Marine Wiring: 5 Tips for Preventing Corrosion

If you own a boat, you’ll need to use marine wire. There are many components throughout any vessel that require it. However, the conditions present on the water make wire corrosion a potential issue if you don’t take preventative measures.

Duplex marine wire is perfect for many boat components, but what can you do to protect it? We’ll discuss that in detail now.

Lubricate Your Wire Rope

Wire rope is used for many things on a boat. You will utilize it for towing, lifting, and mooring. You may also use it for the winching and towing of other vessels such as boats or barges if that becomes necessary.

Lubricating your wire rope is one of the best ways to prevent the possibility of corrosion. The lubrication is primarily to reduce friction, but it will also make the corrosive elements the wire rope encounters less effective.

Try a Dielectric Silicone Compound

Electrical connections where you’ve attached marine wires are prime positions that can feel the effects of corrosion. You can combat that with a dielectric silicone compound.

You will want to coat and seal any electrical connections on your boat with it. The greasy texture of dielectric silicone compounds is perfect for fighting off the corrosion that is always lurking in boating environments.

Clean Your Battery Terminals Often

You will also notice that the battery terminals on your boat where marine wires are connected are places that feel the effects of corrosion more than most other components. The solution there is to disconnect the terminals often and to clean them with the right solution.

You can buy solutions that are specifically designed for boating wire. However, you can also make your own, and it’s less expensive.

You will need a simple solution of baking soda and water. Once you have mixed up a batch, you can take a clean rag and rub the solution along the lengths of wire and all over the boat’s battery terminals.

Install Enclosures That Provide Waterproofing

There are sensitive components all over your boat, many of which have marine wire attached to them. It will be difficult to protect some parts of that wire which are exposed, which is why you must look over it frequently to make sure no sections are discolored or worn away. You can also install waterproof enclosures over the most crucial areas, though.

You can often find waterproof enclosures that are designed to fit over the most necessary and delicate parts of the boat’s electronic system. Use those whenever you can. While rubbing the exposed wires and connections down with corrosion-resistant solutions is always a smart idea, enclosing any sensitive areas is even better.

Keep the Wires as Dry as Possible

You’re constantly around water when you’re on a boat, but that doesn’t mean you should not try to keep the wires and any other electrical components dry. If you route your wires away from anywhere that gets the most water exposure, you’re less likely to have to deal with corrosion.