Pro's Tips on How We Run Dedicated Power

Here are some tips for running dedicated power on your boat!
10 Gauge Marine Grade Wire
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Perko Switch
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Heat Shrink Butt Connectors
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10 Gauge Inline Fuse Holders
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6 Gauge Ring Terminals
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6 Gauge Marine Grade Wire
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60a Circuit Breaker
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[@SkolVikingsGuy]

I'm blown away at how helpful this is. And the presentation is simple and informative, not annoying/flashy. Thanks!

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rodweber2407]

Thanks for the helpful video. Just wanted to mention that I found a step down marine grade but connector to connect the 10ga wire to the 14ga graph wire on Amazon. Makes it super simple to connect the two wires.

[@colvillegroceryoutlet1512]

Just amazing to have a group of guys take the time to help so many people that have not done this before. I truly appreciate your time as it is not easy to do and the time you put into this. Thank you all at Russell Marine!! Great job!

[@halvermr]

Awesome video!! Thanks for the tips!

[@RobertHalstead-eq3jn]

Thank you guys at RMP. I just ran the whole thing as you described. Your always a lot of help with some of my questions and usually a solution in my quest.

[@efrawley55]

Best darn training video on wiring I have seen. I produce dog training videos for a living and have since 1982 - 99% of the training videos on youtube get a "D" or "F" - you guys nailed it.

[@rodrick-hales]

Very interesting site. Lot of products in local stores... Thanks!

[@marclafontaine5615]

LOVE this, thanks guys, a ton. My first boat, trying to figure out how to properly connect everything safely. Best video I've seen that helps a lot. Awesome. Cheers!

[@dlc9345]

Great explanation guys!

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

Thank you!

[@justifiedfan98]

Great tips! For someone, like myself, who is moving toward multiple graphs on the console and bow, this is super helpful and very informative.

[@Badkharma21]

this is great. thanks guys!

[@1MoreFish]

Very informative video guys. You guys are the best. (Rick U.)

[@jaredmccartney2035]

What a video guys , couldn’t have said it better thank you 👍

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

Our pleasure!

[@greggdsciotto8952]

Good info. and update, thanks!

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

No problem!

[@krugs1588]

Great video. Working on my boat right now

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

You can do it!

[@txman201]

I use a terminal strip at the bow inside the hull. Supplied power cables per unit simply get ring terminals that fit that wire to attach both + and - to the terminal strip. The 10 ga. runs also get proper size ring terminals that also attach as appropriate to the terminal strip. The terminal strip makes the transition from 10 ga. to small ga. wire, and it simplifies the future removal/replacement of any power cable. The fuse is still at the power switch in the battery compartment for ease of access.

[@johnharpold3994]

Thank you guys. Especially the part about splicing larger gauger to small gauge. I can't get any step down connectors where I'm at in time for a derby and I was really Unsure how to deal with this situation.

[@RodWynnFishing]

Great video!

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

Thanks!

[@JeffreyDavisFishing]

Super good video here. I rig all my boats so I’ve got years of experience doing this stuff and you guys helped me with a couple ideas that I didn’t know about. Doubling up the 16 gauge wire for a 10 gauge butt connector is such a good idea.

[@Everydayfishing]

Nice explanation guys! Another benefit of moving that fuse harness to the back - the fuse should definitely be as close to the power source as possible to provide the most protection. I learned that AFTER I did my LiveScope install video, so I had to go back and correct it. Thanks for sharing!

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

No problem! Thank you for the feedback!

[@alanaho4915]

This is the best video with a detailed explanation on how to connect your electronics! I wish I had this video 7 months ago. If it wasn't difficult to get to my bow wiring I'd move my fuses next to the battery (maybe next time I HAVE to get into the bow). Question, I set up a perko switch for my Power Poles and am thinking about adding a Lithium battery for my electronics and instead of doing another perko switch could I use the perko switch with the power poles?

[@ironstrings]

please, take it to a professional

[@DarkLordDagon]

Hey guys, great video. I have followed all your tech tips in this video. Thank you very much. Question: Can you let me know what you use to power an ethernet switch to battery when factory packaged wire is not long enough... I would think you can use the 10 gauge wire with the buttes. Or should I use a different guage... please give a full tech tip for this on accessories and where to buy each parts you guys use...please would be awesome, hear back. You guys are awesome!!!💯😎

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

on the 5 port switch we tie into factory boat power as it does not draw near as much as the units.

[@SloBasser]

Do you have a video on tips to help run the wire through the boat?

[@Badkharma21]

good stuff. i was thinking the fuse should be between the perko and battery, but i like the way you do it too. thoughts?

[@dewaynewilson-rj2wt]

Thanks for the informative video. I have one question: Would you also recommend running a separate 10ga wire for a mega 360 or can I run 10ga to a bus then separate it from the bus to the unit and 360?

