marine grade electrical wire

bobgosling

bobgosling

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Anyone know a cheap source of proper tinned marine grade electrical wire ? Have tried a forum search and google but just seem to come up with single strand uninsulated stuff whiich is not what I am looking for at all. I need 3 core stuff for nav lights to run inside the mast.
 
Is it tinned and what is the CSA (cross sectional area) ? I am fitting a new masthead lamp (aquasignal, already purchase) and was going to use ordinary 3 core 2.5mm CSA multi strand stuff, mainly because I have got it, but to do a proper job .....
 
Why go for tinned cable, with technology moving on so quickly, we add that much new equipment, lighting and gadgets I personally think to keep things safe, rewiring every 10 years is not out of the question.
You should be able to source standard multi strand cable from a CEF or equivalent supplier for 15-20 pounds a reel. This should be serviceable for at least 10 years.
3 core mains flex is good for mast as there is less to rattle.

I just tin the ends of any cable that may come into contact with water or dampness.

Darren
 
<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre> tinned marine grade electrical wire </pre><hr /> Forgive me but this seems to be a bit of a modern phenomenom. Until recently I hard not heard of it , at least not as a necessity of marine installations. I am in no way try to persuade anyone not to use it if they want to but is there really any evidence to suggest it is necessary on a ordinary little family boat.

I used ordinary untinned domestic mains flex when I fitted out my boat nearly 30 years ago and although some of it has been replaced since it was not to rectify any defects or failures in the original. Also none of the wiring that I have looked at on my pal's 30 year old Westerly is tinned and although the wiring could do with a major revamp none of the original stuff has caused any problems due to being untinned.

I do have a bit of a passion for tinning the ends of wires that are going into terminals though, not that that will be greated with unanimous approval, but many of these are plain brass. When tinning is not practical I often coat them in silicone grease. I've seen the blackening of exposed copper coductors but so far that has caused me no problems.
 
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<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre> tinned marine grade electrical wire </pre><hr /> I am in no way try to persuade anyone not to use it if they want to but is there really any evidence to suggest it is necessary on a ordinary little family boat.


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Ordinary little family boat /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif !!! Pistols at dawn Sir !!!

The reason I was after tinned was the corrosion problem coupled with the difficulty of replacing the mast wiring. The existing stuff has gone black and 'orrible. Tried to pare it back a bit as there was a bit of slack in the cable but it appears to go back quite a way ( probably original 1979 wiring ! ). Only want to do the job once and do it properly. All the "how to rewire your boat in 10 easy steps" books stipulate tinned wire and I tend to bow to experience in these matters. If it was something easy to replace like the electrical distribution panel then, yes, I would just use automotive stuff. The mast, however, is going to be a big job ( once I figure out how to get up there /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif ).

Thanks everyone for all the links. I will check them out and report back.
 
Sorry Bob. I did not mean to insult your boat. There is a Seal in the yard where I am based and I would not put it in the Superyacht category /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I would in no way discourage you from using tinned wire but I just wondered if it really was necessary bearing in mind my own experiences with untinned wire. If I had to replace any of my wiring I would almost certainly use untinned again as another 30 years service would see me out easily.

Also is there such a thing as tinned coax for the VHF aerial?

Good luck with the mast climbing. I'd lower the mast!
 
The 1000's of switch panels we supplied were all wire with tri-rated untinned cable, never had a problem, and we are now talking upto 25 years at sea.
We used tri-rated as it has a higher tempreature rating, and more suited to multiple cable harness, ie 30 cables.
The biggest problem we have found over the years is crimp terminal, they become brittle, and can fall off the switch.
Pre insulated terminals have resulted in a number of cable fires. The boat builders crimp was to far up the sleeve, this caused a cone shaped crimp allowing the cable to slide out slightly, and this coupled with the current caused a tempreature rise, leading to a cable fire. I allways use un-insulated crimps, as it allows the crimp to be fully inspected.
Never solder the cable then crimp a terminal on, cable will break in time at the crimp.
We have never found a problem with a solder joint for cables, either to the switch or PCB.

Brian
 
My local scrap yard has supplied me on occasions with multicore cable tinned and unused at a fiver a bundle. You have to be prepared to search through the heap though. Blackened cable is probably not a problem if you never need to rewire but someone did post a solution (vinegar?) a while ago. It is worthwhile connecting the load at the right length before installation and checking the volts drop. The idea is to light the lamp not warm the mast!
 
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Sorry Bob. I did not mean to insult your boat. There is a Seal in the yard where I am based and I would not put it in the Superyacht category /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

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Not really upset about it. I often use the following phrase when describing my boat to non-boaty people : "If it was a car it would be a slightly rusting Ford Sierra".

The problem with lowering the mast to do the job is one of cost. Much cheaper to buy a mast ladder and go up than haul out and unstep the mast ( then having to also pay to restep and relaunch ).
 
You are right to insist on tinned copper wire - or "ship wiring cable" as we call it in the cable industry. That is to say IF you think there is any chance that seawater will get to it. It will indeed turn black, and if it is multi-strand wire, a very large proportion of the area will be taken up as corrosion. I got some seawater into the cable loom of my engine, and it might just as well have been acid.

Wiring on the back of panels, going off to lights and switches, will unlikely EVER get seawater wet, so shouldnt need it.
IMHO /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

avalook here
 
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Wiring on the back of panels, going off to lights and switches, will unlikely EVER get seawater wet, so shouldnt need it.

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My boat was re-wired by the previous owner. Heavy solid copper 2 core, the stuff you'd use in your house for mains sockets - bends & stays in that position.

Am getting lights dimmining/flickering and investigation shows these wires are BLACK.

I'm thinking or replacing with the tinned stuff internally to cater for damp condensation between inner/outer mould and improve the power transfer across all lights on the loom.

Overkill???
 
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Wiring on the back of panels, going off to lights and switches, will unlikely EVER get seawater wet, so shouldnt need it.
IMHO


[/ QUOTE ] Might not get 'wet' but on lots of the boats I've had or worked on where they used ordinary multistanded copper wire, there has been enough salt and dampness in the atmosphere to make the wires go black after a few years.
 
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Overkill???

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Can you have too much insurance? Can you have too little? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

(I'm surprised solid conductors giving you trouble, cos the area of corrosion is so much less a proportion of the conductor than that of a single hairlike strand of multistrand flexible)
 
Dear Bob,

You reference '3 core stuff' for your nav lights. If this is for a tri-colour/anchor light combo, are you aware that you can get away with using a single pair, a set of switching diodes (many LED light 'bulbs' have enough reverse polarity protection that you don't need additional diodes if you've gone that route), and a DPDT centre-off switch?

It's as much the cost savings (it's there), but it does cut weight aloft.

Best regards,
Michael
 
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