Inexpensive ("Cheap") Marine Cable / Wire

P

Pat Anderson

New member
Joined
Nov 2, 2003
Messages
8,562
Reaction score
0
C Dory Year
2005
C Dory Model
25 Cruiser
Vessel Name
Daydream
Today I plan to check for shorts on Daydream in the wiring other than the 2 AWG cables that I previously replaced. I am going to unplug shore power and turn off all switches. Then I will check for any current flowing on each circuit with the digital multimeter. But I did not have any wire for replacement if needed. It is mostly 10 AWG wire, and I was shocked at the West Marine price, so I Googled "cheap marine wire" - and came up with this.
Skycraft shipped promptly and I will definitely be checking there again for various stuff I might need. I got two 100 foot spools of tinned copper 10 AWG marine wire for $23.00 a spool. I think with shipping the whole thing was under $60. I know that Barry (C-Cakes) found a site for a good price on the cable for his windlass install. Maybe a page of links to these suppliers would be a good thing to have...
 
All this wire is AWG which is what you should be using on a boat. AWG is about 12% larger than the corresponding number in SAE.


Marine Wiring Color Code - Direct Current Systems Under 50 Volts


Color Item Use
Green Bonding System Bonding Wires (if insulated)
Yellow or Black Ground Return, Negative Mains
Red Main Power Feeds Positive Mains (particularly unfused)
Yellow w/ Red Starting Circuit Starting Switch to Solenoid
Yellow Generator Field Generator to Regulator Field Terminal
Brown w/ Yellow Bilge Blowers Fuse or Switch to Blower
Dark Gray Navigation Lights Fuse or Switch to Lights
Tachometer Tachometer Sender to Gauge
Brown Generator Armature Generator Armature to Regulator
Alternator Charge Light Generator Terminal or Alternator
Auxiliary Terminal to Regulator
Pumps Fuse or Switch to Pumps
Orange Accessory Feed Ammeter to Alternator or
Generator Output and Accessory
Fuses or Switches
Common Feed Distribution Panel to Accessory Switch
Purple Ignition Ignition Switch to Coil & Electrical
Instruments
Instrument Feed Distribution Panel Electrical Instruments
Dark Blue Cabin & Instrument Fuse or Switch to Lights
Light Blue Oil Pressure Oil Pressure Sender to Gauge
Tan Water Temperature Water Temperature Sender to Gauge
Pink Fuel Gauge Fuel Gauge Sender to Gauge
 
All the original C-Dory 10 AWG wiring coming directly off the batteries is orange positive (and a couple of black negative). I think there are way too many wires coming directly off the batteries. What color are those wires on Anna Leigh?[ I guess I can get some orange electrical tape to code the ends...the spool I have is red. Tracing them is going to be a bugger.
 
My 2 house batteries are on the port side. The "extra" wires are labeled. On the aft battery one is labeled Bilge Float and one Wallas and one 110V Charger Port. The forward battery has one labeled Bilge Float and one labeled 110V Charger

The single engine battery only has one additional wire and it is labeled 110V Charger starboard.
 
Pat, according to David's list:

Orange

Accessory Feed
Ammeter to Alternator or Generator Output
Accessory Fuses or Switches
Common Feed Distribution Panel to Accessory Switch

Looks like the right color on your boat. If there are a lot of things near the batteries, it makes sense to go right to them rather than all the way up to the switch panel and then back to the stern. I wonder if C-Dory adhered to the rest of the codes? Or if the folks that outfit boats do?
 
Pat Anderson":2zl7tfbe said:
Today I plan to check for shorts on Daydream in the wiring other than the 2 AWG cables that I previously replaced. I am going to unplug shore power and turn off all switches. Then I will check for any current flowing on each circuit with the digital multimeter.
Click to expand...

Let me start by saying that my electrical skill set is pretty limited, but I am learning. I bought my first multimeter shortly after getting my boat.

I have been considering some LED bulbs for the interior lights and anchor light. I wanted to check the current draw for these items using the standard bulbs first. I had thought I could do this at the battery. Either you cannot check this at the battery, or I am not using the meter correctly.

Can someone walk me through the process (step by step) of checking the current draw on the anchor light?

Thanks,

Rob
 
The way I check the amperage of a bulb is to look up the part number on the bulb, find out what the wattage is (West Marine catalogue) and divide that by 12.5. This uses Wattage (P)= voltage(E) * Current(I)

Measuring current requires the amp meter to be in series with the load,and is a pain in the neck.

Boris
 
Crap. NONE of the wires on mine are labelled! They came out of the same factory at about the same time! What gives here??
Anna Leigh":1patdh8s said:
My 2 house batteries are on the port side. The "extra" wires are labeled. On the aft battery one is labeled Bilge Float and one Wallas and one 110V Charger Port. The forward battery has one labeled Bilge Float and one labeled 110V Charger

The single engine battery only has one additional wire and it is labeled 110V Charger starboard.
Click to expand...
 
Pat Anderson":3r6gglyc said:
Crap. NONE of the wires on mine are labelled! They came out of the same factory at about the same time! What gives here??
Anna Leigh":3r6gglyc said:
My 2 house batteries are on the port side. The "extra" wires are labeled. On the aft battery one is labeled Bilge Float and one Wallas and one 110V Charger Port. The forward battery has one labeled Bilge Float and one labeled 110V Charger

The single engine battery only has one additional wire and it is labeled 110V Charger starboard.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Different assembly man at the factory?

Can't you follow them back to their sources, one by one?

It'll be a PITA, but what else to do?

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Pat Anderson":107y1uur said:
Crap. NONE of the wires on mine are labelled! They came out of the same factory at about the same time! What gives here??
Click to expand...
Same here, nephew. Sea Wolf Joe is right. Slightly easier is to disconnect and separate all the leads at the battery then use an ohmmeter with LONG leads or better yet a battery operated buzzer/light with long leads to find which lead is which.

