 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
By Dave Osmolski
Nearly all boaters have to splice wire at one time or another, and when the time comes, most boat maintenance and marine electronics books recommend joining wires with a crimped-on butt splice.
Unlike stranded residential wiring, marine electrical wire has fine strands that allow it to flex with a boat’s movement. Wiring run tightly from point to point will stretch, but wiring run loosely will sway and move. So wires used on boats usually have fine strands and are covered with brightly colored plastic vinyl.
When splicing marine wire, the goals are to make a secure electrical connection that will carry current equal to that of the two wires being joined, make a connection that won’t separate under tension or motion encountered while under way, and cover the connection to protect it from the corrosive water that’s everywhere on a boat.
I have successfully used three types of connections on boats. The simplest is a twisted connection secured by a wire nut. Did I just hear a chorus of rapidly inhaled breaths? Yes, a wire nut.
For the uninitiated, a wire nut is a cone-shaped plastic device with a tapered coil of wire inside the cone. To use it, you simply lay two wire ends together with the ends pointing in the same direction and twist the wire nut down on the ends until you can no longer twist it with your fingers. Wire nuts for use in wet conditions contain a silicone compound that resists water and corrosive elements.
If your wire is not lying in bilge water, the connection will probably last a long time. Always cover a wire nut with a few wraps of vinyl electrician’s tape. Extend the wraps down the wires for a half-inch or so. The tape helps prevent vibration from backing the wire nut off the connection.
Use wire nuts for connections that you have to undo periodically. Wire nut connections are bulky. The wire nut sticks out at a 90-degree angle to the wire—not a pretty sight. You also cannot pull them through a wireway.
If you want a nicer-looking splice that will not get stuck when being pulled through a tight space, a crimped-on butt splice is a better choice. Crimp-on butt splice connectors are available at your nearest big-box hardware store. Get a pair of crimping pliers while you’re there.
The connectors are usually covered with colored plastic indicating the wire size they are designed for. Yellow connectors are for wires from #10 through #12, red connectors are for wires sizes #14 through #16, and blue ones are for sizes #18 through #22.
Simply place the ends of the wires you are joining into the ends of the connector, and crimp tightly with the pliers. Cover the crimped butt-splice connector with a piece of shrink-wrap tubing. Put the shrink-wrap tubing on the wire before crimping, and slide the tubing over the finished connection. Heat the tubing with a heat gun or a very hot hair dryer to shrink the tubing tightly around the connector and the wire, making a permanent connection. You can also buy all-in-one heat-shrinkable butt-splice crimp connectors.
However, in my opinion, the most durable connection you can make is a soldered one. While soldered connections take time and equipment, if done right and supported properly, they rarely fail and work well in tight spots you only want to get into once.
To make a soldered connection, first tin the individual wires to be connected. To do this, heat the wire and melt a little solder until it flows and coats the wire. When the wire ends cool, twist them together carefully and heat the joint with the soldering iron. When the solder flows, add a little more solder to make a smooth connection. Hold the joint still until the solder cools. As with a crimp-on butt splice, cover a soldered joint with shrink-wrap tubing to seal it from the elements.
It’s never a good idea to have a splice in an unreachable spot. So when running wire, purchase an adequate length to finish the job. Even then, to get the job done, splicing is sometimes unavoidable.
D/1st/Lt David H. Osmolski, AP, of Charlotte Power Squadron, has been repairing boats since high school when his first boat, a canvas-covered canoe with cedar ribs, leaked in gallons per minute and required constant repair. Dave’s current boat, a 16-foot Carolina Skiff, gives him plenty of opportunities for repair and upgrades, so look for more of his maintenance articles in upcoming issues.
Back in the old days, if you needed to burn a rope end, you could always turn on your electric stove and burn it on the hot burner. With today’s fancy glass top stoves, that’s no longer an option. A reliable and portable alternative is a handy soldering iron you can carry in your pocket. The Mini Butane Gas-Powered Iron from Radio Shack (part number 64-2188) goes for $21.99. About the size of a mini-flashlight, the iron also works well for soldering on the go.
