Wiring the electrics on a boat [Pt 1]

[@Andy9965]

Excellent informative video....at last someone who shows the process without forgetting that not all of us are experts in all fields of boat building, without any crazy background music. Keep em coming mate 👍🏼

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate, glad you liked the vid. :)

[@mikeyadrick5154]

the practice of both a mechanical crimp and a solder connection is an excellent example to teach your viewers. I had over 40 years in the apparatus repair business--our local steel mill, the State Ferries, US Coast Guard and the US Navy require it --I learned at a young age. Simple yet strong and efficient----Mikey

[@samsgarioto459]

I have been looking at videos about basic boat wiring for awhile now and often they don't get it right and you come away even more confused. You have nailed it with this one, well done. Simple and everything explained in layman's terms.

[@PeteaahOhasian]

Best DIY videos on KZbin. Just got into boating and learned a lot. Cheers from Florida

[@nicolasdragotta2689]

Cheers from Washington State, Just bought a 1973 Sidewinder in rough shape and it needs all new electrical, these videos are LITERALLY life savers, learning more than I did in college classes, thanks man.

[@DangarMarine]

Glad to help

[@irwinjudson4911]

Like Peter Phan, Stu's videos are the best on the net. Every time I need to find something, know about or work out, this is where I come. Unfailingly instructive. I still have to watch the video on relays a few more times though.

[@martinlebl7465]

Thank you for this video; new to boating; experienced some electrical issues; this tutorial sheds light on what I’m looking at under the hood.

[@bazzasmith8847]

Finally I found someone I can understand so I can do this myself thank you champ👍

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome mate, good luck with the wiring. :)

[@JayManOutdoors]

Thanks Dangar Marine for making these tuturials! You are truly a boat guru and great teacher. Just watched the videos on replacing the steering system and I was able to accomplish that thanks to you. Time to get started on the electronics.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Spencer, great to hear you got your steering fixed up. :)

[@johnporter6640]

Superb, professional video. Nice camera work. Very informative. Great job!

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks John!

[@henrco]

That is an excellent video. I have watched numerous ones on wiring boats but this series of videos walks you through the actual practical implementation of wiring a small boat, step by step.

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Very well explained and showed with the boat on hand. Just where I will be starting from. Thanks for sharing.

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome mate, good luck with the job. :)

[@alnbaba]

My wiring knowledge just doubled thanks to this video, I always had issues with wiring on my boat. The inline fuses would get corroded and I'd loose power to the depth sounder/chartplotter. Your setup looks safe and reliable and best of all not to expensive. Your wiring and electronic videos are a huge help. I find it pretty hard to learn from wiring diagrams it just looks like a foreign language and I just glaze over.

[@stevenkennedy6090]

Nice job !

[@DangarMarine]

Hi mate. Those inline fuses can corrode very quickly if they aren't fully-sealed marine grade holders. I'm hoping this setup does last a while. It isn't a complex setup but it should be versatile enough for a small boat like this.

[@sulimandc3467]

You're awesome. I'm watching you from North Africa, Libya.

[@flyingmedic]

Excellent instruction on the importance of method and planning. Thank you

[@DangarMarine]

You're very welcome!

[@jesus3901]

Thank You for for taking your time and sharing your wealth of knowledge.

[@jamesmathews6771]

I really appreciate your videos. I have a sailboat, but the topics you cover apply to boats in general. Thanks!

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks James. Yes, many boating topics are applicable to just about any type of boat but I must do some more sailing specific videos soon.

[@Ocalaman]

Thanks fpr sharing your knowledge and techniques. I have learned many things from your videos.

[@DangarMarine]

Great to hear!

[@d.johnson499]

Hey man -- your wiring video inspired me to do something about the wire mess in my boat, so I did. Got a new fuse block, the type with a negative bus built onto it, and I mounted it in a smart place instead of the lazy, visible spot that some previous owner did. I ripped out all the old wires that fed my electrics and threw them away. Clean new proper-gauge wires from the battery to the block, inline fuses, put heat-shrink tubing on every connection. Re-connected my fishfinder, running lights and radio, added some cool-looking LED-lighted switches to my dash, and hid all the wires in flexible conduits out of sight. Finished the job yesterday and to my shock, everything works properly. Feeling pretty good about it. Appreciate the video.