Definitely a PIA.

Don
 
Can you correlate the wiring code to the labels?

I have a large bundle that emerges from under the cockpit floor, and these are all different wires - red with blue stripe, red with green stripe, etc. Of course I do not assume that C-Dory did it the same on any two boats, why oh why did they label the wires on your boat and not on mine...

Anna Leigh":gb7b7ye3 said:
My 2 house batteries are on the port side. The "extra" wires are labeled. On the aft battery one is labeled Bilge Float and one Wallas and one 110V Charger Port. The forward battery has one labeled Bilge Float and one labeled 110V Charger

The single engine battery only has one additional wire and it is labeled 110V Charger starboard.
Click to expand...
 
Pat,
Leave your grounds hooked up and hook up your 'hots' one at a time. See what electrical devices work. You should be able to trace to a device that way. You then could ring it out with an ohm-meter to confirm identification. Be sure to disconnect the positive from the battery before using the ohm-meter to prevent any backfeed.
Also to measure amperage you must series the meter with the device and battery. Put your red lead in the A (with the straight bar over the A) and your black lead in the common on your meter. Hook the positive on your battery to the positive terminal of your test device. Hook the red lead of your meter to the negative terminal of the device. Touch the black lead of your meter to the battery. Be sure your meter is on and amperage is selected on the rotary switch before you make the final connection. The lead will spark a little when you touch the battery terminal because you are completing the circuit with the lead just like a switch. If you have it hooked up and then turn your rotary selector switch you may harm your meter if not hooked up correctly.
Forrest
 
Well, I now know the answer to why David's wires were labeled and mine were not - he asked Rick (the head rigger in old days, don't know if he is even still at the factory or not) to label the wires when he went back for the inverter wiring. Sooo...long and short of it, David called, wires coming out of the Chinese finger trap (I don't know what else to call it - what is it really called?) bundle are as follows:

Solid red (smaller gauge) - Wallas
Solid red (larger gauge) - main house power
Brown (2) - bilge pumps
Red with blue stripe - one 5 amp battery charger circuit
Red with green stripe - the other 5 amp battery charger circuit

I got all these labeled and bundled them up a bit more neatly than they were before. Also had a blown fuse at the fuse holder for the battery charger circuit at the starting battery, which has been replaced. That could certainly account for the death of the old starting battery!

The windlass has two honking cables that are wired directly off the starting battery and head forward on the starboard side in a Chinese finger trap...

There are two or three other red wires heading into the cabin from a terminal block by the starting battery, not sure what they are.

I replaced the two cables from the former 55 AH Optima house batteries to the battery switch with a single new 2 AWG cable from the new single 125 AH Walmart house battery.

So I learned a bit today, and am keeping fingers crossed that all is well, batteries are both charging away right now with the little undersized Guest. That is next up on the "must replace" list!

Ironic part is, I didn't use any of the inexpensive 10 AWG wire! I am sure I will find a future use for it, but if anybody needs some, feel free to PM me!
 
Pat-

Glad you got your wires sorted out and labeled!

Good job!

You'e getting to be a regular marine electrician!

The group of wires and that flexible, corrugated, split plastic tubing are collectively called a wire loom.

Have a great weekend!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Yeah, I know the split plastic thingee is called a loom - but this is that woven stuff that is not split - like a Chinese finger trap, the more you pull on it, the tighter it gets, which is why I called it that!
Sea Wolf":okbmu1s6 said:
The group of wires and that flexible, corrugated, split plastic tubing are collectively called a wire loom.

Have a great weekend!

Joe. :teeth :thup
Click to expand...
 
In my world, the outer covering is called the "loom", whatever it's made of (an extrusion or woven,) and the group of wires, tied or clamped, covered or uncovered, is called a "wire bundle".

The small wires coming off the wire on Journey On were marked with tape. The main wire running to the panel through the battery switch wasn't. I guess I was the lucky one.

Pickey Boris
 
The windlass has two honking cables...
Click to expand...

No wonder the damn horn doesn't work.

You'll be OK as long as you don't get chinsy when buying your wire.
 
I would add one caution to Forrest's excellent post about measuring amps on the C Dory with a digital volt ohm amp meter: There will be a limit on the dial read current draw--the two meters I have in the house are 200 milli amps, and 320 milli amps. Both of these meters have a SEPERATE plug for 10 or 20 amps. If you attempt to measure more than the current allowed, it will at the least blow a fuse, and could damage the meter. So when you start, use the 10 or 20 amp lead, if your meter has the capability. Check and see what the limit of the current draw of your meter is before measuring current.

Incidently I have picked up at thrift shops or garage sales, several foam lined small shoulder bags (like camera cases) to keep my meters in.

I also keep a couple of pieces of long wire (at least from the console to the battery) with aligator clips on both ends, so I can use these as test leads when necessary. I try and label the wires at both their origin (ie battery, buss bar or battery switch, as well as on the console. Generally the wiring scheme is for the "engine" bundle. I just use red for plus and black or yellow for negative when adding additional circuits. I do find consistancy in the C Dory circuits (ie green with stripe for the water pumps)--sometimes there are other circuits off the same wiring. There are several "wiring" diagrams floating around this site--and in the "manuals". I recieved one from the factory--and it was not correct for my boat..so you have to double check.
 
Daydream wrote:
The windlass has two honking cables that are wired directly off the starting battery and head forward on the starboard side in a Chinese finger trap...
Click to expand...
Pat, those honking cables" going to your windlass better be coming off a 50 or 100 amp breaker, NOT directly from you battery -- safety hazard, please check.
 
Back
Top