Start from scratch, read a book, have a design, and get a good wiring kit by BSP with adhesive heat shrink connectors. Get a good butane torch too. My kit has been invaluable.
A good book to start with is Charlie Wing's
Boatowners Illustrated Electrical Handbook. Also check out Maine Sail's website
www.MarineHowTo.com He also runs a store and can get most anything you need at a competitive price.
Speaking of price. The usual places to buy supplies, West, Defender, Hamilton, etc. are pretty expensive. There are places to get better deals. Two of my favorites are GenuineDealz.com and Waytexwire.com. I particularly like Waytex because the prices are very good and you can buy in bulk. So far I've pleased with their quality.
So why buy 20 connectors when you think you only need 5? Because sooner or later you'll need more than 5. I'm just fininshing up some upgrades and cleanup on my boat. I realized that I was about 8 female quick connectors short of what I needed. It was the day before Independence Day and late in the day so mail order was not an option. I had to drive 70 miles to the nearest West Marine to buy 8 disconnects for about $1 a piece. Had I done a better job planning ahead, I could have purchased
50 comparable fittings for $6 from Waytex. (Of course there are shipping costs and planning ahead to buy enough to make the minimum order requirements is a good idea.)
When heat shrinking, I use a hot air gun, it is safer and faster than a butane torch and has other uses such as removing varnish.
Finally, as you plan you project head over to the Musings With Maine Sail forum on SBO and read the posts. Many of your questions have been asked and answered there.
