Anyone interested in bulk cable purchases?

[TheRealAndy]

In my hunt to find a good source of small bits of tinned cable lately, I got to thinking how many other boaties go through the same problem as I am now. I need to rewire my new boat, but cant find the cable I want in small quantities.

Soooo. if there was enough interest, I might be tempted to buy some rolls of cable. At this stage I was thinking of the following.

3-4 B&S / 25mm2 Red and Black.
6 B&S /16mm2 Aflex twin (1 red, and 1 black 6b&s cable joined figure 8 style)

Some smaller figure 8 cable, yet to decide, however this seems to be available from bias/withworths etc.

Some single wire in various colours in a tinned format, suited to 10amps of current or less.

Copper is not cheap, so I probably wont even consider it unless there is suitable interest.

[oldboot]

I may be able to help.
Some of the stuff I will already have on hand.

On rolls I have 1.5mm2 single wire in a variety of colours, tinned 240v rated insulation.
6mm marine twin, 4mm marine twin

The 25mm2 stuff can be had from Whitworths tinned for a not unreasonable price.

For lighter stuff the 10mm2 solar twin seems to be the go as it is being used in volume these days...bias stock this stuff

I did poke my electrical supplier with stick on some of this stuff, but he didn't come up too well.

And getting light twin .75mm for all those LED things, is a bit hard in tinned....I ended up rolling over and going untinned on this....I just resolved to seal up well.

I am happy to do what I can.

I very shortly have to rewire my own boat and 4wd..and there are some long battery runs to be done........I have not serioulsy shopped the heavy stuff because on my own I cant get the volume to get any leverage.
There is a local solar contractor I hear can do deals on heavy cable, but I am yet to rattle his cage....aparantly he can supply crimped cable assemblies cheaper that you can buy the cable by the roll from the "wholsaler".

I have also located a supplier that can do 25mm2 crimp lugs and 1/2 the price I have seen elsewhere.....havn't crimped any yet but they look good....only 1 stud size though.

I have been rattling the heatshrink tube cage too....I can get a good price on some pretty decent stuff, but to buy well ya have to get 10 lengths per colour and size.... but the margin is worth it.

Wa have to watch yourself though..some of the guys with "wholesale" carved on their shingle are not doing very good prices.

cheers

[finga]

Oi Andy.
What singles wires are you looking for??
I have 1.5 and 2.5mm in tinned flexible (in our reckoning not that auto-electrical mumbo-jumbo) in various colours and HUGE quanities...like 2000m quantities.
Also have 4 and 6 (I think) in the tinned and red....not sure of black.

[oldboot]

I was waiting for finger to post.

There are quite a few of us that have all sorts of stuff on hand and even more sources.

I'd be interested in peeling of some 2.5mm2 if ya have it in big spools.

Are you permanently in "Dodge City" or do you still come down the hill from time to time?;D

cheers

[TheRealAndy]

To easy gents. Let me digest. Seems that diggin deeper into the witworths website I can find most of what I need.

BTW, I a have a hex crimper that will do 25mm2 so yell out if you need it.

Ok, my immediate needs are for about 4meters of the 16mm2 twin, but I can live with seperate cables for this job. This is to run the hydraulic pump on the keel. I am not sure what the current draw is yet (have a cheap clamp meter on order from china) but the current 10mm2 is dropping to many precious volts.

I also need just a couple of meters of both black and red of the 25mm2 stuff to run to a busbar . I have trouble with finding stuff on the withworths website, but I just found it, thanks for the heads up oldboot.

I can use 1.5mm2 twin as its just for nav lights and instruments, and I need a about 20 m of slightly larger twin for charger from outboard and the power socket to the autopilot.


Oldboot, I got your message there. The main cable I was thinking about purchasing is the aflex twin cause its such versatile stuff. I want to re-run my second battery cable in the ute, and I also need to make a run to the back so I can power the trailer winch.

[oldboot]

I used to deal with a campany that imported the AFLEX stuff & they were keen to deal..... but they got sucked up by a bigger company & I lost track of the deal..I used to get mains multicore off them for lighting looms & 3phase flex back when this stuff was a bit hard to get.

What you might find is heavy fig 8 in red & blue with a clear over...we used to use this stuff for telephone exchange battery cables..... but I'm not sure it likes the sunlight......I was in my local 4wd shop & I saw a rolll of it lying arround so it is still about.

The solar people might be a good cage to rattle......I note that springers have 16mm twin for $15.40/m... but it probaly isn't tinned.


cheers

[TheRealAndy]

Went into withworhts this afternoon, no 25mm2, only the big 2B&S stuff. Not listed in the printed catalogue either.

I cant beleive this stuff is so hard to find, ask any sparky, 16mm2 and 25mm2 are common as dirt.

Anyway, I have decided to redesign the boat wiring around 10mm2 (roughly 8B&S) cable.


Here is a tip, I have a heap of lugs. Pulled out one suited to 10mm2 cable and a 10mm stud. A standard 10mm2 hex die on the crimp tool was a tad to small. Lug is branded narva. Other 10mm2 lugs are fine.

[oldboot]

I don't know aht goes on... but I got some 25mm2 or very close to it from whitworths a while ago....it was a tight fit in 25mm2 lugs but it sure wasn't 32mm3 whic 2B&S should be

try bias...last time I was in there they had what looked like 25mm2 and 10mm solar twin..neither in their catalogue.

cheers