Choosing Connectors for Rewiring

[ralay]

I'm going over the electrical system on Mona right now and there are things that will need rearranging. 

The boat came with a box of assorted cheap, automotive ring terminals, butt joiners, etc. that have made their way into a few circuits of the boat.  I can already see how much more they are suffering corrosion than the marine grade, heat shrink connectors.  I'd like to buy a set of marine grade connectors, but oh boy are they expensive.  I have seen that the automotive, open-ended PVC type aren't doing so great, but I was wondering if anyone has any experience using the regular, marine grade connectors vs. the adhesive-lined, heat-shrink connectors.  I can find (presumably non-heat shrink) connector kits from Anchor Marine for $30/120 pieces, whereas their heat-shrink connectors seem to run closer to $1 a piece.  Ouch.  Anyone have experience with either type?  Is the heat-shrink worth the extra money?  Anyone know where to get good deals?

[Godot]

I'm planning on redoing the 30 year old electric on the new boat and noticed the same thing.

I bought the 120 piece kit you are referring to and several packs of adhesive-lined heat shrink tubing. I figure it is a good compromise. We'll see how well it all works a couple years down the road...

[Bob J (ex-misfits)]

Heat shrinking the crimped connectors really is the way to go if you're looking to protect the connection from corrosion. If you look at most crimpled connectors the wire in the crimp portion it usually green. 
The terminal fittings themselves in marine grade are expensive. Not sure if using an automotive style connector & putting some vaseline on the them where they connect to a device or terminal board is the right way to go.
I think about cars & the amount of moisture their electrical systems see have to surpass a boat or maybe not.

I put vaseline on my battery connections. That keeps them clean & prevents oxidation/corrosion on them.

[CharlieJ]

Rachel- meant to tell you today. Forgot because I was rushing a bit.

The Local ACE has, or used to have, marine, heat shrink connectors. Cannot speak for cost.

Also check out Melcher's Hardware- three blocks up the street from the marina- may or may not have.

I use a dielectric grease, and heat shrink tubing myself.

[Tim]

 I am in the middle of rewiring the Ariel right now, and have used both. The non-shrink marine grade I can run a little piece of heat shrink tubing over and works just as good IMO. Much more important is making sure you get a good crimp.

[gpdno]

I have had the automotive, open-ended PVC type connectors fail within a few months.  Both Lowel's and Home Depot have the heat shrink adhesive lined connectors.  These seem to work just as well as the marine grade connectors and cost about half as much.

[ralay]

I checked Home Depot's website, but their adhesive, heat shrink connectors are about a dollar a piece now.  Maybe they caught on to the fact that they could charge an arm and a leg?

I like the idea of buying the less expensive marine grade terminals and sliding some heat shrink tubing over them. 

@Tim:  I'm also picking up a ratcheting crimper to hopefully increase my chances of a good crimp.  My boney lady hands + that crappy Harbor Freight crimper are not doing the job.

@Charlie: The ACE here in PL has marine connectors, but only certain types (yellow ring terminals, for example, but no blue or red) and they are about $1 each.  I didn't try Melchers yet.  I will probably do my shopping online.

[Tim]

Besides the usual sources, Defender,trailersailor.com,etc.  here is another that I have purchased from;

http://sailorssolutions.com/

[marujo_sortudo]

Lots of good electrical advice complete with pics from "Maine Sail":

http://pbase.com/mainecruising/boat_projects

I got a good, ratcheting crimper with a nice wide crimping surface and it really helps.  I find that the quality of heat shrink tubing really varies, with some of it being junk.  I like the connectors with the built in tubing despite their cost.  Wish I could find them at a better price, though...  Maine Sail does recommend a source he likes for cheap heat shrink tubing on one of his pages.  I got some of the clear tubing though and didnt like the results.  Not sure if the colored tubing would have a different formulation.

[s/v Faith]

I will add a vote for a proper crimper, whatever crimp you use.

