What kind of splices?

I'm having to (getting to is what my wife said) work on putting some gauges back into our boat that someone cut out. They left the wires dangling.

I have the gauges in the house and I thought I'd put some sort of plug together splice on their end. This would let me work on the gauges inside and then as I get time I can add the other end on the boat wiring and the later still just plug & play with the gauges.

The wires are awkward to get to as they are in a sealed panel inside the cuddy cabin where I have limited room to work and even worse light.

What kind of splice would you guys recommend? A bullet, a spade or something else?

Everything appears to be a simple red/black 2 wire configuration.

Marine grade bullet connectors and some dielectric grease.

If you don't have a mil-spec crimper and mil-spec connectors, then I suggest twisting the wires together, soldering, heat shrink over that.

Toyman01 wrote: Marine grade bullet connectors and some dielectric grease.

What type of store would carry these? I mean beyond a boat supply house which in my experience has been 3 times the price they ought to be.

In reply to carguy123:

RadioShack, but if you have time to wait, order them online. Keep in mind, If you aren't soldering and heat shrinking on a boat, you have to think about corrosion issues. Of course, If there is a corrosion issue, you can just go ahead, chop the butts off and solder, so leave plenty of slack.

Weatherpak connectors.

carguy123 wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: Marine grade bullet connectors and some dielectric grease.

What type of store would carry these? I mean beyond a boat supply house which in my experience has been 3 times the price they ought to be.

I stole the picture off of Ebay. 50 for $12.70 with free shipping.

The boating places must gold plate stuff when it comes in. I don't frequent them much.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-BLUE-16-14-GAUGE-HEAT-SHRINK-BULLET-CONNECTORS-MARINE-ELECTRICAL-WIRE-SPLCE-/271012870993

i was gonna say to get flat trailer wiring connectors... you can get them in 2 to 5 wire configurations for not too much money... a little crimp/solder/shrink wrap action and you have a gauge cluster that unplugs..

novaderrik wrote: and you have a gauge cluster that unplugs..

That's what I'm hoping is a positive side effect from all this.

novaderrik wrote: i was gonna say to get flat trailer wiring connectors... you can get them in 2 to 5 wire configurations for not too much money... a little crimp/solder/shrink wrap action and you have a gauge cluster that unplugs..

Ooh, I forgot about those. I use those all the time, so shame on me for forgetting.

The best part is that you get both ends in one package!

I was thinking Weatherpak because I recently bought a whole lot of Weatherpak makin's. Summit sells the bare connectors, pins, and sealing plugs. All separately, of course.

When I did my boat, I used the shrink-wrap crimp connectors. They look like normal crimp connectors but the insulation on them is heat-shrink material.

My local electrical supply shop also sells Weatherpak, Bosch, and those grey/orange Japanese style connectors. They were expensive and a little cumbersome for my fat fingers so I just snipped some weatherpaks off an old Firebird wiring harness I had laying around. I used the shrink-type crimps and its been great for 5 years.

I've done a few custom wiring harnesses for cars and then I use uninsulated crimps, solder, and heat shrink.

Würth sells solder-shrink connectors that self-solder and heatshrink when you hit it with a heat gun. Freakin' magic. They're a little proud of them, but if you're doing a ton of connections, I think they pay for themselves in the time you save. I don't know if they're marine rated, though I can attest for their durability in motorcycle applications. We went through scores of them at my old shop and they were nothing but reliable.

Dr. Hess wrote: If you don't have a mil-spec crimper and mil-spec connectors, then I suggest twisting the wires together, soldering, heat shrink over that.

absolutely this

Dealing with my wife and her boats has taught me that electrical stuff gets destroyed in a matter of months in a boat. Those cheap connectors that work just fine in cars for years on end will be gone before the season is out.

Corrosion up the wires from the unsealed end is remarkable. It travels severfal feet in a boat in less than a year.

There's a reason boat stuff is so expensive. If you want it to last, you have to pay.

I always was impressed by a solder zaps, a splice that brings heat shrink and solder into a single product. Seen them used a few times and they seem great. Takes a somewhat costly heat gun to do properly.

http://www.calcentron.com/Pages/elektralink/elektralink_sealed_solder_splice_kits.php