Installing Switch Panel on Boat - 6 Switch Panel from Amazon 

Honestly the best comment/compliment I could hope for! We're always striving to find the balance between informational videos and entertaining to appeal to everyone. Thanks for watching.

They tend to switch up the models of panels constantly so it can be hard to find this identical panel, but it'll be similar.

So glad it was helpful, and I love hearing that our videos are helping folks with this sort of stuff outside of the marine world too! Thanks for sharing and for the kind words!

That’s what I’m here for, happy to help. Thanks for watching!

Good!!! That’s what we’re hoping to do with our videos. Definitely look at the wiring harness from Pontoon Stuff too. It makes wiring a whole boat so much easier

Great observation!!! I’ve seen most marine fuse and switch panels have 5 or 10 amp fuses/breakers, so most accessories will be ok. 15 amp is certainly high for a lot of accessories though and worth noting!

Absolutely! 12V DC is the same in both applications. My friend's brand new camper van uses a ton of the same Nilight switches and lights that we've used on boats.

Thanks for sharing that and for watching the channel throughout your project! If a breaker isn't popped on the switch panel (or a fuse if you ran fuses under the helm) then your horn likely just quit on you. They're quite temperamental especially when exposed to water. I try to hide them up on top of pontoons behind a crossmember, or even under the helm or under a front seat. You could remove the horn and test it independently on a battery just touching the positive and negative wires to the battery....be careful, it's loud if you're holding it right next to you!!!

GREAT! Thanks for watching, and best of luck on your project!

Dang it!! I’m trying to make these as simple as possible. Which part are you referring to where I cut wires (time stamp wise)? And did you watch the whole thing through to see where each wire ends up going to a switch?

Most panels are super similar to this one, so hopefully this is still helpful (or our other switch panel videos). Haha, the lock nuts!! That made me laugh!!!

Thanks for watching!!

Thank you, and thanks for watching. The Horn switch is a momentary on/off switch, where it's spring loaded to turn off as soon as it's released. The rest of the switches are a on/off switch where they stay on, like a typical switch for keeping power to an accessory like lights, stereo, etc.

I’m sure you’re right, for the bottom light to be a courtesy light…but staying on all the time doesn’t always work, like if you don’t want a battery switch. I find there’s usually enough light with the gauges and such lighting up the dash that it’s easy to find the switch you’re looking for. Best part is it can be used either way!!

Gotta love that a pontoon boat can be a luxury item to some folks and a budget item to the next…and both can enjoy the heck out of their boats just the same!

Happy to help!!!

The connectors that come with the harness are butt connectors for connecting wire to wire. I added spade connectors to attach each of those wires to the switches themselves. The female spade connector slides onto the male portion on the back of the switches. Plus I prefer to always use heat shrink connectors to prevent any moisture from getting at the wires.

Believe it or not a lot of the new bluetooth stereos don't have a clock or at least it doesn't show up on the typical screens you'd see when using it (at least from my experience). But yes, that yellow wire gives that "memory function". I avoided it early on because so many of my customers complain that the older stereos have battery draw down issues when direct-wired...some stay on even though the face looks like it's off. Old habit to keep batteries from dying I guess!

Thanks! And thank you for watching.

Not so fun crawling under the boat with the spiders and passing it along through the pontoon brackets??

@@tomspontoons Mine had the sides on top of the toons so I couldn't even get my hands in the openings.

@@faronmastin8683been there before!!!

I need to do another video showing a fuse block option with this panel too. This one has the resettable protection built in for each accessory, so truly no need for an additional fuse block unless someone wanted overkill protection. This is the “keep it simple superstar” way to go!

Essentially yes. You could ground them to the battery directly or a ground buss bar under the helm or at the battery. I strongly advise against grounding to the frame of the boat as I have only heard of it causing problems with electrolysis and battery draw. I prefer to run power and ground from the battery to the helm, and then working in my accessory power and grounds to the switch panel or a ground buss bar located nearby. You could just ground the switch panel ground wire to the buss bar, stack on all your accessory grounds, and have a 10 gauge ground wire running back to the battery. Then just plug your positive accessory leads onto the switches and you're good to go!

Check the amp draw on your chargers and what the breaker can hold at the panel....I would think you're going to be just fine as I think most of those USB chargers are 2.5 amp, and most breakers are 10 to 15 amps on those panels. And as long as they're hooked to a breaker you'll have some insurance that you won't fry the chargers or phones.