[@gregdutton8219]

Do you make another multi wire pigtail assembly for the negative wires or stack the ring terminals on the battery?

[@garydavis1795]

Do run one for the 5 port switch

[@sk8brder67]

Thanks RMP for the video. Question on dedicated power, I have Lowrance HDS9s and I'd like to run dedicated power to them but remove them from the boat while in storage. Can I wire the power directly to the battery using the O-rings and eliminate the need for the on/off switch? There won't be any parasitic draw if nothing is connected to the other side of the power wire, correct?

[@midiowafishing]

My active target doesn't have a pre-installed fuse. It did come with a fused link to wire in with a 5A fuse

[@donnybeasley9597]

Do you recommend or have thoughts on using a Bandit to run Livescope and Graph? I just purchased a boat rigged with this from dealer. Thanks! Donny

[@UNCLExBOBBYxB]

Great video! I used this information to power my units. I do have one issue. I am running a 93sv at the bow and at console. The one at the bow is 12.7v and the one at the console is 13.6v. Both on individual runs with 10g wire to dedicated lithium battery. Why is there such a difference in voltage?

[@robertmccorkle9656]

I’ve been using the Sea Clear wiring harness kit in my boat for two years and the units on my boat have clean , clear, and sharp images as a result of the dedicated power and improved fuse connectors. My units run off a lithium battery that is used only to run the units and nothing else.

[@txman201]

Sad you grossly overpaid to get power from one point to another. That scheme doesn't do anything that can't be done with standard components. In fact, the extra length and extra connections are a detriment!

[@robertmccorkle9656]

I don’t feel like I overpaid because I’m really happy with the results.

[@UpstateSCBass]

@@txman201I agree. Being a new boat owner and also an engineer, I can’t believe people actually get sucked into this seaclear harness. It’s wire. Wire sized right that you can go buy yourself. A fool and their money!

[@robertmccorkle9656]

@@UpstateSCBass When I’m wiring up a 23 year old boat with suspect wiring to begin with, the convenience and ease of use with the harness saved me a lot of time and aggravation.

[@midiowafishing]

Seaclear seems to use a dedicated power but splits it all to all your units instead of separate lines to each one.

[@jamesathendune9026]

Russell Marine, please advise which company made the recommended 60 a circuit breaker 498bedC . Tried searching on Amazon. Is it Blue Sea?

[@davidroyds91]

Are you putting all the ground wires together on 1 ring terminal

[@davidb713]

Can you run a fuse breaker on the electronic side instead of a Perko switch?

[@thomasrobey9851]

can you explain Humminbird and the required 5 amp SLOW BLOW recommendation and what you use to install according to the manufacture. it is literally impossible to find a 10awg inline fuse holder.

[@cliff1422]

Why do you choose the 7.5amp fuse over the 5amp?

[@CeSand-cz2jz]

I like the idea of having the fuses for the individual units at the battery. Easily accessible. But does it not reduce/restrict the flow of current when you’re coming off the battery into a tiny 7.5 amp fuse filament(16-18ga?), then 10ga wire for 20ft to the bow. Seems like the fuse would be better at the unit end to avoid voltage drop. Does the close proximity to the power source negate this reduction in conductor size. Please help me understand electrical theory.

[@tommckelvey3609]

No, the location of the fuse does not "reduce/restrict the flow of current when you’re coming off the battery", nor does it alter voltage drop. whenever connecting new wires to a battery a fuse or circuit breaker must be located as close as possible to the battery in order to protect the wire.

[@thefishinchurchdude77]

I ran an 8ga to a fuse panel and have my helix 8 and 7 hooked to it will that be ok

[@bradleykegley3373]

Where are you getting your 10 gauge fuse holders???

[@alvarorojas3651]

nice . very simple I see people over think with to much information .. I wouldn't use a breaker as a switch just install a switch ...

[@skipro3]

I agree; a breaker for a switch that is actuated every time the motor is going to be used isn't good for the breaker if that's more than a few times a year. Well, maybe if it's being just used as a switch and you install one of the 300amp breakers, it could be used as a switch, but they specifically explained they needed 60amps due to the current draw and as protection, not just as a power switch. The method I use is to install a panel-mount Anderson connector on the boat and Anderson connector on the motor's power cord. Then unplug at the end of every excursion.

[@robo5439]

So if I’m running 5 units on my boat I will need 2 perko kill switches (3 lines going into one of the switches and 2 lines going into the other switch) or can I double up the ring connectors onto the terminal in the perko switch?

[@bill-qv3er]

I wish you guys were in Florida. I don't trust any of the yahoos at the local marine places to install my new electronics. Guess I will have to take a trip.

