Boat designers and engineers understand the importance of providing a safe and secure electrical system. While you don’t need to have a marine engineer degree, you should understand the basics of your vessel’s electrical system to prevent being stranded out in the water.
One preventative step is to use heat shrink tubing for all wires and cables. Using heat shrink tubing can help save you money in the long run as it protects and insulates the wires and cables, reducing the need for replacement.
How Heat Shrink Is Used in Boat Building, Repair, and Maintenance
The electrical system of a boat consists of wires, cables, terminals, and other crucial components that can be better protected with the use of heat shrink products. Whether your vessel is a pleasure craft or used to support your livelihood, the security of the electrical system is one of the top priorities of boat owners.
Advanced technology sees more and more boats being equipped with more wiring to handle new navigation and security systems. With the threat of environmental factors and regular wear and tear, don’t leave the security of your boat’s wiring to tape and markers. Use heat shrink tubing to protect, insulate, and organize all wire and cable sources.
Using heat shrink tubing around the boat extends well outside of the electrical system. The durability and feasibility of heat shrink means it can be used as a control method for various hand-held surfaces. From ropes and lines to handles and rails, heat shrink tubing can be used to provide a firm grip on objects.
How Heat Shrink Is Used for Bundling Wires & Cables on Boats
As with road vehicles, boats of any size and functionality contain delicate wiring and cables that allow the vessel to work. Environmental factors such as water, wind, and the heat from the sun can damage a boat’s electrical system if not properly protected. Boats that venture in saltwater need extra protection from the abrasion of the water’s components.
Heat shrink tubing can be used to form a tight-fitting seal around the wires as well as secure all cables in place. Exposure to the elements can cause damage to the wiring, a serious cause of boat fires. Regular inspection of wiring and cables can also be enhanced with the use of printed heat shrink tubing. Using text or images on the tubing can prevent any confusion or mishandled wires and cables.
Materials & Types of Heat Shrink Used in Boats
The two most commonly used materials for heat shrink tubing are polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyolefin. Both offer durability for strain and abrasion resistance as protection to wiring and cables.
However, using dual wall heat shrink tubing made from polyolefin material to protect and insulate wires in boats is world-wide. Adhesive-lined polyolefin offers the advantage of having resistance to high temperature of heating and provides supreme protection to corrosion, moisture, and abrasion from wear and tear.
In addition, heat shrinkable tubing can resist high heat and extreme cold, which makes storing or driving a boat during days with sub-zero temperatures easier and more reliable.
It’s important to note that there are different quality heat shrinkable tubing options available—from lower quality to high professional standard—depending on your use. It’s important to use high standard heat shrinkable tubing for boats or other large equipment to ensure the job is done correctly the first time. Rewiring and inspecting the boat for issues is a time-consuming job and very expensive.
Top ShrinkShop Heat Shrink Products for Boat Manufacturing, Repair, & Maintenance
At ShrinkShop, we use the top performing flexible polyolefin material for our heat shrink tubing. Providing flame resistance, our tubing material is comprised of chemical, electrical, and physical properties that protect the enclosed wires and cables as well as the handler.
We provide the commonly used shrink ratios of 2:1 and 3:1 but are able to customize our heat shrink tubing to your unique demands. Choose from single wall tubing and dual wall tubing in an assortment of colors, lengths, and sizes.
Consider ShrinkShop’s Heat Shrink Tubing for Your Boating Needs
ShrinkShop is the one-stop shop for all your heat shrink tubing needs thanks to our vast inventory of heat shrink tubing tools and products. As a leading heat shrink online supplier, ShrinkShop offers a variety of professional services and high-quality products for your tubing needs, including boating materials. We provide custom cut and printed superior heat shrink tubing for North American companies. Speak to our team at 1-800-920-8823.