–Burrage Warner
A person recently died and another suffered extreme exposure after hanging onto an overturned fishing boat in chilly water overnight. The boat had been swamped, and like many fishing boats, it had been anchored by the stern.
Because the transom faces incoming seas, anchoring stern-to can be a significant safety hazard depending on the size of the seas.
Other factors compound a boat’s risk of being swamped. One is transom height—the lower the transom, the higher the risk. Another is open cockpit scuppers—they can take on water with incoming seas.
The coup de grace in the accident mentioned above is typical: In landing a fish, the occupants went aft, lowering the transom even more. Seas swamped and flipped the boat before anyone could react. The person who survived stayed with the boat.
If the hull is floating, stay with it until the end. It’s easier to spot a partially floating hull than a person’s head, and it gives you something to hang on to.
Being aware of the risk is the best way to avoid the problem, but if your vessel does capsize, staying with the floating hull is the key to survival.
–Gregory T. Absten
Modern boats hold up remarkably well to weather, water and steady use. It’s not uncommon to have a boat, motor and trailer for 15 years or more. However, regardless of their age, your boat and equipment need maintenance.
Getting ready for boating season involves more than driving to the lake and launching your boat. Opening a boat that’s been in winter storage is like buying a house or opening a summer cottage. Before you move in, you want to check all the systems—electrical, plumbing, etc.—to make sure everything is in working order. You also want to check its cleanliness and spruce it up before moving your stuff in.
Perhaps a mouse has chewed through the wiring, standing water has rotted a support, or rust has stiffened a cable. The damage is often hard to see until the consequences become serious.
Every year, we hear stories of boaters who forgot to put in the drain plug only to have the boat sink within minutes of launching or boaters who watch their trailers pass them on the highway. Taking a few precautions can increase your enjoyment and safety on the water.
Trailers
Trailer maintenance is a function of trailer use. If you use yours once a season to move your boat from storage to the ramp, it doesn’t have to be inspected as often as trailers that haul boats down dirt roads to unimproved launches several days a week.
- Check the frame for rust, and clean and repaint as necessary. Check and tighten bolts that may have rattled loose as your trailer bounced down the road and over railroad tracks. Check trailer hitches, safety chains, rollers and pads.
- Disconnect or switch off the trailer lights before launching the boat to prolong the lights’ life.
- Let your trailer’s wheels cool several minutes before launching, particularly after a long ride. When hot hubs hit the water, cold water gets drawn in, which can rust the wheel bearings.
- Check your trailer tires’ pressure. Low tire pressure can be unsafe and cause premature tire wear. Also, check the safety chains from the car to the trailer and from the winch to the boat.
Boats
In early spring, check for signs of animals that could have holed up in your covered boat over the winter. Start at the bow and work your way back. Inspect the hull pulleys, carpeting and fittings. Grease pulleys and look for signs of wear. Check and lubricate steering cables. Move on to the electrical conduits and check for wear or gnawing.
- Charge your batteries; hook up the systems; and check navigation lights, bilge pumps, tilt controls, and your accessories, including navigation systems, locators, horn and interior lights.
- Check your lines. Is the anchor line frayed? Is it long enough? Are anchor knots securely tied? Are mooring lines in good shape? Are boat fenders in good working order?
- Check fuel lines for wear and cracks. Press the fuel bulb and look for hairline cracks that indicate the rubber has dried out or is losing elasticity. Check metal fittings and fuel line clamps for leaks and corrosion. Put in a new fuel filter. Inspect your fuel tanks and cap vents. If you stored fuel in your tank over the winter, make sure your fuel stabilizer worked. Open the fuel tank and smell the gas. Old gas that has separated can smell more like varnish than fresh fuel. If you have any doubts, empty the tank (be sure to dispose of the gasoline properly) and start fresh.
Finally, get yourself ready. Review boating regulations and take a preseason refresher course. There’s a USPS course for every level of boating expertise. If your family will be operating a boat this season for the first time, enroll in a course together.
Before you get the urge to hit the water, take time to check things out. It will make this season’s boating experiences much more enjoyable.
–Dan Fortman
| About Us | Member Resources | Subscriber Center | Advertisers |
© 2009
The Ensign. All rights reserved. |