wiring pigtails

[rick&sue]

This may be a strange question - as I have been pulling new wires and making modifications to our older (2007) R25, I have noticed numerous wires with a short 2 inch to 3 inch long insulated wire taped to the wire near the end connection. It is not connected - only taped to the side of the wire. I'm not the most savvy electrical guy - what is this for??? I've searched the forum for an answer, and have not found anything. I would appreciate being enlightened!
Thanks!
Rick

 

[Irish Mist]

Any chance you could post a picture? It is possible it is left from pulling replacement wire with the old wire and never removed. Make sure you are using marine grade wire if this is 120 volt A/C wire. Normal house wire will work but will not last, and is not really safe in the boat.

 

[Just Dreamin']

Rick,
I am going to take a shot in the dark here and guess you are looking at 12V wire runs? If so, it may be the short pieces taped to the side are there to indicate if the primary wire is a positive or ground. If the 2-3" pieces are red, black or green I would lean in this direction. Just a thought.
Mike

 

[rick&sue]

Mike,
I think you are right - they are only on the 12 volt wiring and the ones I have run across are either black or red and they correspond to positive or negative. I won't worry if one falls off the wire. Thanks for the response!
Rick

 

[SGIDAVE]

Make sure you are using marine grade wire if this is 120 volt A/C wire. Normal house wire will work but will not last, and is not really safe in the boat.

I'd like to carry this point a little further...DO NOT USE HOUSEHOLD WIRING ON YOUR BOAT!

Aside from not being 'tinned' it is solid - not stranded - which makes proper crimped connections impossible. Yes, you can crimp it but it will not be a proper (meaning solid, low resistance, long lasting electrical connection). And for God's sake, do not use wire nuts either.

The end result of improper wiring practices, like using standard household wire, are connections/terminations that corrode and/or crack (boats move/vibrate). Next, this leads to increased electrical resistance, then HEAT, then SMOKE, then FIRE.

Friends don't let friends use Romex on their boats 😉

So, whether AC or DC wiring - always use tinned marine grade wire and proper crimped terminations with (again) marine grade terminals (butt connectors, spade or ring terminals, etc).

dave

 

[Capt. Wanabe]

...so, does one style of crimping tool have an advantage over another? A recent article in Passage Maker concluded that the best wire connection was marine grade, tinned, wire with silicone dielectric grease, good crimp connection, and covered with heat shrink tubing. But they did not say what constituted a good crimp. What tool do you all use?
Frank

 

[pease]

I have just purchased a ratcheting crimp tool from West Marine for $79 as I am replaing the in-line fuse holders in the battery conpartment of my 2011 R-27. Seems to work fine. Make sure yout test your crimped connections by pulling hard (100lb for awg10 wire I believe) with pliers; I wasn't crimping hard enough initially. The existing fuse holders were not waterproof and two had corroded, developed high resistance and were overheating as well as interfering with battery charging.

 

[C&PSmith]

Rick
Look at a wiring schematics for your tug. They will show the colors for each wire run. (i.e. brn/blu is a brown wire with a blue stripe.) I believe that the short piece of wire taped at each end of a wire run indicates a pseudo wire stripe color. A quick call or e-mail to Andrew at Ranger Tugs can verify this.

 

[SGIDAVE]

...so, does one style of crimping tool have an advantage over another? A recent article in Passage Maker concluded that the best wire connection was marine grade, tinned, wire with silicone dielectric grease, good crimp connection, and covered with heat shrink tubing. But they did not say what constituted a good crimp. What tool do you all use?
Frank

HEllo Frank,

YES, there is a difference in crimpers. Basically, you want a ratcheting crimper. Once you start squeezing it, the ratcheting mechanism engages such that it won't open/stop crimping until it reaches the end of its cycle. This gives a more reliable, higher quality (i.e., low resistance) connection. These crimpers also have smooth, wider jaws that won't damage the plastic heat shrink covering marine grade terminations.

Among crimpers, there are some that make a "double" crimp. Unless you buy special "double" crimp terminations, you don't need that. A single crimp will do you just fine. Note, however, you CAN use a double crimper on normal single crimp fittings.

If you really want to know more about making proper marine terminations, spend 10 minutes looking through this tutorial. It details proper tools, bad tools, and good practices.

dave

 

[ALICE J]

Hi Rick,
The extra pig tails also appear on my R27. My thought is that Ranger uses a generic wiring harness, then only pickup the wires it needs for that particular boat. I suspect Andrew would be more definitive.