Motor starter disconnect

[brackish]

When I bought my 23, I asked the previous owners to go through the dismount process for the 9.9 electric start motor.  The first step was to disconnect the start cable from the battery (forward portion of the starboard cockpit locker) by removing the two wing nuts, removing the charger cables and the jumpers, removing the start cable ring terminals, then replacing all but the latter.  The cable then ran through a hole in the aft portion of the starboard cockpit seat bulkhead, but the ring terminals would not fit through without removing the small vent clam (three wood screws, not what you would want to do often).  After that you fed the cable through the fuel storage area and through the port upper stern tube to the motor area.  When the motor was finally off, you had fifteen feet or so of double 8 ga. cable to deal with. 

I was determined to make this a quicker process and eliminate the long cable, so I decided to put a quick disconnect just inside the stern tube.  Finding a disconnect that could handle 8 ga. and still fit trough the 1-3/8" id stern tube proved difficult.  I first went to a trolling motor disconnect, but the male plug would not fit through the opening.  So after much searching I went with these.

http://www.powerwerx.com/product.asp?ProdID=3042&CtgID=3578

When locked together, one black and one red, if you shave about 0.010" off of each corner, easily done, they will fit through the stern tube.  The contacts will carry all the ampacity of an 8 ga. wire and then some.  For marine purposes once the cable is crimped to the contacts and installed in the connector the back can be sealed with silicone or a heat shrink tube.  I also wrap the connector with miracle wrap and end up with a weatherproof connection.  I also think, but can't necessarily prove, that it becomes an explosion proof connection with the seal.  This was a minor concern since it is in a fuel locker area, however, I believe the venting is adequate that an explosive mixture cannot occur.  Additionally they will only make or break with the cover off.

May not be a problem for anyone else, or maybe others have solved in a different manner, but it worked very well for me and for only eight bucks.

Frank

[Craig Weis]

I think you did a fine job of curing a messy and difficult problem. These connectors fit inside the scupper sized tube and are much closer to the electric motor they are 'driving'. Easy to check connections with a test lite once you pull them out so you can get to them.
I don't know for sure if these connections nor the location make these connectors intrinsically safe but it is a mute point.
You'll be fine.

About a million years ago for Windsor Plastic Products, makers of the dashboard facades for Ford F-series P-up trucks, Lincoln, T-birds-and Mercury's, and Tempo and Mustangs with 'soft touch paint' on hard plastic dashes of plus tail lights for all these.

We installed 10~$75,000 Fanuc robots that were each driven by a $80,000 Carol Controller mounted on top of the Binks spray booths in Canada. Hundreds of wires and connections ran through 2 inch CPVC pipe between the two pieces of equipment. ONCE everything was tested-up and running the Canadian's made us mix up 10 liters of epoxy and pour that into each pipe for each robot just to ensure that the paint fumes would never travel up into the Carol Controllers and make a boom. What a waste of good epoxy. So much for things being intrinsically safe.


Like on aeroplanes, the electrics are all ways above the hydraulic lines and on the opposite side of the landing gear wheel well bay. Just in case the hydraulics drip...they can't drip on the wiring. Unless your inverted then you'll find more problems to deal with.

Good job brackish.
skip.