AWG 22 stranded marine wire

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Mark Gadson's picture
Mark Gadson
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Joined: 8/14/16
Posts: 28
AWG 22 stranded marine wire

Where can one purchase 22 AWG stranded marine wire?  I need to extend some data cables and it calls for ONLY AWG 22 stranded marine wire.  Or, can one use 20 AWG stranded marine wire?  It will be used for extending GPS data connections. I know that the correct size and type of wire is extremely important.  Thanks for any help and guidance in this area.

Mark and Karen Gadson
St Michaels, MD
1995 Catalina 36 Mk II (Hull 1458) - Tall Rig; Wing Keel; M35
​Home Port:  St Michaels, MD
Boat Name: Magnolia

LeslieTroyer's picture
LeslieTroyer
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Posts: 533
20awg in shielded twisted pair should work fine Your problem is ABYC specs the smallest boat wire to be 16AWG (iirc) so smaller wire is lumped into signal and typically only comes in 20awg

Les & Trish Troyer
Mahalo 
Everett, WA
1983 C-36 Hull #0094
C-36 MK 1 Technical Editor. 

Commodore

 

True Wind
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Posts: 139

Mark
Most wires that are that small are not tinned, so I'm not sure what they mean by marine wire. I would just recommend getting a quality 24-gage twisted shielded cable. Don't let an obscure ABYC power wire size sidetrack you.  Your boat probably doesn’t meet current ABYC standards any way. 
 
ABYC in the beginning was objecting to how small the NMEA 2000 wires were, when NMEA 2000 started to become popular. ABYC’s objection was that a lite sized NMEA 2000 cable uses 22-gage wire for power and 24-gage wires for data.  NMEA did a lot of test research with the US Coast Guard. The tests were successful thus the wire size for NMEA has stayed the same. NMEA and ABYC have kissed and made up and are now giving certification classes together.
 
My two cents worth.

2003 Catalina 36

Mark Gadson's picture
Mark Gadson
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Posts: 28

Thanks, Les and True Wind!  I ended up using 20 AWG stranded, shielded cable. Did the trick.  It was interesting and helpful to learn of the history of the discussion leading to the current codes/guielines for wiring on boats.

Mark and Karen Gadson
St Michaels, MD
1995 Catalina 36 Mk II (Hull 1458) - Tall Rig; Wing Keel; M35
​Home Port:  St Michaels, MD
Boat Name: Magnolia

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