[@DangarMarine]

Nice one. It is always very satisfying to clean up old messy wiring. My only real regret in wiring the Green Machine was not just buying a terminal block with a fuse holder for every attachment. I might pull all those inline fuse holders out one day to make it better.

[@Snow-Grizzly]

you are a wonderful perspon . Learning a lot sitting in Canada. Thank you

[@douglasthompson2740]

It is good to see someone wiring a boat with solder joints. You will almost never have a problem where the guys with crimpons alone will be chasing electrical problems in a couple of years and from then on. I wouldn't do it any other way. In a Marine application especially. Take care. Doug

[@DangarMarine]

+Douglas Thompson People do argue that solder will melt if there is a short, but I reckon the fuse will blow first. I've worked on boats that have sunk in salt water and the soldered connections have still been fine for years afterwards.

[@alexku8452]

Usually with the melting point of solder, to get it to the melting point either something was hopelessly undersized regarding wiring, or oversized regarding the fuse. You are right in assuming the fuse should blow first, but there are points where things may come together to a point where the solder melts. Especially if a lot of cables and connectors are cramped into a small space. also in a bundle of cables, if all of them have to be spliced, it is best to stagger the splices, makes the overall bundle also considerably thinner than having all splices in one point. For reliable connections I would consider looking into some NASA working documentation, they show several ways to reliably connect wires. I would consider a mixture of crimping and soldering. Less important systems (e.g. a fish finder) can get along well with just crimping, maybe some water displacing fluid to keep them corrosion free and even for connectors which are naturally open one end, shrink tube on the wire side. Everything else I would crimp first, and then solder the crimped connection. Crimping a presoldered connection may cause issues as the solder is pretty weak and you might easily pull out the crimped soldered cable as the solder deforms. This way you got the mechanical advantage of the crimped connection and the corosion resistance of the solder.

[@stevendimakos9211]

Thanks for the video ! Very clear and direct explanation on rewiring safely and making connections

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Steven, glad you liked it. :)

[@plumbdownunder]

Thank you for this video. I was worried about doing my wiring on my boat. Just Nav lights and switches. You explained it and demonstrated it so well that I could understand. Just needed to be shown thanks again.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate, glad the video helped you. :)

[@plumbdownunder]

Your instructions are great! I end end up removing all the old wiring and started again, looks so much neater, Thanks again.

[@DangarMarine]

I'm so much happier now I've removed all the old wiring in my boat. It was such a mess!

[@scottgreene5379]

I like the idea of the fuse at the battery in case the wire gets cut or rubs the insulation away. I didn't do that to mine when I did the wiring but I think now I will go back and do it. great video.

[@DangarMarine]

I think it is a good way to be safe, and fortunately it is very easy to add afterwards.

[@mikepoint4983]

I’m almost at the wiring stage to my project and thank you for this DIY illustration . I will be using this format for my house battery but will have a separate battery for my outboard . Thanks for sharing . Cheers

[@mikemalone9896]

I really admire your abilities and enjoy watching your videos here in deep East Texas! Thanks for sharing!

[@johnpowell3392]

Very helpful for me as I have no background with electrical work!

[@DangarMarine]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fiddlelessonmaterials2023]

Clear precise explanation, great video

[@DangarMarine]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@peterjensen6844]

Have to say that this video was essential to my planning for doing electrical work on my boat this Spring. Had a depth finder and radio that I need to get powered up front and the suggestion of running a big power cable up to the front was very good. I ran the cable up front and put in a 6 circuit fused block to power those two devices. Worked really well and also preps me in the event that I either way to install another device (GPS) or add a solar charging unit up on the bow as I have those terminals on the fuse block to connect with instead of running cables all the way back to battery again.

[@DangarMarine]

Hey Peter, glad the video helped. I do like the system of having a couple of main feeds that then branch off. As you say, as well as keeping things neat it gives you a bit of future proofing should some new devices come along down the track.

[@peterjensen6844]

Exactly. I've got 6 terminals and will only be using 2 of them (depth finder and radio). Radio comes today and other than not having a 3in Hole Saw, I'm super excited to get it installed.

[@drlangattx3dotnet]

Enjoying instructive videos. I am building a boat and will be doing wiring and other work. Thanks.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Donald, good luck with your build.

