Amp wire kit?

[latitudeadjuster]

Seems ground on most kits are 3 ft. Where is the best place for ground I think I have seen posts on engine....can you show or lead me to a link or pic of previous thread?


Thanks

 

[brockhals]

Power and ground need to run to the battery, or battery switch, depending on your setup. They need to be very close to the same length to avoid any noise.

 

[OrangeTJ]

The 3 foot ground cable in most wiring kits is a weakness in most of these kits, since you'll almost certainly be mounting your amp further away from the battery than that. I found that out when I went to install my new amp this weekend. 3 feet is about 2 feet short of what I need. I'll just have to get some cable and a ring terminal. As stated above, in a boat you need to ground directly to the battery, or to a ground bus if you install one. Of course, the bus would have to be wired to the battery. Unlike a car, there is no "chassis ground".

 

[Ronnie]

Great info guys. I plan to install a 6 channel amp soon that I bought last year, so the info. Here is very timely. I haven't made it down to Home Depot/lowes yet but that is where I plan to buy the extra wiring I'll need to mount the amp under the steering column.

 

[MikeyL]

I sincerely hope this post helps many jet boaters out there.

CABLING for Amplifiers needs to be purchased VERY carefully. There are only two "TYPES" of cables, normally used for POWER cabling for amplifiers in consumer devices. And some manufacturers do not make it easy for the purchaser to know what type he/she is buying.
TYPE 1 - CHEAP - NOT SUITABLE - "CCA" = Copper Clad ALUMINUM. You wouldn't EVER use or allow aluminum power cabling in your home. Then why use it in your boat ?
TYPE 2 - THE "GOOD STUFF" - 100% OXYGEN-FREE COPPER Cabling (normally often also Multi-Stranded).

TYPE 2 costs a LOT more than type 1. GOOD manufacturers of 100% oxygen-free cabling are PROUD of what they are selling and will tell you, so you won't haveta wonder. If the manufacturer doesn't specifiy what type of cable they are selling, you can almost KNOW FOR SURE it is crap "CCA" cable.

Do Your AMP and YOURSELF a favor and use GOOD CABLE TYPES.
Now go have yourself a GREAT DAY ! Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

[Ronnie]

@MikeyL , good point. My amp is not anything special but it wasn't cheap either. I can justify going to the local auto stereo store and buying better quality cable, I just don't want to end up buying brand of the wrong cable.

 

[MikeyL]

[B][FONT=Arial][COLOR=#0000ff]@MikeyL[/COLOR][/FONT][/B] , good point. My amp is not anything special but it wasn't cheap either. I can justify going to the local auto stereo store and buying better quality cable, I just don't want to end up buying brand of the wrong cable.

@Ronnie - EXCELLENT point ! How much your amp costs is not important. Most amps are just fine, for our boats (IF they are installed and FUSED properly !

But the installation is a pain. And while 100% Oxygen-free copper multi-stranded cable costs more, you get it back ! You'll have less "amp problems" and your amp will most likely put out more power since it will have maximum amperage delivered to it.

All of this is kinda like the old days and the Fram oil filter man - "You can pay me now, or you can pay later, but sooner or later you haveta pay !"
Good Luck, @Ronnie - WIth a LOT of research, I bought my cable off eBAY. But I was EXTRA CAREFUL of what I was buying and who I purchased it from.

 

[MikeyL]

Seems ground on most kits are 3 ft. Where is the best place for ground ......... Thanks

EXCELLENT QUESTION: WIRING boat electronics is totally different from wiring in an auto. That's why "kits" are a waste. You need to invest a little time - measuring, calculating, checking, confirming, double checking - Way before you ever spend any money. WHAT fuse size does your amp manufacturer(s) recommend you use ? Why TYPE of fuse are you going to use. Where are you going to mount your fuse holders, and to what are you going to mount them. What size cable lugs do you need, and how many ? Have you made sure the lugs are 100% copper ? Are you going to solder the cable ends to the lugs ? Do you have a soldering gun STRONG enough to do this ? Where are you going to mount your amp, and to what are you going to mount it ? What hardware do you need for this ? Did you allow enough in your cable run MEASUREMENTS for connectors, tie offs, bends, etc.
I am not saying these are all of the questions you need to ask, check on, confirm, etc - They are ONLY SOME of what you need to know.
BOAT ELECTRONICS are actually VERY EASY to install. What is the pain is the pre-install measuring, planning, checking, etc.
Spend a LOT of time here first, and you won't believe how SMOOTH your install will go.

Hopefully this shows why you cannot just go buy an "amp install kit." It just doesn't work in a boat.
Good Luck - Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

[latitudeadjuster]

I was looking for something more comical but I found this pic NOT MY BOAT, clear zips.....lol....I told my neighbor my son said "cant we just zip tie it to the tower"....I said it would NEVER happen....lol my son could live for 6 months in wilderness with small knife and duct tape....lmao

 

[latitudeadjuster]

@Ronnie - EXCELLENT point ! How much your amp costs is not important. Most amps are just fine, for our boats (IF they are installed and FUSED properly !

But the installation is a pain. And while 100% Oxygen-free copper multi-stranded cable costs more, you get it back ! You'll have less "amp problems" and your amp will most likely put out more power since it will have maximum amperage delivered to it.

All of this is kinda like the old days and the Fram oil filter man - "You can pay me now, or you can pay later, but sooner or later you haveta pay !"
Good Luck, @Ronnie - WIth a LOT of research, I bought my cable off eBAY. But I was EXTRA CAREFUL of what I was buying and who I purchased it from.

True that....im not a mastermind but I like to think things out so they are done correct the first time. I think I found an AMP and sub match and the amp has a 15' harness, we shall see how good it is when it comes in....figure its free with amp so if I throw it away oh well right. Need to be sure it has fuse attached to harness like you mention as well.

Thanks all for input!