Ancor crimpers are not cheap, but they make perfect crimps every time.

https://www.google.com/se
http://www.amazon.com/Ancor-701030-Double-Crimp-Tool/dp/B000NI3EMK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352073249&sr=8-1&keywords=ancor+crimper

[ralay]

I found an ebay store that had the adhesive lined, heatshrink ring terminals for $8 for 25 and the heatshrink adhesive butt joiners for 50 for $12.  That was a good enough deal for me to go the easy route.  Maybe they "fell off" a West Marine truck.  ;)

[rorik]

These guys have treated me very well over the last couple of years. They're in Seattle, but UPS anywhere.
If you just bought a boat, they'll open a "Welcome Aboard" account for you which gets you fairly decent discounts on most items.
The store staff can be hard to get hold of when it's busy, so if you call, ask for inside sales.

www.fisheriessupply.com

http://www.fisheriessupply.com/wire-crimp-on-terminals

[Oldrig]

Besides the usual sources, Defender,trailersailor.com,etc.  here is another that I have purchased from;

http://sailorssolutions.com/

Based on advice from "Maine Sail," I bought a high-quality crimping tool from these folks, at a better price than Amazon or marine stores.

I've been using adhesive, heat-shrink, marine-grade connectors, but I've also used marine connectors with heat-shrink tubing. Both seem to work well, IMHO.

--Joe

[ralay]

Thanks for all your advice.  Here's another related wiring question: The wiring on the boat makes many passes through bulkheads, cabinetry, etc.  I wanted to add some kind of chafe protection at these points.  I haven't found any wiring with visible insulation damage, but I have found that many of the wires have a fine wood dust below them, which makes me think maybe they are rubbing a bit.  I know they sell rubber grommets for this purpose, but, of course,  I want a lower budget solution.  Has anyone used soft hose or something similar?  I wonder if the wire wouldn't just chafe on the end of the hose.

[maxiSwede]

Thanks for all your advice.  Here's another related wiring question: The wiring on the boat makes many passes through bulkheads, cabinetry, etc.  I wanted to add some kind of chafe protection at these points.  I haven't found any wiring with visible insulation damage, but I have found that many of the wires have a fine wood dust below them, which makes me think maybe they are rubbing a bit.  I know they sell rubber grommets for this purpose, but, of course,  I want a lower budget solution.  Has anyone used soft hose or something similar?  I wonder if the wire wouldn't just chafe on the end of the hose.

You could embed them in Sikaflex or the brand you prefer...I tend to use it on man applications, always carrying it onboard Nanna

[Tim]

You could embed them in Sikaflex or the brand you prefer...I tend to use it on man applications, always carrying it onboard Nanna

This could be a place where Silicone caulk would be used on a boat, if it were allowed on the boat  ::)  ;)

just for a little after election controversy

[Bob J (ex-misfits)]

The wiring on the boat makes many passes through bulkheads, cabinetry, etc.  I wanted to add some kind of chafe protection at these points. 

You're on the right track using hose as a sleeve to protect the wiring. If you wanted to get fancy, they sell plastic bushings that would protect the wiring where it exits the sleeve.

[Bill W]

Thanks for all your advice.  Here's another related wiring question: The wiring on the boat makes many passes through bulkheads, cabinetry, etc.  I wanted to add some kind of chafe protection at these points.  I haven't found any wiring with visible insulation damage, but I have found that many of the wires have a fine wood dust below them, which makes me think maybe they are rubbing a bit.  I know they sell rubber grommets for this purpose, but, of course,  I want a lower budget solution.  Has anyone used soft hose or something similar?  I wonder if the wire wouldn't just chafe on the end of the hose.

May not be as low budget as you need, but (asking the wider audience here) is it acceptable/safe to enclose wire runs in flexible wire loom? It would prevent chafe going through bulkheads, and protect wire runs in lockers that may get rubbed/impacted from locker contents. Any fire or heat concerns?

Bill

[rorik]

My CD28 has a liner, top and bottom. The wires that run forward are on the top side of the lip of the top liner. They're held in place with cable clamps. In the few spots that the wires do run through or over the top of a bulkhead or partition, I used a couple layers of heat shrink.

[CharlieJ]

Bill- I don't see why that wouldn't work.

When I was building boats, I'd install wire chases using PVC pipe, and put long runs of that through bulkheading, then pull a string through to pull wires.

How pull the string you ask? Simple- tie it to a cotton ball, and use a vacuum on the other end ;)