What wire gauge to use

[elbori00]

Im starting a new switch panel and would like to know which wire gauge to use. Im thinking doing everything with 14g. What do you think this will be ok or need to use other wire gauge for circuits or something else.

Any help would be appreciated.

Alberto

[seabob4]

Alberto,
10GA to feed the breakers, 16GA to feed the switches from the breakers.  If you have heavy duty pumps, then 14.  Macerator, 10.

[ceejkay]

i ran 10awg to my breakers then 14awg everywhere else.. i dont want to have to redo things in the future... use good marine tinned wire and good connectors with shrink wrap and the wiring will outlast you owning the boat..

[seabob4]

Running 14GA to feed the switches is definitely better than 16, but since most owners want to keep costs at a minimum, use what is necessary.  When it comes to lighting, especially with today's LEDs, hell, you can use 20GA and they'll be happy.

Just food for thought...

[elbori00]

Thanks for the information. To be clear I will feed the brakers with 10GA in both ways also from the swicht?

[seabob4]

Alberto,
This is the proper way to feed your helm panel.  Off the battery, or a battery switch, you need to have a 40A breaker or fuse, this protects the entire boats electrical system except for your engine.  Ideally, this breaker/fuse should be mounted within 7" of the source of power, but it's not going to kill you if it's further.  I typically feed that breaker with 8GA.  Coming off the breaker, I use either 10GA to feed the panel directly, or 8GA to feed a positive bus, then 10GA off the bus to feed the panel.

The 10GA to feed the panel runs to the first breaker, then is daisy-chained to each breaker down the line.  Here is a pretty good pic of how a panel is fed, how each breaker is daisy-chained, and how each switch is fed from each breaker...

[kraw2]

Alberto,

Here is a picture of how I did mine for a boat I'm selling to a neighbour. It is his first boat so I tried to wire and label everything so he should have no problem knowing what each wire/fuse goes to.

I used #10 from the battery switch located about 18" away. A ring connector is attached to the commmon post on the battery switch with an inline 40 amp fuse holder and goes into the bottom positive end of the fuse panel. When the battery switch is turned it powers the fuse panel.

You can see each #14 wire exiting the fuse panel going to the switch labeled for its purpose. From the switch the wire goes to a terminal block and is also labeled. The wire sizes from the switch are #14 for the bilge pump and others and #16 to the LED lights.

When the console is mounted the wires from the nav lights, bilge pump, LED's and others with connect to the other side of the terminal block.

[elbori00]

Seabob in the picture the yellow cable is the ground?

And thank you guys for the help. Once I finished I will post pics on how ended up looking.

Thanks again,

Alberto

[kraw2]

Yes the Yellow wire in Seabob's pic is for the ground.

[elbori00]

Here is my first wiring attempt of the boat switch panel. Thanks to seabob, kraw and others for the help. Hope everything go smooth when plug it in and don't blow anything.  

[RickK]

Looks good  

[seabob4]

Muy bueno, mi amigo!!