I actually have no idea what comes on the prewired stuff. I use tinned copper from my connector kits (available on my website). They’re stuck on there really well though. Like sometimes they’re a pain to pull off when rearranging stuff!

I've not seen anything that would work to do what you're after. I highly recommend covering the entire console with a waterproof cover...even a grill cover if need be!

great idea thanks@@tomspontoons

@@toupsclassroomtoupsclassro9557 Happy to help!

Haha! I’m always told I’m fired before I hit the ground!!!

I'm never a big fan of running memory wires to batteries because a lot of boats are used so intermittently that I fear battery draw. However, with these new bluetooth stereos no one is really using the AM/FM features, and the stereo automatically reconnects to whoever was connected last....not sure how it remembers that, but it does! I've done it that way with my boats and all my customers' boats and everyone has been happy.

@@tomspontoons Like computers and laptops, the stereo receiver probably has a little coin-style battery inside that keeps the memory. The draw from those little coin batteries is super-minimal.

@@richardlombardo9368 I wouldn't doubt that one bit!

Haha, it's the worst, and so hard to avoid sometimes!

I would have no concerns with them being different lengths. If you want to play it safe simply run 14 gauge from the switch to the panel if some runs are fairly long. Going with a thicker gauge wire will allow proper flow of power. Typically your accessories and lights are going to be quite low draw so normally 16 gauge would be used, but can't hurt to bump it to 14 gauge. Additionally, I can't imagine they'd be drastically different lengths on most console setups so again not highly concerning.

Awesome thanks for the confirmation. I was planning to use some existing ancor 14guage marine wire that I had so seems like I will be set.@@tomspontoons

@@adaminjp You'll be well-covered with 14 gauge!

It’s from PontoonStuff.com , just search harness in the website search. Use TOMSTOONS to save at checkout.

Double check that an additional red and black aren't tucked into the bundle of wires that go to the switches. Sometimes I have to go dig them out. If not, you'll have to email me a photo of the back so I can see what you're working with. I've ordered these panels a few weeks apart and have had different versions shipped to me that are slightly different...even when clicking "re-order" on Amazon! TomsPontoons@gmail.com

Thank you for watching! I mostly use the Deckmate Bluetooth stereo from Pontoon Stuff. It's got great sound and is easy to use. Otherwise I usually install the different Garmin Fusion head units. They're great quality and are simple to use. If I'm adding an amp and sub I go with the Garmin. If I'm keeping it a simple four stereo no amp setup I do the Deckmate.

That’s the Deckmate Bluetooth stereo from PontoonStuff.com. Use TOMSTOONS at checkout to save 5%!

In this case the negatives are tied into the panel from the harness without a buss block. You could definitely run a buss block for the accessory grounds that makes its way to the switch panel, but it's sort of an extra unnecessary step...unless you've already got that negative buss block that you can tie into easily. In the end it's just making sure that each accessory gets tied into the ground and the power to the switch. You'll be just fine I'm sure!

Right on. I don’t have one so I’ll negate that and just find spots to tie into. I think I can get it figured out. Have the radio coming in today so will get started tomorrow. Thanks for the help! While I don’t have a pontoon I do find yalls videos very helpful.

@@Advtexas awesome, glad our videos are helping all sorts of boat owners out. It’s all so similar when it comes to wiring and outboard rigging!

Could have, but it already has a light that turns on when you flip the switch on.

@@tomspontoons I realized that at the end of the video

@@eagle5720 There's usually more than one way to do things. I just demonstrate how I go about it.

I want to install one of those rocker switch panel but I'm scared to cut a big ass hole in my dash.

@@eagle5720 For these panels I make a cardboard template based off the measurements the switches take up...hoping to cut as small of a hole as possible. It'll look good and clean when you get it done!!

You can tie direct to the battery or a battery switch for those…just gotta remember to shut them off!! I often tie them to the same switch as things like stereo or chargers which all have pretty low draw. Thanks for watching!!

Most accessory harnesses I’ve seen are around 10 or 12 gauge range for the power and ground to the panel. Better to have thicker gauge than too light for power flow!

