Association Forum - Connecting o/b electric cables to the boat

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Connecting o/b electric cables to the boat

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

Member Avatar

USA
4382 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/26/2015 : 16:19:30

Time for me to find a better method for connecting my motor electric cables to the boat (right now I use electrical tape

. Will also be installing solar panel and controller. Anyone found smart/efficient ways to connect all these components?

1989 C25 TR/WK, #5822
1973 McVay Minuet 19
1975 Jester 12
1981 C25 SR/SK, #2428
1981 C22 SR/SK,
Tanzer 16
Sunfish

"There is nothing, absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." Kenneth Grahame

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

Members Avatar

USA
3754 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2015 : 19:01:54

Charging or starting? I would inclined to use trolling motor plugs even if it is just charging; it is so convenient. There are some photos in my Pearl's Bits and Pieces album of my start/charge cable.

Edit. [img]https://www.catalina-capri-25s.net/cgi-local/MBRimg.cgi?+2068+1805[/im g]

Dave B. aboard Pearl
1982 TR/SK/Trad. #3399
Lake Erie/Florida Panhandle

Edited by - Dave5041 on 02/26/2015 19:11:45

DavidBuoy
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
707 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2015 : 05:57:35

Im using this little plug I believe I found on Amazon. Easy waterproof connection. Also going to shrink wrap it once i'm installed for the season.

Captain Rob & Admiral Alyson
"David Buoy"-1985 C25 SK/SR #5053

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 02/27/2015 : 17:33:54

David,
I had closed eyelets like that on both ends of the wiring, from the battery and the motor. PO had connected them with short nuts and bolts, then taped them up separately and securely. Held well!

DavidP
1975 C-22 SK #5459 "Shadowfax" Fleet 52
PO of 1984 C-25 SK/TR #4142 "Recess"
Percy Priest Yacht Club, Hamilton Creek Marina, Nashville, TN

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
5231 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2015 : 09:00:01

The cable that Cap't Rob is holding is ideal for charging for a solar panel. It looks like AWG #14 gauge wire, which is good for up to 5A at 20ft round trip. You could push it up to 30ft, but the voltage at the battery would be somewhat reduced. The PWM regulator would probably make up for that.

For a charging circuit from your engine's alternator, is a different story, given some conditions.

There are two factors to account for:
1. Maximum charging amps from your alternator (usually either 6 or 12A)
2. Cable round trip length.
For Passage, I estimate 15ft between the battery compartment and the outboard so round trip distance is 30ft.
Checking Don Casey's "sailboat electrics", I see that 5A at 30ft requires #12 gauge, 10A at 30ft requires #10 gauge and 15A at 30ft needs #8 gauge for a 3% voltage drop.
To be on the safe side I'd use #10 for a 6A circuit and #8 for a 12A charger since you want to limit the drop to the battery.
As for any direct battery connections, put a fuse on the + cable near the battery.

None of this accounts for an electric starter circuit, just a charging circuit. However most engines with electric start use the same cables for the charging circuit.
If you have an electric starter, count on 50-60A. According to Don Casey's table, 60A at 30ft calls for #2 AWG cable. Think jumper cables.
For connecting the engine starting cables to the battery cables I use copper crimp lugs with a two-position terminal block mounted on the inside of the transom in the rear of the quarterberth. This cable is very heavy and can be stiff, so hard to work with. Crimping lugs onto the end of the cables takes some effort, so I did it at home on the workbench.

Again, don't forget to add a 60A fuse on the + cable mounted close to the battery. This will prevent a simple short circuit burning your boat down to the waterline.

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Tomas Kruska
Admiral

Members Avatar

Czech Republic
522 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2015 : 06:12:41

I'm dealing with the same issue on my boat with a new Mercury F8/electric start.

I don't like drilling the holes into the boat so I'm using the existing hole for the fuel hose and just added the battery wires with this connector UNCHEN SC50 rated for 50Amps. It's silver plated so I hope it will last a few years.

I was reading the manual for the Mercury outboard and found that there is an 20A fuse for the starter motor. So this 50Amp connector should be ok. Also adding an extra fuse (40-60A) near the battery is a good idea.

Dalpol Phobos 21, 2013, Sole Mio, hull #27, current adventures - We sail Phobos 21

PO of Catalina C25, 1978, High Anxiety, hull #701, SR, FK, L-dinette, inboard diesel Volvo Penta MD2010C w/saildrive - more info

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.