[floatsome]

I have rewired the AC side of this old sailboat. I hope to reuse the shore power charger (upgrade to multistage charger next budget go-around). The AC wires do not have screw attachment points on this old Newmar RM-20. Has anyone seen this style of crimp connector anywhere? I'd prefer not to use butt connectors because the charger's wires are so much smaller than the 14 g wire I am using, and of course wire nuts are out. Thoughts?

 

[sailingdog]

Use the normal adhesive-lined heat shrink covered crimp fittings... FTZ makes them as well as Ancor... They make ones that are specifically for joining different size wires. See HERE

 

[floatsome]

Aha! Step down butt connectors. That took me to here: Molex - Molex-ETC Precision Engineered Terminals. Now I just have to find a supplier of 5 or less, in Canada, hopefully near home. Thanks.

 

[sailingdog]

LOL... finding a source close to you in Canada is your job.. they're damn useful connectors to have though.

 

[floatsome]

Haven't found step-down connectors yet, but did find two packages of five blind wire connectors just like the photo, hanging on the rack at Home Depot.

 

[sailingdog]

Floatsome—

In general, on a boat, you want to have sealed connectors, like the ones I've linked to in my previous post. The blind wire connectors are not really suitable for use on a boat, since they'll trap water against the wires should they get wet. The adhesive-lined heat shrink covered butt-splice step down terminals are the best way to go. If you're going to be working on your boat for any larger projects having the crimping tool and using the right crimp terminals will make your job a lot easier and the connections last a lot longer.

 

[floatsome]

SD - Thanks, I understand those points, and I use top quality crimped connectors and shrinkwrap. This is a unique problem. The old blind connectors were tucked inside that protected space in the charger with strain relief on the wires, and the old wires were perfectly dry with absolutely no sign of corrosion. I am still looking for a source of step-down butt connectors though, since I do prefer shrinkwrapped connections.