[@justinrodgers2218]

Great video best one I’ve seen on boat electrical

[@peterripon6551]

Great tutorials, bit of a go to site for me as I am going from scratch to build an old Bell boy up.

[@vikingsailor7016]

Hello, amazing and practical explication. The first time i see some demystification on how to do and learn electrical project in a a boat. So, 1 thousand thanks. Best, paul

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Paul. :)

[@gregadam7437]

Your dog looks so very enthusiastic when boating. The fuses you use are to protect the size cable used. The idea is to avoid overheating of the conductor also to ensure there is not to much voltage drop so it will operate the protection device (fuse or circuit breaker) using a 10 amp fuse is good unless there is cable too small for 10 amp on accessories. Many circuits in automotive use smaller fuses. So glad you mentioned mechanical protection also sharp edges should be protected specialty where single insulated cable is exposed. 60 year old bush Sparky

[@DangarMarine]

I've definitely seen a few boats wired without fuses and when the wires heat up from a short they melt all the insulators off and then short even more. The end result is almost always a complete re-wire (with a fuse!)

[@gregadam7437]

Sorry I was just trying to explain that the fuses are to prevent major faults in the feed wires in the system. Generally a fuse can be used to protect sub circuits that being what you are doing. I personally like to buy a switch board with individual fuses they look good in boats and campers and like you said they make diagnosis easy More and more people are wanting to go solar 12v / 24v systems with a inverter for appliances unavailable in 12v a inverter is probably a really bad idea in a tinny. How does using the frame as a return effect electrolysis??

[@mattbelding8694]

Great work Stuey.

[@TheRockerzee]

thanks man,you,ve been a great help on my project,keep on rocking dude,you are technical and good ,i recomand you to every one man.....

[@urbanimage]

Interesting video and I look-forward to watching the rest of the wiring installation.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate, new bilge pump up next.

[@tonchido]

So you are saying its not a magic,i love it,thanks

[@shaknbak85]

More please! I'm in the beginning stages on rewiring my 14ft flat bottom. Great video and great timing!.

[@DangarMarine]

Hey Kyle, yep, still have more wiring to do on the Green Machine. Not over yet!

[@antoinebuldo1767]

Thank you very much for your video that is well explained and précise !

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome. :)

[@MCP53]

Yep - I'll be following this series. I've got a great book (The 12 Volt Bible for Boats) but watching you actually doing it is great.. Thanks!

[@DangarMarine]

That is a great book, glad the video helped you too. :)

[@BigmacbushcraftCoUkOutdoors]

Excellent Video. So many of this kind of video try to make it so much more complicated than it is. With a new restoration project starting soon I found this most helpful. Many thanks for sharing. ATB Mac

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Mac, glad the video is going to help you with your new boat project. :)

[@tonycoles6253]

Love your videos they help out heaps keep up the good work

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Tony!

[@glennw2001]

Thanks so much for the vids. Love watching them and learning as I go. You're very good at presenting information to the viewers too. Keep up the good work. Look forward to the next one. :)

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Glenn. Glad you like them. :)

[@dougbreitmayer4712]

Thanks Dangar! Your videos are great and I'm learning a lot! I've worked on a couple outboards among tractors, mowers, cars, etc. I starting to like working on outboards, especially old ones. So much style and quality back in the day. I'm currently working on a '65 33 hp evinrude ski twin. Doug

[@DangarMarine]

Hey Doug, there is a certain charm about the older outboards. Glad you're having a good time doing up the Evinrude. :)

[@adam8642]

This video is exactly what I needed. Thank you. I could never figure out the need for busbars lol.

[@COYOTE5053]

I've got an 84 Bass Tracker TX that I doing some rewiring to, I like your method, Thanks, look forward to seeing more of your videos.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Donald, I hope the videos help you with your boat.

[@simonjconnor]

Great video, wiring made simple, good advice and very easy to follow. Makes me think about redoing my own wiring. Cheers.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Simon.

[@d.johnson499]

Great video! My old Starcraft has a pile of spaghetti wires that I intend to sort out and simplify. I like the idea of one fused pair of wires running up front. I just ordered the inline fuse holders and will attack the mess this week. Regards from Atlanta.

[@DangarMarine]

Good luck with the job. It is always very satisfying to clean up old and redundant wiring. :)

[@cornishplanthunters4768]

great detailed and clear ..real teacher thanks so much ...

