When it comes to fishing boats, there are many after market products
available, which make certain styles of fishing much more convenient.
However, there are only handfuls that can be equally beneficial to both
inshore and offshore fishermen. One of these products is the electrical
receptacle. Installing one or more on your rig will keep your deck free
and clear of all wires and most importantly allow you to operate 12
volt appliances easily and safely.
Whether you use deep drop equipment, electric kite reels and downriggers, submersible fish lights, trolling motors or a blender to mix your favorite frozen drink, every accessory is more convenient when you can just plug and play.
If you are not mechanically inclined or do not have the correct tools for an electrical installation of this type, please see a professional marine mechanic. Electricity and wiring are not something you want to skimp on in the harsh marine environment.
If you choose to complete the installation yourself, here are a couple things you should keep in mind. Before heading out to your local marine hardware store to purchase all the necessary parts, it’s important to evaluate exactly how much power you will be running through the receptacle. For crews that utilize high amperage equipment and demand large surges of power, such as commercial grade electric reels, it’s extremely important to use heavy 8 gauge wire and a 50 amp circuit breaker in your installation process. With low amperage equipment, such as fluorescent fish lights or a 12 volt trolling motor, a 30 amp circuit breaker and 10 gauge wire will suffice, since there won’t be any sudden heavy power surges.
When it comes to installing electrical receptacles on your boat, circuit breakers are definitely preferred over inline fuses. With an inline fuse, if you inadvertently overload the system you will need to altogether replace the fuse. Blowing a fuse can be an annoying occurrence and will usually occur if you use blenders or high amperage equipment which demands a sudden surge of power. By implementing a breaker rather than a fuse into the circuitry, all that would be required is a simple ‘reset’.
Equally as important as the circuit breaker is having the correct battery for this type of application. Nothing less than a high quality deep cycle marine battery is acceptable. Your electric kite reels, downriggers and other accessories demand a lot of power to operate efficiently; using a starting battery rather than a deep cycle battery will diminish your products overall performance. In addition, you should always integrate battery isolators with any high or constant draw applications such as receptacles. A battery isolator will assure that you have fresh starting batteries on every trip.
After determining whether a 30 or 50 amp system is right for you, it’s time to decide how many receptacles you would like to install. It’s not uncommon for tournament equipped boats to have up to four; two mounted in the bow and two in the cockpit on both the starboard and port sides. This allows the team the ability to simultaneously use two electric kite reels and two electric downriggers.
For inshore anglers, you could place one in a front compartment and another in a rear hatch. Now you have the versatility of using your trolling motor from the bow to scout the mangroves or from the stern to chase beach tarpon.
There are a variety of receptacles that are available as after market products. Plugs and outlets constructed from hardened plastic or stainless steel are just two of the options. Regardless of which you choose, carefully plan the installation of the receptacle. Remember that the goal is convenience. Do not install the outlet where it will create an obstruction. The last thing you want is to smash your knee into it every time you run up the side of the boat.
With a few proper tools and a little common sense, just about anyone can complete this project by following the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Your ground wire, always black, will run from the negative terminal on your battery to the negative stud on the back of the receptacle. Your positive wire, always red, will run from the positive terminal on your battery to your battery switch and then to the positive stud on the receptacle. Make sure you connect the positive to whatever position represents the isolated battery on your switch. Add an inline circuit breaker to the positive wire in between the switch and the receptacle and you’re halfway done! Screw the receptacle into its waterproof housing, properly connect all the wires and mount the outlet in the predetermined position on your boat. You’re ready for juice!
By utilizing plugs and receptacles for all your after market appliances, you can minimize your chance of downtime while on the water. There are a variety of companies that manufacturer great products for this type of installation and most can be found at just about every boating accessory store. It’s a good idea to use circuit breakers which are not affected by temperature or repeated exposure to overloads. High quality marine inline circuit breakers are designed to ignore nuisance ‘trips’. Good breakers also provide a trip-free safety mechanism which cannot be held closed during over current or fault conditions. Also look for corrosion resistant breakers which are constructed with the highest grade materials to insure years of trouble free service. The parts for a single 30 to 50 amp application should cost between $185 and $250, respectively. If you choose to add more than one receptacle, obviously the cost will go up from there.
Again, if you are not familiar with electrical installations, have a professional complete the job and just add another two to three hours of labor to the total cost.
When you’re ready to use the receptacles, turn your battery switch to the proper position and you now have power on demand. No more opening hatches, rusty alligator clips or cluttered decks on board your boat!
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