[@dylandfisher6988]

Is this to run multiple units? I have just a single lowrance fs9. One unit really needs that big of gauge wire?

[@crikfish]

Hi, I have watched your you-tube video about dedicated wire and now have all the items. When making the 6 awg wire, 3 each into 1 lug, then connecting to Perko Switch. Your thoughts on if I want 4 each 6awg wire into 1 lug. Is 4 too many? Suggestions? I will have 2 depth finders and 2 livescope transducers up front, Will all 4 items need power dedicated wire?

[@ironstrings]

use marine grade (and properly rated) bus bars

[@shanegray6708]

Are you using 10 AWG wire to run the span of the entire boat even for larger graphs like the gps map 8612??

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

Yes. We use 10 gauge on ALL units!

[@MattQuesada-kb9fi]

👍👍👍👍

[@TheMickelsen]

What kind of crimper do you use for the 6 gauge ring terminals?

[@ph411co]

The best method I've seen for this application is to twist the wires together, fill the ring terminal with molten solder (use a torch) and immediately put the wires in the molten solder. The cost of a crimper that large is prohibitive unless you are in the business.

[@philclark5416]

Great info guys. Could you run a fuse block off your battery then 10gauge wire from there to your units?

[@jordanpadilla99]

I don’t work for russel marine but yes you could run a fuse block if you wanted too. Ideally it would be best to run straight to the battery and eliminate the fuse block. But you most definitely can use a fuse block if you wanted to. But the best way to get the most clean dedicated power to each unit is to run each wire to each unit separately without a fuse block. But again if you wanted to you can use a fuse block. I used one on my last boat I had that I installed

[@ph411co]

I had the same thought. I'm planning to use a fuse block to avoid having to run a bunch of wires off the battery and to leave room for expansion in the future. I'm going to run either 8 or 6 AWG from the battery to the fuse block though. I'll run the heavy wire to the switch and then to the fuse block. It's more "hardware" in the battery compartment, but fewer connections to the battery itself.

[@nine-fourteenproducts2156]

Question so do I need an individual line for each graph ? And one for my active target ? Or can I run one to the console and use it for the two graphs there then one a line from the battery to the bow to run my 2 graphs there and active target ?

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

We are running an individual line per unit. Active Target would get its own dedicated power as well.

[@jbranham50]

@@RussellMarineProductsLLC, Why are you running an individual line per graph? Why wouldn’t you get the same uninterrupted power if you ran one line to the console and bus it off there to the console graphs and also up to the bow?

[@midiowafishing]

​@@jbranham50better power to each unit and the power is cleaner to help your screens be clearer without chatter from other units or wires showing up on screen

[@jordanpadilla99]

Instead of cutting off the in-line fuse that comes with the sonar units can you just keep them on and also still add your inline fuse to the back by the battery too ? It would just be double fused. Is that okay?

[@ph411co]

You could do that, but the better option would be to shorten the cable going into the sonar. They use very small gauge wire on that cable and the less small gauge wire in the "system" the less voltage drop you get. Every little bit helps.

[@bobbarnhill8557]

Install the switch. Run 6 gauge from battery to switch. Run 8 or 6 gauge from the switch to Positive and neg buss at the dash. wire console MFDs straight to the buss bar. Run 8 gauge from the console buss to another buss bar at the bow. Wire MFD’s, etc to bow buss. This is the cleanest, most effective way to wire a boat. You can also substitute a blue seas fuse panel instead of a Buss. This procedure will result in only a few tenths of a volt power loss at the bow.

[@Shifty008]

Overkill

[@michaelj8067]

Would I be okay with running 8 gauge instead of 10 gauge or does it have to be 10? I'm running AT2 and two HDS 12 Live units.

[@ericfishing2271]

Where should I get power from for the ethernet box? Power from my starting battery or the dedicated electronics battery?

[@glenndaugherity6187]

Dedicated electronics battery !

[@mikecrowe5289]

Can some of the 10 gauge wires for the graphs run on the trolling motor side?

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

You will want to keep it separate from your trolling motor wiring.

[@Paul-ke5lu]

Keep them separate

[@txman201]

BTW guys, there is no "fuse-breaker" component. You're using a breaker in PLACE OF a fuse. I do not agree on across the board use of a 60A breaker; some do NOT require it. The best protection comes from the lowest amperage that works correctly with a given trolling motor. As an example, the Ghost installation manual specifies a 50A breaker from both 24A and 36A configurations. Using a 60A breaker with a Ghost is unnecessary and will leave an additional 10A to a defect before the breaker trips. Let the breaker perform the protection function as it should - install the TM manufacturer's recommended breaker size, and no more.

