Trailer lights have one of the toughest jobs in the book. Despite being dunked into water and bounced around continuously, boat owners expect them to work for a countless number of years. If you want your boat trailer lights to work for you over an extended period of time, you have to pay special attention to the selection and installation. While it is true that there are countless brands of trailer lights in the market, not many of them are made for the harsh marine environment. You need to start by getting parts which will not degrade when they are mounted onto your boat's trailer.

Keeping everything grounded

A rookie mistake that boating enthusiasts make when wiring their trailer lights is relying on a coupler-to-ball connection for grounding purposes. The right thing to do here is to secure the white ground wire with the trailer-plug connector on the frame near the coupler. For secure fastening, you have to use a bolt, a nut and a lock washer. Painted boats may not offer the secure connection needed, and in that case, you will need to scrape away a bit of the paint in order to get a secure connection.

Making the wiring corrosion-proof

If you want the wiring to last a long time, you need to consider using heat-shrinking tubing or liquid electrical tape to make the connection corrosion-proof. If you have installed incandescent bulbs, make use of dielectric grease to help reduce the possibility of water getting into contact with the metallic parts of the lamp, which leads to eventual corrosion. Avoid the use of electrical tape to handle the wire leads because, with time, it will get brittle, hold water in and start corroding the connections.

Strain relief and chafing protection

When handling the wiring around the coupler, provide a little bit of relief from straining by using a cable clamp to leave out some extra length of the wiring. Secure the wire in such a way that it can reach the connector socket without pulling tautly and ruining the insulation. You also need to remember to protect the wire as it passes through the frame by using grommets.

The attention you pay to the wiring during installation is what will determine how well the trailer lighting will serve you. If you are not sure about the entire process, consider having a boating expert select the right products and carry out the installation for you.