Round Boat Cable

What is round boat cable?

Round boat cable is a type of marine cable designed to be routed through-hulls and tight spaces. That is to say, it is designed with flexibility in mind. The round shape of this multi conductor boat cable allows it to bend in any direction making any installation go much easier. You may not realize just how useful that is, but trust us, when working in tight spaces, you will absolutely want a cable that is extremely flexible. With other cables, you deal with a lack of flexibility and oftentimes, a flat cable that has a very limited range of motion. That limited range of motion translates into a difficult installation as you will likely be fighting to get the cable through the tight areas like the boat hull. That problem is alleviated by using a round cable which, as stated above, is designed to handle jobs exactly like that. Round cable is found in many boats, and with good reason. It serves the purpose of being a multi-conductor cable that offers durability, flexibility, and longevity.

"The round shape of this multi conductor boat cable allows it to bend in any direction making any installation go much easier."

How do I Properly Strip Round Boat Cable?

Properly stripping round boat cable is easier than you may think. For this task, we are going to need three types of tools; cable cutters, a round cable stripping tool, and a wire stripper. For the cutters, we will use high-leverage cable cutters. We will start by measuring our cable. When you measure your cable to cut, be sure to add an extra inch or two. It's better to have your cable slightly too long rather than slightly too short. The high leverage cable cutter will cut through the multi-conductor cable with ease. For round cables, you can use either the round cable slit tool or the ideal cable stripper. For a larger cable diameter, the VT45-144 is the optimal choice. After adjusting your blade to the proper depth, simply open the mouth of the tool and place it over the round cable. Make at least one full pass around the cable. You can pull the jacket off revealing the inner conductors. Now we will use our wire strippers. For this we'll use our compact wire stripper as it covers the gauge sizes we will be working with. After figuring out the correct amount of insulation to strip, we will use our strippers to cut the insulation while pulling it away from the main section which exposes the internal conductors. All that's left is to repeat the process on the remaining wires. And that's it. With the proper tools, you can safely cut and strip round boat cables without damaging the insulation or the internal conductors.

Where does round boat cable excel?

Pacer round boat cable excels in any marine condition, especially those that involve tight or narrow spaces. Oftentimes, people use a flat boat cable which just ends up making the job much more difficult than it needs to be. This type of boat cable is designed to be as easy to install as possible with an emphasis on convenience. That’s why Pacer took extra steps such as making the insulation easy to remove and making this cable available with a range of conductors. This way, you can quickly and easily get the cable that is best suited for the task at hand. This is the cable designed to get the job done. Round boat cable is the ideal choice for use with sailing spars, t-tops, and poling platforms.

How do you install round boat cable?

Round boat cable is designed to make difficult installations a much easier task. The round shape of the cable itself means that it can bend in any direction. You read that right, ANY direction. With flat cables or cables with less flexibility, installations in narrow spaces can quickly become a nightmare. As we mentioned above, this is exactly where round cable excels. All you need to do is pass the round cable through the desired area and continue to feed it. Give the cable a gentle bend in the direction that the narrow space will take. So, for example, you know that the space to pass the cable through will bend upward at a 90° angle, then give the first few inches of the cable a gentle bend in that direction. That will make it so that when it hits the wall of the space, it will naturally bend that way making the installation process that much easier. Once you have the round cable through the space, it's time to strip and terminate the cable. As you remove the outer jacket, you will notice that there is a yellow fiber run between the internal conductors. This is a flame retardant material that will reduce the spread of fire and increase overall safety. Once people have tried our round cable for themselves and see the flexibility firsthand, they often ask; how do you make the cable this flexible?

How is round cable manufactured?

All Pacer round boat cable is manufactured in Sarasota FL USA. The production process starts by using the highest quality copper available. This copper is then annealed and finely stranded in order to make it extremely durable without compromising its flexibility. Once complete, the finely stranded wire is now tinned to enhance its corrosion resistance. Now we have the finest conductor available that emphasizes durability, flexibility, and longevity but were not done yet. With the conductor of the cable complete, the focus shifts to the insulation. The insulation is made from a durable yet flexible PVC jacket. This jacket is made from a proprietary formula and uses virgin PVC, never regrind. This step ensures that the insulation offers the highest level of protection and maintains its high degree of flexibility.

What makes round boat cable superior?

