cable gage

[FishinAK]

Any suggestions as to what gage cable I should use to connect my batteries to the battery switch? The length will only be about 18 inches. Thanx

[Reel-Rascals]

What motor? Amp load? To give an example (per Seahorse) the starter for '93 and later OMC V6 outboards has an initial peak of just over 225 amps, then it drops down to between 160 and 190 amps.

For a 3' run (Note: for ampacity calculations, the run must be measured BOTH ways, so you have an 18" run times 2!) the ampacity of certain AWG cable is listed below, per this "free" program, click here,, then go to "Wireseizer 2.0" in the left-hand margin and download it.

1/0 cable = 285 amps
1 = 245
2 = 210
3 = 180

From what I remember, the made-up Ancor battery cable assemblies (sold in 18", 32", and 48" lengths) are made with #2 wire.