Next message: A Jensen: "T&T: RE: Welding cable"
I changed out all the old (almost twenty years) welding cable in my boat a
couple years ago. Welding cable likes to wick up salty air, that I can tell
you. It likes to loosen up in compression fittings - just imagine trying to
compression fit a bunch of hair in say something like a butt connector. It
doesn't give one a lot of confidence it will stay put. The welding cable
was hard for me to solder the battery leads to it because the hair-like
wires sucked up solder faster than I could pour it in.
As an alternative to what I consider the overkill of tinned 2/0 marine grade
battery cable, I went to a local battery shop with my old welding cables and
had them duplicate them in standard non-tinned, 2/0 battery cable. They did
the compression type fittings on a machine that really crunches the fitting
securely, AND each was fitted with waterproof heat-shrink wrapping. Now I
could have red and black insulation vice all black welding cable, and I am
well satisfied the cables will outlast me AND the boat's next owner.
Don't get me wrong, this was not cheap, but it was fair cheaper than the
marine-grade material. Remember what USSR Admiral of the Navy Goshkov said
as he built up an impressive Soviet Navy that challenged our "best" Navy
(with me aboard) through much of the cold war - "The best is the enemy of
good enough." I think it applies well in this case. My good enough battery
cables will be just as shiny, maybe shinier, when opened in fifty years as
the tinned marine grade.
Rich Gano
CALYPSO (GB-42-295)
Southport, FL (Panama City area)
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