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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

How do I tell what guage wire?

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/18/2005 : 20:31:40

Hi folks, I need to finish the installation of my new Nissan 9.8 4-stroke. The electrical cable that was provided is a few feet short. Right now I have the batter in the storage compartment in the quarter berth. This, however, is temporary. It is amazing how this little thing prevents our ability to keep everything in it's place.

anyway, does anyone know what gauge wire I need to use to extend the existing wire to the battery compartment? I went to West Marine and they wanted to sell me 6 gauge, which seemed huge to me; much larger than what was on the engine. I looked at the wire from the engine for an indication of what gauge it was, but I didn't see anything that told me the gauge.

Thanks!

Ben
Beneteau 361
Viking Kitty
Columbus, Ohio

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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1893 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2005 : 21:18:05

Ben,<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">...6 gauge, which seemed huge to me; much larger than what was on the engine.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Does this motor have electric start? That makes a huge difference in what size wire you need to use. Does your owner's manual mention what size wire it has, or needs to extend the battery cables? Or how much power the starter motor (if so equipped) uses? Or, if rope start only, how much charging current the alternator puts out?

-- Leon Sisson

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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1234 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 09:02:55

Hi Leon, the engine is electric start. The manual doesn't seem to come out and say a whole lot about the amperage used for the starting system. I read in the "troubleshooting" section how to replace the 20 amp fuse in the starting circuit; so we have that at least. I have an electrical diagram in the manual, but nothing that indicates the gauge wire I would need.

Basically, the manual doesn't have any of the information you asked.

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frog0911
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1349 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 10:51:52

I used 10 feet of 8 guage on my Tohatsu 9.8 and it works fine. You are correct about no info in the owners manual, but there are wire size calculators on web sites you can use to figure amp lose and etc., but for the life of me I cannot find it to put on this thread. I am sure someone will post it shortly. There are also many threads on types of electrical plug hook up for engines that you can read and then decide what and how. Here is my hook up.

Edited by - frog0911 on 06/19/2005 10:57:52

Ben
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1234 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 11:06:19

Thanks Frog and/or General!

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Leon Sisson
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1893 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 11:30:55

Ben,<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Basically, the manual doesn't have any of the information you asked.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Oh well, it was worth a try.

The battery leads on my Yamaha 9.9HP elec.start were originally extended with 4ga when I bought the boat. When I rewired it, I used 6ga over a one-way length of maybe 12' (wire routing distance). I don't have the current distance calculations handy right now, but knowing me, calulations were done.

Keep in mind my engine's cranking current might not be the same as yours.

If you can determine the starting current draw, and can find a copy of the current/distance/wire size charts (maybe in a West Marine catalog), feel free to use the 10% chart, not the 3% one. The disadvantage of slightly small wires would be slower cranking speed, but probably no real threat of fire in this instance. (Large mass of copper & short cranking duration = minimal heat build up.)

The 20A fuse is for charging current only. It doesn't carry cranking current. You should install an additional high current fuse (maybe 100A) in the positive lead as near as practical to the battery.

Be sure to use all marine rated components and materials.

-- Leon Sisson

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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1234 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 11:35:35

Will-do, Leon. Thanks.

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Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 17:43:05

My engine is a 15 hp two stroke. The manual says 100 amps starter average amp draw. Might help.
Dan

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frog0911
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1349 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 21:27:23

Ben, found the wire caculator web site. Here is the site.
powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm. With the correct input you will be able to purchase the size wire you require.

Edited by - frog0911 on 06/19/2005 21:30:39

britinusa
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5404 Posts

Response Posted - 06/20/2005 : 07:54:14

Jerry, in your 1st pic, I see you have motor over to the stbd side of the transom mounting.

Is that because of the rotation limitation of the motor to steer when it is central.
Are their any downsides to having the motor off center like that?
And is your tohatsu pretty stiff to rotate, ours is so stiff that at first I thought it was fixed!

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frog0911
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1349 Posts

Response Posted - 06/20/2005 : 19:29:49

Paul, in order to allow for the engine to swing fully to both sides I had to move it over. I removed the upper starboard screw from the mount plate then filled the hole with marine sealant. Then moved the engine over so the engine screw pad was on the edge of the plate. This allowed for Arlyn's soft link to be installed for full movement to both sides.
As for the stiffeness there is a screw "steering friction screw" on the port side below the motor cover. You will be able to find it in section 8 of your owners manual.
I have not found that moving it has made any difference as far as normal steering or backing. If the motor was mounted in the middle of the boat and you moved it to starboard I am sure you could tell the differernce, but 2 inches doesn't hurt anything.

Edited by - frog0911 on 06/20/2005 19:31:19

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