[@sunriseresort7008]

Can you show the math on voltage drop needing 10 awg per unit?! Unless you’re going 30’ or more it’s way overkill. Also explain how / why you can double the fuse size… lol.

[@offgridwhitetails8768]

How are you solving the memory loss to the graphs once dedicated power is disconnected ?

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

no memory loss.

[@andylewis7982]

I think 10 ga wire to each unit is overkill. You are running 10 ga wire and then going to a 3 amp fuse to the graph with 14-18 ga wire on the factory supplied power cable to the unit. How much voltage drop are you seeing in less than 25 feet? I think if you are seeing a. Improvement from the 10 gauge wire to each unit it has more to do with interferance reduction. I run 12 ga to each of my graphs from a dedicated battery and clip on ferrite cores on the positive and negitive leads just before the graph power cable connection on the dedicated 12 ga conductor. I solder every conection. I also run the dedicated power wires on the opposite side of the boat that the trolling motor wires run on. My graphs are clear and look great. I'm not saying it's wrong to run 10 ga it just costs more money, and you have a better chance of having a bad connection point where the much larger 10 ga gauge wire connects to the graph factory power cable. Especially with crimp connections.

[@tylerhollier331]

It’s crazy to me how many people will buy this harness for 400-500 bucks when you can make one yourself for like 100 if you just have a little bit of mechanical aptitude and do a little research

[@crikfish]

Sorry, I meant 10 awg wire into 1 lug

[@dalewoodiel3572]

You still need the 3 amp fast blow fuse that comes with the unit. DO NOT CUT THIS OFF!!!! The 3 amp (or fuse size that is sized with the unit) fast blow protects the unit and you cannot use the 7.5 fuse on the battery to protect the unit. The biggest concern on running units off of one wire over distance is voltage drop. You do not need two separate wires of that gauge feeding those units.

[@Paul-ke5lu]

Unless I missed it you didn't comment that the power for your electronics need to come off your cranking battery not one of your trolling motor batteries. Thanks

[@Paul-ke5lu]

I totally agree with the previous comment you sill need the smaller fuse size to protect each unit...per manufacturer.

[@Paul-ke5lu]

Additionally I use shielded wire to prevent any interference from any other electrical equipment

[@brandonspalding573]

I would like to see where any of the manufacturers have approved doubling the fuse size. I protect all of my runs but still have the 3amp protection before the unit via the factory supplied or at a fuse block

[@alanaho4915]

​@Paul-ke5lu no, they did say cranking battery or a stand alone battery for the electronics. Never off your trolling motor batteries.

[@jordanwalter4381]

You cant tell me your running 3,4,5,6 pieces of 10 gauge back to the batterty....

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

We are...

[@yuh8me]

thanks to humminbird for adding stress and headaches to my life. did this to get rid of wagon wheel on 360 and what a waste of time and money no improvement at all! buy 3 grand of our product and fix it yourself what a waste of money.

[@jordannaumov]

Guys, get a heat gun.

[@ironstrings]

buy a proper box crimper, run larger gauge cables up front and split at fuse blocks with proper sized cable. You can also wire the units (or all electronics) up to a simple dash switch to cut power. It's a simple boat with a simple setup, why overcomplicate it?

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

No fuse blocks. Dedicated Power every time.

[@brockpohlner6426]

3:50, some of the most untidy wiring I’ve ever seen in a bass boat especially a new one. That should be illegal. Cannot believe you made that ratnest the video thumbnail.

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

New thumbnail incoming!

[@right_around_the_corner]

You may be able to rig a boat, but you dont have a clue about electricity... its absolutely dumb and ignert to run a dedicated 10G wire to each graph. This is a greedy shop trying to charge you additional money for unnecessary items. I would never let you touch my boat. As a matter of fact, all the guys at church this morning were laughing at yall's ignert ideas about electricity.😂😂😂

[@RussellMarineProductsLLC]

Wow!

[@CeSand-cz2jz]

I like the idea of having the fuses for the individual units at the battery. Easily accessible. But does it not reduce/restrict the flow of current when you’re coming off the battery into a tiny 7.5 amp fuse filament(16-18ga?), then 10ga wire for 20ft to the bow. Seems like the fuse would be better at the unit end to avoid voltage drop. Does the close proximity to the power source negate this reduction in conductor size. Please help me understand electrical theory.

[@skipro3]

No, because the current draw on either side of the fuse is the same, which is whatever the equipment is drawing. The idea for the larger gauge is so that the wire itself doesn't attenuate the voltage through its own resistance. It's still a max of 7.5amps through the whole circuit, regardless of the fuse size, or no fuse at all for that matter. And remember: 7.5amps is the trip voltage of the fuse, not the operating voltage of the device being protected. Most likely it's drawing 5amps or less, so a 7.5amp fuse is not restrictive at all.