You size your feed wire based on the protection fuse or breaker at the battery and how long the feed wire is. There’s charts online that show what gauge wire you need for 1: the breaker size and 2: the wire length.

Correct! I’m always learning the technical terms for all sorts of stuff!! Thanks!

Correct with one positive coming in, but that positive jumps across all of the breakers BEFORE the breaker. So there's always power going to each of the piggy backed wires no matter if a breaker trips. The positive going from the breaker to the switch would lose power if the breaker trips. This make sense?

The breakers are different amp ratings on the panels usually, and you can simply remove them and reinstall them wherever you want on the panel to make them line up where you want them for switch order you'd like.

Thank you for the response. Looks like there are a few 5amp, 10amp and 15amp breakers that come installed. My issue is that most of my accessories are below 5amp draw so I would be putting some of the lower amp accessories in danger by using the higher amp breakers that come on the switch panel. Do you know if there are lower amp breakers that I can buy to replace the 10 and 15amp breakers that come with the switch panel? Replacement breakers that fit this switch panel?

I think they’re pretty universal in terms of breakers. Worst case you could put a lower power inline fuse in coming off the switch to the accessory to protect it.

Agreed. It would simplify things, but also add in a layer which may intimidate some people working on wiring for the first time. I picture most folks installing this panel as buying just the panel and hoping to tackle the project in some free time on a weekend without spending a fortune. I will likely eventually do a similar video showing a ground buss bar, and show one in a recent full wiring tutorial video.

Haha, TRUTH! Our commonly used term around the shop is "there's always something..."

I've not had it be a problem on the dozens I've installed. How was the panel grounded, and are you in saltwater or freshwater?

Thank you!! And thanks for watching.

Hm, I haven’t run into that! Email me a picture of what you’re working with so I can try to help or get it corrected with my contacts at Pontoon Stuff. TomsPontoons@gmail.com

She’s great!

I’ve only had good luck with them so far. Are you in saltwater? What did you ground to? Frame of the boat or only to the battery ground post? They tend to change the design and details of these often, unfortunately that’ll probably sway the quality too.

Fantastic!! So glad you found my stuff helpful!! Thanks for watching.

I run 16 gauge to most accessories on longer runs. For low draw stuff like LEDs 18 gauge is definitely fine, unless you’ve got a bunch of them on the same run from the switch. The safest bet is to stay thicker wire to keep flow of power going strong.

Watch at the 3:19 mark. Quick and easy way to get rid of the lights on all the time. Or for a switch or to power on with your nav lights just jump a power to that chain of powers that I cut.

Definitely like that idea. Could even be wired into the key on power so they’re on when the motor is running and turn off when engine is off. Nav lights would work too, but wouldn’t be much help until they’re turned on!!

@@tomspontoons yeah man, whatever you preferred. But those small lights don't draw much power, is only like 1-2 watts. Wired it together with the front lights or like you said when the key switch is ON. They made a mistake, cause it's not suppose to stay on.

​​⁠right, I’ve never seen a single switch panel with any sort of light that stays on when just hooked to the battery. It would take batteries to drain down, but most boats aren’t used daily (if weekly)

@@tomspontoons me neither, that means something is wrong, what do you mean by bbdays?

@@catmatiskam7092 No idea how my phone auto-corrected "batteries" to "bbdays"!?! Sorry!

I can't disagree with that...I have had issues when I installed a cheap option on a fishing boat where it wasn't sealed up well like a pontoon console. That panel would allow lights to stay on after a day out in the rain due to some sort of short from moisture. I think in the right application these can be a great option, but something that's going to be exposed to a lot of moisture you might want to make that upgrade to something built better for the elements.

This has built in breakers, but when working on panels without breakers or fuses built in I run in line 10 amp fuses.

That’s the best feedback I could ever hope to get! Thanks so much for watching my channel. We will keep cranking out content and informational videos. By the time you’re tearing your boat down for a full restoration I hope we will have 500 videos up covering absolutely everything possible!!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

No, the outboard is on its own ignition harness that plugs into the motor. Then the motor has its own battery cables. This is only for powering accessories like lights, basic power to stereo, and livewells/bilge pumps.

@@tomspontoons thanks, yeah, now that you say it its actully pretty clear when I look at my existing wiring ... lol Thanks - probably going to use the harness from your other video on my 24 foot 1987 Grady White rewire, only have about 4 accessories/lights so should be perfect

@@joemckillop3766 I have used that harness on a few fishing boats and it works great! I even used it on my big jet boat build last summer. Why complicate things when we can make it plug and play!?!