[@Mihalyofficial]

thank you for all the great tips

[@frankgrassi5364]

Nicely done. Thanks for the tips and ideas. 😎

[@jackborges4290]

good video . thanks for making it simple to follow. I am looking forward to simplifying the power supply feeds on my tracker , and as you have done , reposition battery location. thanks again. Jack

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Jack, glad the video helped you.

[@michaelmccarthy5624]

Thanks dude, informative and detailed . I hate electrical! Lol! Working on my 1979 34’ Silverton SF docked in North Carolina. “Bird nests!” Lol

[@miguelcgamer]

Nice video dangar marine, Keep the good work mate, nice advices some of them i will use on my boat!

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate. :)

[@cptsky47]

Excellent Video, and I learned a lot.

[@fanaticforager6610]

GDay D Squadron Leader 🤙🏻😉🦘 Cheers 🍻 for your practical approach, Bonzå Encouragement on substrate systems & reputable design.😉🖖🏼 Bilge 🐀 Concurs 🙏🏼😄

[@DangarMarine]

Thank you kindly

[@Phillv8]

Another great video Stu! I know you can get marine shrink fit but i have been putting a coat of silicone over the solder joint and the shrinking the shrink fit over it causing it to squeeze out the ends.... I have done this to a few bilge pumps in yachts where the join may sit in water at times and has been good for many years!

[@jamesmccurdy2996]

nice video.I just started wiring my boat great idea's thanks I will use your suggestions.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks James, good timing! :)

[@electronpusher604]

Thanks for the vid! Learned a lot!!!!!!

[@ramonvenegas8535]

Are you the best man thanks so much

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Ramon.

[@carlkoch6460]

Great video!

[@kekzg4706]

Straight legend you are 🙌👌

[@JasmineD584]

Great vedio step by step I'm going to do that to my boat

[@matthewmoses4222]

The K.I.S.S. principle at work, looks great. Don't forget a bit of dielectric grease on your final assembly of the terminal blocks and wiring.

[@DangarMarine]

Yep, I've got a can of spray on and battery box to put the battery and fuse holder into.

[@mrsuarez430]

Aha Good stuff ! I found it I knew you had have made a vid on this well done 👍

[@Marcus_from_OZ]

If you're going to use solder joints with heat shrink, i'd suggest cleaning the flux off the joint before heat shrinking, iso-alcohol, metho at a pinch is usually enough, the flux is usually corrosive and can eventually effect the joint continuity. Usually indicated by green "dust" in the joint later in it's life.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks for the tip.

[@antonglavas6164]

Your videos a super helpful

[@peterbeyer5755]

I’ve seen on some of the upmarket trawlers that they use an electrical mounting rail board that are made from plastic that look really neat but it might look out of place on the green machine but would look good on your trawler.

[@DangarMarine]

I'm planning to get a big piece of HDPE to mount all the electrics in the trawler. Should be starting that pretty soon.

[@richardcranium5839]

nice setup. perhaps because i haven't finished my first cup of jo but i don't remember you covering conductor sizing. i've been working on the johnboat getting her ready for some night fishing.think of everything one might run and add up the amps to know what cable size to use and what fuse. i've also run a switch to control a relay as a master. then if i forget something at least it wont drain the battery. put all this in a pvc junction box i got at the home supply store.

[@DangarMarine]

Hi RIchard, I think I covered it a bit with the main wire from the battery to the junction box being heavier gauge than the rest of the feeder wires, but you are right, going through a list of devices on the chalk board with their current draw would have helped illustrate the thought process better. I like your idea of a master relay. Nice one!

[@sicchuckie]

Great video for me getting ready to do it to my 14ft Aluminium Runabout (tinny)

[@huiandginahingston9543]

great video, thankyou so much....

[@DangarMarine]

+Hui Hingston You're welcome Hui, glad you liked it.

[@billyward2710]

Thank you

[@ethanoliver5413]

Just what I needed to know cheers

[@swflreeltime6666]

Thank you!

[@DangarMarine]

Welcome. :)

[@Oliesque]

Hi Stu. I'm from down on Scotland Island I really love how familiar everything in your videos is to the setups we have down here. I am having trouble with the soldering of the connectors on the ends of the wires. I have all new equipment, Tin solder (lead free) and a 40w soldering iron that doesn't have variable temperature (all purchased from Jaycar). For the life of me I can't get what you do from 6:20 to 6:30 in the video to happen for me. I also wonder what type of butane torch you would use to melt the solder and fill up the connectors once they have been crimped. Cheers.