Pacer round boat cable is superior to the competition for several reasons. First, this round boat cable is built to be extremely tough. Tough enough to handle the harshest marine conditions you’ll find. As a matter of fact, it was designed for just that purpose. Second, as stated above, this cable offers unparalleled flexibility you just don’t find with other cables. Sure, their cable may be flexible but does the insulation hold up to repeated bends without cracking? Pacer round boat cables do just that. Actually, all Pacer manufactured wire and cable products pass that test. Additionally, the proprietary insulation this round boat cable carries is highly resistant to harsh environments, but we'll talk more about that further down. With over 40 years of designing and manufacturing boat cable, Pacer has refined, tested, and perfected the process to create the highest quality round boat cable available. This is why the competition uses our cable as a template to enhance their own products.

Where is round boat cable implemented?

Properly stripped round boat cable

Round boat cable is implemented in both the construction of new electrical systems and the repair of existing ones. Due to its extreme level of flexibility and durability, it is often the first choice of experienced boat builders. Our round boat cable bends easily in any direction and, due to its large number of conductors, is often used to connect multiple electrical parts. For example, it is often used to connect switches and breakers on a panel to the rest of the electrical system. This makes it ideal for use when repairing a part, or all, of an electrical system.

How many conductors does round boat cable carry?

Pacer's round boat cable is manufactured in 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, or 12 conductors depending on the gauge that you select. Each gauge offers the number of conductors that are best suited for that size. Many gauges offer multiple conductor options so you can find the cable best suited for your project. Regardless of whether you need a 9-conductor round boat cable or even a 12-conductor round boat cable, we manufacture it to the highest standards. Below you will find a chart covering which number of conductors are available in each gauge size. Simply click on a specific gauge or conductor option to be taken to that product.

Round Boat Cable Conductor Chart
Cable Gauge	Number of Conductors	Colors of Conductors
8 AWG	4	(4 Cond.) - Red, Black, White, Green
10 AWG	2, 3, 4	(2 Cond.) - Red, Black (3 Cond.) - Black, White, Green (4 Cond.) - Red, Black, White, Green
12 AWG	2, 3, 4	(2 Cond.) - Red, Black (3 Cond.) - Black, White, Green (4 Cond.) - Red, Black, White, Green
14 AWG	2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12	(2 Cond.) - Red, Black (3 Cond.) - Black, White, Green (4 Cond.) - Red, Black, White, Green (6 Cond.) - Red, Black, White, Green, Brown, Blue (9 Cond.) - Red, Orange, Yellow, White, Black, Green, Blue, Purple, Grey (12 Cond.) - Red, Orange, Yellow, White, Black, Green, Blue, Purple, Grey, Brown, White/Black, White/Brown
16 AWG	2, 3, 4, 6	(2 Cond.) - Red, Black (3 Cond.) - Black, White, Green (4 Cond.) - Red, Black, White, Green (6 Cond.) - Red, Black, White, Green, Brown, Blue

What resistances does round cable offer?

In order for a round cable to be tough, it has to be resistant to harsh marine conditions which is why Pacer round cable is resistant to; acid, alkali, oil, flame, gasoline, abrasion, and moisture. All these hazards are present in a marine environment and every wire or cable needs to be resistant to them. In this way, we manufactured a cable that can not only handle the harshest marine conditions but can thrive in them.

Moisture
Acid
Abrasion
Alkali
Oil
Gasoline
Flame

What compliances does round boat cable carry?

Pacer's round boat cable carries a range of compliances in order to meet or exceed the standards of governing bodies. These compliances are in place so that all products live up to a basic level of quality. This is why we aim to exceed them. Who wants a basic level of quality? Aiming for more will always yield higher quality results. Below you will see a chart of the compliances that Pacer round boat cable meets or exceeds. Simply click on one of the links to be taken to that particular compliance.

1426 BC-5W2

E-11.15

33 CFR 183.401

RoHS Compliance

Why choose Pacer?

Pacer has over 40 years of experience designing, manufacturing, and selling wire and cable products. In that time, processes have been refined, tweaked, and perfected which lead to the highest quality round boat cable available. Pacer has built a reputation as a trusted brand and is chosen by some of the world’s largest boat builders for their electrical solutions. That alone is a sign of the level of quality that Pacer offers every day.

*This page was updated on 2/07/2023*

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