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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Extending The Honda Battery Cables

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Shelby
Navigator

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USA
155 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/16/2002 : 12:16:20

I know we have beat this subject up to no end, but I have one more question (or maybe it is an answer...just seems to easy). This has to do with the length of the battery cables (being to short) from the honda 9.9 or other outboard to the battery(s). Has anyone just extended the battery cables, meaning either splicing them, or somehow connecting them together without the use of the bus bar? Is there some danger to doing this?

The mechanic at the Honda dealership suggested the splicing and said that is what they would do.

Thanks,

Shelby on "Third S" '82 C25 #3208 SKSR

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Bristle
Admiral

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USA
834 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2002 : 17:36:16

I've been considering that myself. I would use the same guage (not sure if it's 14 or what) with butt connectors and two shrink-wrap insulators on each. The inner shrink-wrap would be cut to the length of the connector so that it fits between the cable insulators, and the outer one (adhesive) would be about 3X that length to overlap everything and seal it. I would then be careful in routing the cable to keep the splice in a dry area (an oxymoron on a boat). However, I still haven't figured out where I'd like to bring the cable into the boat. Suggestions?

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 SR-FK #5032 "Passage" in CT

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Shelby
Navigator

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USA
155 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2002 : 18:48:26

Dave,

I have been thinking about how to bring the cable in also. I also have the remote control, which will require drilling of holes, although I think I will wait until my off season (summer) to do that task. I think it will require a hole in which the cable can move freely or if installed through a stationary hole, enough cable left outside the boat to allow for movement up and down.

Still waiting for my motor mount to arrive (its been lost in the mail for about 1 week), then I think I will have a better idea of how to install the cable. There is the metal vent on the starboard side (Facing aft) which you could run cables down through...not pretty but it would work I think.

Shelby on "Third S" '82 C25 #3208 SKSR

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Bristle
Admiral

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USA
834 Posts

Response Posted - 03/17/2002 : 12:21:59

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
There is the metal vent on the starboard side (Facing aft) which you could run cables down through...not pretty but it would work I think.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Steve: The '85 doesn't have the vents because the fuel is in a separate locker in the cockpit--not in the dumpster. I've seen them used, though--should work for you. You'll probably want to do it in such a way that you have a "drip loop" to keep water from running down the vent.

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 SR-FK #5032 "Passage" in CT

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Bristle
Admiral

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834 Posts

Response Posted - 03/17/2002 : 13:33:48

Another thought on extending the cables... Since you can't disconnect the Honda at the engine, if you extend the cable to the battery, you'll have to disconnect it there and drag the whole thing out of the boat to remove the motor. That's why I'm thinking about a terminal or plug within reach of the 6' cable.

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 SR-FK #5032 "Passage" in CT

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Ed Montague
Captain

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USA
499 Posts

Response Posted - 03/17/2002 : 15:47:11

The previous owner of my boat mounted a block of wood with two bolts sticking out to be used as posts. The extension and the motor cables are combined and secured with wing nuts. When I want to remove the motor all I do is unscrew the wing nuts and pull the motor wiring out through the vent as discribed earlier. This is a very simple set up. The block of wood is in the space between the back of the quarter berth and transom so it is out of the way. A piece of plastic will also work. As long as the wood stays dry there is no cross over of current. My motor is mounted on the starboard side.

Ed Montague on 'Yahoo'
1978 #765 SK, Stnd, Dinette ~_/)~

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tapinkham
1st Mate

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USA
36 Posts

Response Posted - 03/18/2002 : 21:37:24

I extended mine using 6 gauge wire. This may be overkill but bigger is better with DC. The extension was terminated,bolted to the motor cable and I slid six inch pieces of bike inner tube over the connections. I tie wrapped the inner tube pieces shut and so far it works just fine.

-tap

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Daniel
1st Mate

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78 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2002 : 22:23:22

I didn't want to modify or semi-permanently connect the motor cables, since it is removed annually for indoor storage - it is on the port side on my 1980, and I don't have the separate fuel tank compartment like in the 1982 model. I epoxied a small piece of plywood in a dry area under the seat within reach of the Honda cables, then screwed two connector posts to the plywood. 6 ga. wires lead from the posts to the batteries. The Honda motor wires slip over the posts and are fastened with wing nuts, so the motor is easy to remove. The motor wires are fastened with cable ties to the cockpit wall, led back thru a hole in the transom (made by a previous owner). A rubber boot covers the hole and keeps water from entering.

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snowbird
Deckhand

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USA
2 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2002 : 00:21:46

Have extended cables by using plug and recepticle of trolling motor which also now allows unpluging for removal of outboard for maintenance. Comes through transom boot which is also for cables of remote. Has worked for last eight years. Use connectors with silicon which melts and seal with heatgun.

Jim Sweet

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William Matley
1st Mate

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52 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2002 : 19:49:22

I faced this same problem 3 years ago and I wrote about it on this forum. I wish I?d kept a copy but I believe I can get the basic idea down.
I run my motor cable from outside the boat, up under the port locker seat leaving a drip loop and trimming a small slot out of the boat for the wire to enter the locker.

Then I purchased a good, but not too heavy, set of jumper cables. The kind of jumper cable with many small wires inside for good flexibility.

Cut the spring ends off the jumper cable. On the battery end of the cable I soldered 2 good sized metal loops to allow me to mount them directly to the battery posts under the wing nuts.

On the motor side of the jumper cable I purchased a male and female plug like the kind you find on the end of a heavy extension cord. I found them at Home Depot. I purchased the large size plugs have a push and twist (to lock) feature that has a 3 prong configuration that will only allow assembly one way (no chance to mess up polarity.)

Make sure you put the male end of the plug on to the cable that already comes from the motor and the female end on the battery side of the jumper cable. You don?t want the bare ends of the plug to short out!!!

That?s it, to connect the motor to the battery just reach into the port locker and plug the ends together, add a couple turns of tape to keep them neatly together and then mount a small hook on the side of the locker to keep the cables clear of all the junk in the locker.
Simple, cheap and you have a good solid connection to your batteries that is quick to disassemble when you want to.

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Bristle
Admiral

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USA
834 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2002 : 21:21:49

Good solution, William... Is your motor on the port side? Mine is on starboard, with a molded fuel locker to port, so the cable would cross the cocpit and go forward to get to the "dumpster". So, I'm still looking for another way in. The plug would keep me from using a nice little hole. A shore power-style recepticle, suggested by another contributor, mounted somewhere may be the answer, as long as nobody plugs shore power into it! <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 SR-FK #5032 "Passage" in CT

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