[@DangarMarine]

Hi Oliver. The metal needs to be quite clean and you need to transfer quite a bit of heat into the metal for the solder to flow. A bit of solder on the tip of the iron will help the heat transfer into the metal.

[@Oliesque]

@@DangarMarine Thanks. I ended up getting a variable temperature soldering iron and everything happened easily once I could turn the heat up a bit. Now the fuse keeps blowing and I have to revisit all the circuits and see where I've made a mistake :(

[@larrylehman751]

I learned something thanks

[@stephentree7035]

the this vid was really helpful

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Stephen.

[@joernpaust-andersen5044]

Thanx - excellent as usual !! ;-)

[@markolav7017]

Neat job Stu....should be pretty corrosion free as planned

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate, I sure hope so!

[@markolav7017]

Bring on the docking lights hey.... LED ?

[@DangarMarine]

Yep, an LED strip. I'm really looking forward to putting them on. :)

[@LostintheOutdoors]

First away... Great video tutorial! I’ve used this video and part 2 as well as the video on wiring a bilge pump extensively to help me with my set up. One question tho: In this video (around the 3:50 mark) u say that ur bilge pump and engine start will be wired separately from the bus bar set up to protect the critical systems from a lesser system blowing the 10amp fuse and taking out everything... yet in the bilge pump video, u did wire the pump connection to the bus bar set up under the dash. Can u explain the reason for the change of heart? Again... really get a lot out of ur tutorials, keep up the great work!!

[@DangarMarine]

To be honest I can't remember how or why I wired the boat this way any more, I'll have to take another look. Ideally I still agree with the principle that you want a bilge pump to be completely independent of any other circuit. You certainly don't want a fuse blown by water in a light fitting or something taking it out of action.

[@LostintheOutdoors]

Fair enough... Thx for the reply

[@joesloan1724]

Excellent help. Thank you. Where would you in-line a master cut off? After battery and fuse?

[@DangarMarine]

On my bigger boat I have a high rating fuse right on the battery terminal and the cut off switch straight after that.

[@papajigster]

Better start than all your helpful videos. having accompanying Text on a website or social media pages can help folks in developing countries with internet connection limitation and accent understanding. Voice is generally low on many of your videos, but very helpful -- I download and plan to use a speaker to hear better.

[@DangarMarine]

Yes, the volume is too low in the early videos, but better in the new ones. I would like to make text to go with each video, I just need to find the time!

[@frankdavidson9675]

do you see the CC block on the screen kick on that till red bar comes on that will put the audio in writeing on the screen so you can read it

[@pjorgerod522]

Hello, thanks a lot for a so simple and clear explanation how to understand an elctrical circuit. How you got the 20A fuse value near the battery and the 10A near the buses? Thanks a lot, Paul

[@pjorgerod522]

Hello, you explained later. Thanks.

[@BeauCr]

I was thinking of getting an old tinny to fix up but after all the electrical work I was thinking just getting a prebuilt kinda thing before I saw this video, I might get a tinny

[@fishinbite]

Great video! Is there any danger in charging the battery using the terminal posts whilst all the electronics are connected to the threaded posts?

[@adriennef1770]

How did you determine the size of the 2 fuses you added?

[@je7630]

Hey Stu, great video's, they really help me a lot with reparing my boat! I have a question about the terminal blocks and the two pins post, where can I buy them? I can't find these similar products you are using, and I really like those. Please keep on making video's! They really help.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate, glad the videos are helping you. Whitworths sells quite a range of similar terminal blocks. www.whitworths.com.au/main_listitems.asp?cat=123&cat2=329&cat1descr=Electrical/Lighting&cat2descr=Electric%20Cable/Accessories&cat3=505&cat3descr=Screw%20Connectors/Terminal%20Blocks/Bus%20Bars&cat4=242&cat4descr=Bus%20Bars/Power%20Posts

[@nicksharples3277]

Hi mate. I’m just a tad further up the coast than you at Forresters beach. What size cable did you use for this job. I need to do the same for my boat I just bought.

[@daynecowan]

Just wondering what sort of devices you're going to install? Will there be a beer fridge and massage chair for example? And if not, why not?

