I used the larger wire (Original was 16 gauge and I used a lot of 14 gauge).

Make sure your fuses/circuit breakers match too.
 
C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,381
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Gettinthere;

Thank you for advising on the marine grade but some wire sadly in the past was not tinned although it said marine grade.

I have also carried liquid electrical which is great as well.
 
CHM

CHM

.
Oct 30, 2011
70
Beneteau 432 Merritt Island
Tinned wire is very important if you are in salt water. My forward nav light failed a while back. I checked the bulb, fixture, etc. The problem was the wire! The copper was corroded within the insulation and brittle. I found several breaks inside the cable, not at connections. A prior owner used the Home Depot residential wire. Anyway, once I rewired through the pulpit, no more issues. I am thankful this didn't have a more serious consequence - fire. As wire corrodes, the resistance increases which generates heat.
 
M

Macboy

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Aug 8, 2014
254
Macgregor 26S Sherwood Park, Alberta
Thanks for all the info (yet again).

Dad and I have decided that we'd like to move the batteries forward and get all of the electrical out of the laz - and therefore away from the gas tanks. We'll then use the laz for stowing our lines, fenders, anchors etc. There should be more room than we know what to do with. We've been talking about sectioning off the laz so we can isolate and vent the compartment where the fuel tanks will be as well.

Any words of wisdom on any front appreciated. It'll likely be the springtime plan but we'll gather our supplies and draw up our plans through the winter. We have several LED lights to wire in along with accompanying switches and some gauges. I think we'll move the batteries into the starboard seat and way up under the galley storage (can't really reach way back there anyway). Perhaps I'll start a new thread with specific questions.
 
tjar

tjar

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Aug 8, 2011
166
Hunter Legend 35.5 Tacoma, WA
Just be sure not to place the batteries so far out of the way that you can't maintain them. The water level of batteries should be checked occasionally.
 
D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
12,759
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
gettinthere said:
Marine grade has thinner strands vs other stranded wire to hold up to flexibg and vibration.
Marine grade is tinned wire to resist corrosion.
Marine grade has a higher quality jacket to resist oil and water absorption.

Interior wires can definately be exposed to water and oil inside the boat. Leaks happen as well as high humidity and condensation.
Click to expand
In addition to the above, Marine wire is usually AWG where as automotive wire is SAE. AWG gauges are bigger than SAE. See the West Advisor: http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Marine-Wire-Size-And-Ampacity

Genuinedealz.com is a good source for wire. Also check the clearance rack at Hamilton Marine, the wire will be dusty but at a good price.
 
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