​Understanding the Differences Between Various Wires and Cables on a Boat

What we mean by wires and cables

When people use the terms boat wire or boat cable, there are multiple varieties of wire and cable they could be referring to. Maybe they mean marine battery cable. Or perhaps they meant Shore power cord. The point is that the terms can lead to confusion. This article aims to remove the ambiguity around the terms boat wire and boat cable as well as cover some of the most common electrical wires and cables you are likely to use on a boat.

So, in the broadest sense boat wire or boat cable can refer to any electrical wire or cable found on a boat, but how useful is that? Spoiler alert, it’s not. Knowing the proper names of wires and cables can make explaining the issue or finding a replacement cable much simpler. From this point on we’ll be referring to each type of wire or cable by their more commonly used names. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll break this article into two sections; one covering cables that may be considered boat cable, and the other about wires that could be considered boat wire. Ok, let us start with what could be considered boat cable.

"Knowing the proper names of wires and cables can make explaining the issue or finding a replacement cable much simpler."

What could be considered Boat cable?

Boat cable is an electrical cable made up of a group of conductors rather than a single one. It is often noted for being flexible, durable, and resistant to environmental conditions. For a more detailed explanation about the difference between wire and cable, click here. The biggest defining factor of boat cable is that it will be comprised of multiple, sometimes individually jacketed, conductors. A great example of this is round boat cable.

Round Boat Cable

Triplex Boat Cable

Duplex Boat Cable

Marine Battery Cable

Shore Power Cord

Round Boat Cable

Round boat cable is designed to be used when routing through tight spaces such as a boat hull. It gets its name from its round shape which allows this type of cable to bend in any direction. By using a cable that is designed around the idea of flexibility, you make installation and maintenance much simpler. Think about it. Trying to get a flat cable to bend in every direction is just not going to happen. Round boat cable will usually have between two and twelve conductors making it perfect for a wide range of applications. Other types of cables will not give you the range of motion that this cable will.

Triplex Boat Cable

Triplex boat cable carries three conductors and is designed for power-specific applications. Ideal for use in 120V AC, 230V AC, or 240V AC applications, triplex boat cable is made in multiple styles in order to be a more versatile type of boat cable. When triplex boat cable has a white jacket, then its internal conductors are white, green, and black and it is built for use in 120V AC wiring applications. If your triplex boat cable carries a tan jacket, the internal conductors will be blue, brown, and green with a yellow stripe. This tan cable is designed for use in 230V AC applications. If your triplex cable has a blue outer jacket then its internal conductors are red, green, and black and it is built for use in 240V AC applications.

"Ideal for use in 120V AC, 230V AC, or 240V AC applications, triplex boat cable is made in multiple styles in order to be a more versatile type of boat cable."

Duplex Boat Cable

Duplex boat cable is similar to triplex although it has two internal conductors rather than three. Duplex cable is most often used for internal wiring such as connecting transformers in an AC system. All duplex cable has a white jacket but there are three different print colors with each identifying a different type of duplex cable. Black print on the outer jacket means that the conductors inside are black and white. This is what most people consider “standard” duplex boat cable. When your duplex cable has silver print on it the internal conductors are red and black. This is considered “DC” duplex boat cable. If the duplex cable has blue print on its insulation, its conductors are red and yellow and it is considered to be “Safety” duplex cable.

Marine Battery Cable

Marine battery cable is used in a variety of applications such as connecting a generator to a starter, ground, switch, or inverter in equipment that deals with high amperages. One important aspect of any marine battery cable is the protection and resistances that it offers. Withstanding heat, moisture, and vibration are minimum expectations. Pacer marine battery cable is built with the harshest environments in mind. The proprietary insulation is resistant to oil, moisture, gasoline, flame, acid, abrasion, and alkali. Additionally, this cable is built around the ideas of flexibility and reliability. Usually, marine boat cable is available in 6 AWG all the way to 4/0 AWG.

Shore Power Cord

Shore power cord is utilized on larger boats that require generators while on the water. When you bring your boat into a dock, you will not want to continue to run generator power, will you? That is why you would want shore power cord. It allows you to safely connect to shore power when docked. Shore power cord is extremely durable and carries a thick outer jacket. This cable is resistant to oil, alkali, acids, and ozone among other environmental conditions. Shore power cord is often the ideal choice for applications where a high degree of oil resistance is a requirement.