[@DangarMarine]

No, won't be installing either unfortunately. Reasons? The toolbox will be filled with ice so the beer will be cold without drawing too much power; we won't need the massage chair because all the bikini-clad deckhands will be covering that base nicely. :)

[@daynecowan]

+Dangar Marine that's what I like about you mate. Ingenious and effective solutions!

[@emmanouilvivilakis1398]

Thank you very much for your tutorial video it's so helpful! just let me know what type of battery did you use and how many amph

[@DangarMarine]

I used a SeaMaster battery and it is 640CCA.

[@Peter-ss1vb]

Hey Dangar A tip from an electrician. When making off a lug you "Crimp" or "Solder" do not do both .

[@perkypat2214]

Hi, what is the reason for this? Thanks

[@blazetanner3552]

Hey Dangar, have you published a video on sacrificial alloy hull anodes (for the hull, not just the motor)? Cheers mate!

[@mbc12785]

Good day mate! Love the videos! I am learning so much and am applying everything I learn here to fixing up our outboard. Was wondering if you could make a video on replacing fuel lines under to engine cover not from the gas tank to the motor like every other video. Can't find any useful info anywhere and my lines are cracked and leaking under the hood

[@DangarMarine]

Hi mate, glad the videos are helping you. I'll add that to the list about replacing the internal fuse hoses. Really it is just a matter of draining them, removing each section one at a time, cutting another piece to the same length and installing. There are a few things to be careful of such as not introducing kinks and making sure the hose clamps seal well, so I'll do the video over the coming months.

[@damodoesall6240]

13:00 shrink wrap melted off the positive terminal, will this be OK?

[@DangarMarine]

Can't recall the exact connection, but yes, melted shrink wrap is a problem, particularly on positive wires. The trouble with the combined heat shrink solder connections is that it can be hard to melt the solder before the shrink wrap melts. If it does happen I just add a layer of tape over the top.

[@moorad07]

Can you wire straight from the battery to the bus bars or do you need that terminal post beforehand?

[@DangarMarine]

Hey Paul, yep, you can go straight to the bus bars, I just had this extra junction so I could fuse the bus bar at a lower amp rating than the power to stuff up the front like a spot light or winch.

[@billyward2710]

Thank you I am basically folloking you're setup

[@DangarMarine]

I have one on install the bilge pump next, and after that is part 2 of the wiring a boat where I add a stern light as an example of a regular switched accessory.

[@IdiotVSFish]

What is your opinion on the fact that some say that crimping is the way to go as opposed to soldering when used in marine applications with stranded wire?

[@DangarMarine]

Good question. A lot of it comes down to the quality of the crimp connectors. In particular I like those bullet connectors with the soft silicon jackets that seal the water out really well. The reason I personally like soldering is that it completely seals the connection against corrosion. The downside (according to some) is that if a wire gets hot due to a short, the solder can melt and cause further shorts. Personally I feel a good system of fuses will stop this from ever happening.

[@douglasthompson2740]

The ABS doesn't recommend soldering because they say vibration will break at the wire where it meets the solder and becomes stiff. In sixty years of boating I have never ever seen that whereas I have seen numerous crimp failures and corrosion under crimps. This is affirmed by several of my friends who are dealers and or work on marine installations. I crimp, solder and heat shrink. I also use dielectric grease or vaseline (replaced/renewed anually) under any screw terminals. The proof is in the pudding. I haven't had any problems with my work. It does take more time which is why the dealers don't do it at $100 per hour but if you are doing your own that isn't a concern as it doesn't take that much time done properly and won't haunt you in the future. Take care. Doug

[@mcdermottrobert]

Hey Stu. Greetings from Boston MA. Your channel is my favorite thing to watch on any medium. You do a great job and I’ve learned a ton. Thank you! I’m having trouble finding robust ring connectors for 12 AWG wire. All I can find are the heat shrink ones and the rings are flimsy compared to the ones you crimped and soldered on. Are those rated for 12 AWG or did you use something rated for a thicker wire and just crimp it down?

[@mcdermottrobert]

This would be for my main run from the battery up to the posts under my console.

[@billyward2710]

Can you post a video of you setting up a marine switch and wiring an appliance to the switch

[@DangarMarine]

Already filmed, will be up soon. :)