Most pre-made switch panels that I've seen, even those on new boats from the factory, have 10 amp fuses or breakers for all of the accessories. I think you'd be just fine with 10 amp for all electronics as I don't know of any that pull more draw to be honest...especially if you're running LEDs for lights and don't have anything major for power draw (bilges, washdown pumps, and other motorized items typically have higher draw than just basic stereo and lighting). I'd switch everything over to the 10 amp panel without a worry if it were my own boat. Your stereo and fish finder should have their own low voltage in-line fuses anyway (usually 1 to 3 amp) that would protect them if the 10amp didn't pop!

@@tomspontoons I appreciate it, thank you! I can swap battery cells in a Prius, but this new-to-me boat has me a little nervous until i get more comfortable with it....I still have some wires to track down, so i'm curious what is on the 15A, but i'm wondering if it was a 10 that kept blowing, and this was their "fix"? the stereo isn't working, or the horn, or the bilge pump. i'm pretty sure it is due to corrosion, we shall see..... thanks again!!

@@richardconrad698 And for me, I'll climb under a boat console and track down every wire and issue I can find...but if it's more than replacing brake pads and rotors on a car I'm not your guy! We all have stuff we're comfortable with and have spent time with, and we all have stuff that we feel like is impossible at first glance. I think you're probably right. Someone blew a fuse a few times and just upped the capacity, or I wouldn't doubt if they blew it once and only had a 15 amp fuse handy to get by. Then of course they just left it in there because things were working fine. I strongly recommend starting over with a new harness front to back, and a new switch panel. Pontoon Stuff's wiring harness is what I use on 99.9% of the boats I work on (I make my own harness when it's minimal electrical) and it saves me all sorts of time. Worth checking out!

@@tomspontoons i just looked at your website, definitely some nice stuff, and I've been looking at more of your videos, thank you! probably a silly question, but in the above video, you are only replacing the old fuse box that are attached to the old switches, right? the always on devices would still be on a separate box with traditional fuses? or are you suggesting to put everything on a switch, since these are resettable? if so, are there any marine grade fuse panels that you'd suggest?

@@richardconrad698 On this boat we replaced the entire electrical system removing any fuse blocks or old switches. Yes, I run the main electrical harness directly to the switch panel and the accessories straight off from it because each has its own resettable fuse/breaker. I need to do a video at some point showing a switch panel that integrates into a fuse panel, but with options like this one in the video there's just been no need. I install a lot of these as well as the switch panels from Pontoon Stuff, which also have a resettable fuse/breaker too.

Yes, you can definitely wire in a bilge pump to one of these switches. Bilge pumps often run off of a 5 or 10 amp fuse or circuit breaker. I'd run 16 gauge wire to the bilge from the helm if I were running a bilge off this panel.

Thanks for the correction!! I won’t complain about someone giving me the right info! Can we say they behave like fuses by saving stuff from frying?!? I LOVE that idea to power those bottom lights from the ignition’s key on power…genius!

Good idea John, thanks. Gonna try that as well.

@@tomspontoons Hey Tom you are absolutely fine to call them fuses, re-setable fuses etc as that is very common. The term "Fuse" like many other terms (ie. rewind) has evolved past its initial definition. The nice thing about a thermal device (bi metal sensing element) is that it imitates the heating of the component it is protecting so it gives you overload protection as opposed to a fuse that is set really high and only ruptures on a short circuit. Some might argue that in the case of a short circuit the thermal device does not act fast enough but that is not the case as they are engineered such that if they see a short circuit far in excess of its rating (not something you would see if applied properly) it will rupture and interrupt the current. The thermal device also allows surges from motor loads without nuisance tripping. Of course being able to reset the breaker is a huge advantage especially when you are out on the water. In the old days when a fuse failed (sometimes just from vibration) we would wrap it in conductive cigarette paper just to get home. The down side of that is that if you left it in there you often effectively raised the rating of the fuse and opened up another can of worms. One last thing I would say about thermal breakers is that they are not all created equal. The less bi metal material the last accurate and reliable the device is. From my experience the best marine dash board breakers are the ETA 1658 series and if you crack one open you will see why. However even a less reliable brand is way better than a fuse at the end of the day. I spent 40 years in low voltage circuit protection so if you have any additional questions anytime I am sure I can help.