What would be considered boat wire?

Boat wire is a type of electrical wire that is made up of a single conductor. Boat wire, or marine wire, needs to be highly resistant to the marine environment as well as durable and flexible. As we shared above, this is a more detailed explanation of the differences between wire and cable. When looking at boat wire, one of the largest factors to consider is its intended purpose. Some wires are designed for highly specific functions and choosing the right one will ensure that your project turns out how you want it to. Let us start by looking at marine wire.

Marine Wire

Striped Marine Wire

Hook Up Wire

Bus Bar Wire

Wire Jumpers

Marine Wire

Marine wire, also known as Primary wire, is in every boat with a motor. This insulated, stranded copper wire is tinned to resist corrosion in the toughest marine conditions. You will find that marine wire is often available in 40 AWG all the way to 8 AWG however, different governing bodies adhere to different ranges. Marine wire, like many wires and cables on this list, needs to be flexible and durable as well as highly resistant to environmental factors. When choosing a marine wire for your boat, make sure that it is at least resistant to oil, acid, gasoline, flame, moisture, abrasion, and alkali.

Striped Marine Wire

If you have ever looked behind a complex electrical panel you have seen what a multitude of wires looks like. Remember that each wire carries current to a specific location. So how do you tell the difference between wires when there are dozens? Striped marine wire carries a painted striped on the outer jacket giving it a two-tone identifier. So, a red/blue striped marine wire would be a red wire with a blue stripe painted on it. In this way, you can have hundreds of possible combinations so even the most complex marine electrical system could be navigated more easily.

Hook Up Wire

Hook up wire is commonly employed as internal wiring in electrical applications. Available in multiple styles, hook up wire is manufactured in different insulation thicknesses depending on the style you choose. There is a thin wall hook up wire as well as a medium wall hook up wire. Boaters often use hook up wire for short runs when repairing panels or other pieces of equipment. One notable feature of hook up wire is that it is resistant to both oil and flame. Hook up wire is built to handle the constant vibration of a boat and is still flexible enough to make installations much easier.

Bus Bar Wire

Bus bar wire is the only uninsulated wire or cable on this list. Being unshielded, unjacketed, and uninsulated means that this wire is bare metal. It gets the name bus bar wire as its most common use is as feeder lines on a bus bar. This type of wire can be used to distribute power from a centralized bus bar to multiple various pieces of equipment. Bus bar wire is solid not stranded since it has no insulation to hold the strands together. To better handle the marine environment, bus bar wire is tinned which protects it against corrosion.

Wire Jumpers

Wire jumpers are pre-made short sections of wire designed and built to connect the backside of an electrical panel or other, similar piece of electrical equipment. They vary from four inches in length to six inches and can have a wide range of terminals on each end. For example, one type of wire jumper has a disconnect on one end and a piggyback on the other. Another, similar wire jumper has a ring terminal on each end. So you see, each type of wire jumper is built with a specific application in mind. They make installation a simple task and can reduce the time it takes to install a panel from hours to minutes.

Picking the Right Wire or Cable for the Job

After looking at this article it should be clear as to why having the right wire or cable for the job is essential. Duplex boat cable will not work in an application that requires triplex boat cable. Knowing when and where to use each type of wire or cable can go a long way towards making installation, maintenance, and repairs easier tasks. The goal of this article was to remove any confusion around the various types of boat cable and boat wire and the terms used to identify them.

Why the Pros Choose Pacer

Pacer has been serving the marine industry for over four decades. We have used that time to build a reputation as a trusted partner and an electrical solutions provider. We serve some of the biggest boat builders in the world and our wire and cable can be found across the globe. Think about that for a minute. If multi-million-dollar companies turn to Pacer for their electrical solutions, why would you go anywhere else? The professionals trust Pacer and so should you. Once you get your hands on our wire and cable and compare it to the competition, you’ll see why it is so popular. When you see Pacer on your wire or cable, you know that you’ve got quality.