Connections are where you will get most problems tightness is the main problem but sealing with liquid tape and/or duraloc or similar coating for dissimilar metals where used is essential.
DC circuits especially in damp or marine environments would be subject to electrolosis more than a normal environment.
We removed heaps of old 32v DC lighting plants years ago and the only wiring that wasn't dripping or tainted green was some installed later which was tinned, however these cables only had a rubber coating which had perished or cracked
Personally I use tinned where available and seal all joints.
ive manufactured and tested a lot of control systems in my day,ive built stuff for chemical,oil,marine enviroments.We would cover the heavy copper busbars with heatshrink and coat the exposed ends with a red jelly,the red jelly acted as both a sealant and it stopped electrosis.
using terminal boxes rated to IP 66 would work also,but then the cost would outweigh the advantages.
If you could seal the ends such as is done with MICC cable then that would stop any moisture ingress,maybee self vulcanising tape and liquid sealant would be the answer
On tests done on micc cable,the moisture ingres would reach about 2 inches and then go no further,so as long as you have quality insulation on the cable and you leave enough of a tail,you could reterminate the ends if they start to rot
When I rebuilt my 1956 classic sloop I removed a lot of old dried copper automotive wire the previous owners had used over the years. The copper was black with corrosion inside the insulation.
Boats are in a harsh marine environment and wiring is subject to heat build up and the constant movement when at sea. I would only use a top quality marine rated wire.
When an insurance company finishes a fire damage clam investigation and finds fused automotive wire....you can kiss coverage good bye if its not original by the boat mfg or ABYC!
....I still need to finish ripping out all that zip cord Roger put in my 2000x...I am replacing with marine wire....Practical Boat Article or not!
PS wasnt talking about automotive, etc wiring.. they just were talking about tinning vs marine untinned wire.
There are thousands of Macs out there with factory wiring that still work. At least with the M, there is factory marine grade wire. I have no issue with it on our M.
Rich, you not only replaced untinned wire, you replaced roughly 30 year-old insulation containing wire of unknown condition throughout its entirety... before taking your family across oceans, where help would be a long time coming. You also made your boat much more attractive for resale, because Practical Sailor not withstanding, there are many buyers and surveyors who like some in this thread, still believe in it. That includes me.
Tinned wiring is a backup to proper sealing of terminations, as well as to compromise of the insulation. I use dielectric grease, liquid electrical tape (which I've seen crack over time), as well as Ancor adhesive heat shrink, and I still use tinned wiring on boats, even those doing coastal duty. Don't let one magazine article make you second guess yourself. You did the right thing, especially considering your intended use.
Im with Moe on this one. For most of us who are weekend sailors its a waste of money, but for going offshore it makes sense to use high quality stuff
There are all kinds of compromises on the Mac build design and choice of materials (the latest is the change to Marelon winches which are plastic) which fit the needs of landlubbers like me, but wont do for the Mad Mikes and Rich's of the world.
Knowing the price premeium I paid to completely rewire my 30yr old boat with tinned wire....it was hard to read the PS article and not feel like a sucker to some extent, but it does help me sleep better at night, as will the "wasted money" on a $3800 life raft that I will "never use"....at least I hope!