@@davidcobb4527 Thanks David, you know what they say "even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while", lol. Like Tom says you can either connect those LEDs such that they are activated by the ignition switch or I like to tie them to the running lights to prolong the life of the LEDs as you really only need them at night. If you have any questions about how to accomplish this don't hesitate to reach out to me. Cheers John

@@johnhewetson4406 thanks for that John. Appreciate all the help I can get.

Glad this was helpful. Just depends on the boat, but most of the time those colored wires running out to the accessories will follow the same color patterns. If you're redoing the console and switches I would STRONGLY recommend getting the wiring harness from Pontoon Stuff. It's $120 (less my discount code on everything you purchase there, enter TOMSTOONS at checkout) and will make your life a million times easier. Their switch panels are plug and play with their wiring harness too in case you want to make it even easier!

You nailed it! If making your own harness I would run a 20 amp resettable breaker/fuse back at the battery on the positive that feeds the switch panel. Otherwise you’re spot on. Thanks for watching!!

I believe it was connected to one of the 15 amp switches if I’m not mistaken.

@@tomspontoons thanks!

Great!! Best of luck with your project!

Great! Thanks for watching. We’re just here to lend a hand. Glad it helped you out!

I’ve custom made them for fishing boats when it’s just a simple setup with Nav lights, interior LEDs and docking lights. This one is just so easy to use, already color coded, and plugs right into the Pontoon Stuff switch panels

Happy to help, thanks for watching!

Yes, this is simply for electrical accessories. Nothing interacts with the outboards.

Just out here trying to help those tackling their projects at home! Thanks for watching!!!

Never easy, rarely quick….hoping simplifying stuff will help the folks at home!!

You could always splice the anchor and nav lights into one female spade connector to make it work, but the piggyback connector can be found in a variety of packs by searching “piggyback spade connector” on Amazon!

@@tomspontoons thanks! I actually got it going today! I scavenged some stuff from the old wiring that I was removing and I found two of the piggy back connectors there. I wish I could include some pictures, excited how everything turned out. The previous owner had bypassed my old switch panel so none of my lights or pumps worked. Now everything works. Thanks again for your help.

@@Davidball795 Awesome!! It seems like so many boats have had way too many people working under the console trying to make things work their way instead of just doing it all right the first time when repairing stuff...makes it way harder on us folks trying to make it right!

Thanks for watching! Best of luck with your project. By the winter we'll hopefully have even more topics covered!!

Absolutely. I’ll be using the same harness and switch panel on a fishing boat I’m building in the coming months. You’ll have some excess wire as this harness is made for boats up to 28’ long and 8.5’ wide, but that can be coiled up and tucked away no problem!

@@tomspontoons Thank you, I will be ordering the harness. It just makes things so much easier to me. Love you videos. I'm sure you have helped a lot of people. I also just ordered the panel from Amazon today.

@@derricklawrence3185 the harness is an every boat option for us. I hope we’re helping lots of folks tackle their projects at home each summer!!!

Correct! Someone broke it down really well in the comments as thermal circuit breakers. All good as they serve that purpose to protect the electrical system. I'm sure I'll get details/words goofed up from time to time again!

The beauty of 12v wiring is that it can be made to work in so many ways. There are some "wrong" ways, but following the basic rules will avoid them from happening!

Yeah, that was a good explanation of the modification too.

@@anicetomaldonado Thanks, and thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching! Yep, you're correct, they are breakers here and not fuses. We're in freshwater where taping something off will do more good than harm from my decades of experience. These pontoon boats are on small inland lakes, where most of my customers don't even boat at night, but want their boat to have legal lighting. This video is made to simplify wiring for folks just starting out to gain an understanding of their switch panel and wiring, versus videos out there that go over the heads of most everyday folks who aren't familiar with boat wiring.

@tomspontoons my apologies. Was my first time coming across your channel. In reply to what you said here, your wiring was explained very well and straightforward.

@@jamesrahn8339all good! Comments can be super helpful for everyone reading them. Folks catch and correct stuff when I mis-speak, they add helpful info, and others they can learn from conversations here. They’re super important!