All right, I know that these things come with the installation kits on a lot of marine electrical and electronic components. Wire nuts that is. In case you don't know what a wire nut is, the photo below is showing them, yes, on a boat as the yellow connectors for the cabin fan in the photo.



So why not use them, especially since they came free with the unit you just bought? Simple, the vendors that include these in their kits really don't understand industry Standards (ABYC) for electrical installations.


Part 1- We require the use of multi-strand wire to mitigate issues related to vibration on boats.


Part 2- Wire nuts are engineered for use on single strand conductors such as you have in your house. They work well for that purpose.


Part 3- When used with multi-strand conductors, the more you try to tighten the wire nut on to the connection you are trying to make, the more small strands of wire you destroy, and the weaker the connection actually becomes.


NEVER use wire nuts in marine applications. Use a proper crimp type butt connector instead.

Written by: Ed Sherman
Ed Sherman is a regular contributor to boats.com, as well as to Professional Boatbuilder and Cruising World, where he previously was electronics editor. He also is the curriculum director for the American Boat and Yacht Council. Previously, Ed was chairman of the Marine Technology Department at the New England Institute of Technology. Ed’s blog posts appear courtesy of his website, EdsBoatTips.