Wiring, fuses, and lights

[boaterbabe]

Hey guys, I'm relatively new to the boating world but I'm a do it yourself kind of girl. I am wiring my small fishing boat with navigation lights. Both lights have 18 awg wire. The front light is an LED light whereas the back light is a bulb. I have a switch panel from Blue Sea systems http://bluesea.com/category/5/20/productline/119
I'm trying to figure our what size wires to run from battery to switch and switch to each light. I'm also trying to figure out if a need a fuse from the positice wire on the battery to the switch. I know the switch has fuses in it. Any help would be great. I thought about having someone wire these for me but it looks like a fun project so I'm gonna give it my best shot!

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Wiring, fuses, and lights

personally I like over kill...... I would run 10 guage to the console if you have one and then 14 to both ends..... I would also run several extras at the same time in different colors for future upgrades...... of course if you are talking about a REALLY small boat then maybe just 14 to the switch and 16 to the lights. a 5 amp fuse should be fine for the lights 10 amp to protect the 14 guage and 20 or 25 for the 10 guage
there are official guide lines avail but these should be safe numbers

BTW I specifically looked at your post after noticing your userid.... that make me a pig? LOL

 

[QC]

Re: Wiring, fuses, and lights

Welcome aboard boaterbabe!! Love the signature You might try poking around in the Electronics section. There are two stickies with generic wiring diagrams that might be of some interest. Maybe I should move this thread there, but you'll get more traffic in this section, so I'll leave it for now.

I am guessing you will run fairly heavy gauge from the Battery to the panel, but only one main hot lead, then from the switch to the lights use same or larger gauge as the leads that are provided. Definitely not my strong suit, so hopefully some others will be by soon to confirm or refute. Good luck!!!

 

[stylesabu]

Re: Wiring, fuses, and lights

If all you plan on is lights. a fuse as close to the battery as possible on positive lead 5 amps is all you will need.18 gauge wire will be fine, but 16 or 14 would be better if you thought you would ever install high draw/brighter lights. solder you connections, and make as water proof as posible and you won't have to make repairs down the road. Now if you are going to add things down the road, then you will want to do it a little differently. i rewired my 25 yr old 16' boat, so I'm quite comfortable with low voltage and I'm an ex auto tech 25 yrs. we'll get you through this.

 

[QC]

Re: Wiring, fuses, and lights

Click on the link to her panel ^^^^^^

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Wiring, fuses, and lights

the link was to a generic pic of a switch panel available in 2,4,6,and 8 circuits (nice btw)
doesn't really narrow it down until she tells us which exact switch panel she got

 

[boaterbabe]

Re: Wiring, fuses, and lights

Sorry it took me so long to respond. I purchased the 2 circuit switch. I am planning on putting a DPDT switch on one side (which the manufacturer makes specifically for that switch) so that my navigation lights will be on one switch and the other switch will be for my general lights so I can see what I'm doing when I'm fishing. I was planning on running 16 gauge throughout with a 15 amp fuse. Does that sound appropriate?

 

[Allg57]

Re: Wiring, fuses, and lights

The front light, being LED, will have a very small current draw. The rear light will have more. I would think that a 15A fuse will probably not protect the system the way you want it to. What size bulb is in the rear light? (I think they are usually just a regular flashlight type bulb. If that's true, a 5A fuse will "probably" work. 3A for the rear, the rest for the tiny current the front is pulling.) Knowing what bulb though, we could give you an idea of the fuse size needed.

16 ga. wire should be fine. Try to find "tinned" wire if possible; regular old copper will work but will eventually corrode. That could be years though...

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Wiring, fuses, and lights

15A fuse will be fine. The fuse is to protect the wiring and 16 gauge can easily carry 15A without having a problem other than voltage drop depending on length. The only time you want to drop down in fuse size would be if you are protecting an instrument connected to the wire such as a radio but typically, they already have their own fuses.