Maretron CG1-10 NMEA 2000 Micro Bulk Cable, 10 Meter

Every boat's network is a little different, and pre-made cables never quite match the run you actually have. That's where bulk cable earns its place. The Maretron CG1-10 gives you 10 continuous meters of NMEA 2000 Micro cable in gray PVC, so you can build backbone segments and drop cables to the exact length between your devices. No coiling up three feet of slack behind the helm. No coming up eight inches short.

This is bare cable. It ships without connectors on purpose, because the whole point is that you add field-attachable Micro connectors yourself and cut each run to size. The field-attachable connectors are sold separately, so pick up the male and female ends you need for the job. Once you've got them, a run of CG1-10 plus a couple of connectors turns into whatever cable your layout calls for, whether that's a short drop to a tank sender or a clean backbone leg from the helm to a below-deck junction.

A NMEA 2000 network is really just a backbone with a terminator at each end and short drop cables branching off to each device. Bulk cable lets you lay that backbone out the way the boat is actually built, running it along an existing wire chase and dropping off to instruments as you pass them. On a repower or a refit, that flexibility is the difference between a clean install and a bundle of adapters zip-tied behind a panel.

The cable is rated for 6 amps, which is plenty for a well-planned Micro network. Keep in mind that current rating covers everything drawing power downstream on that leg. If you're running a long backbone with several powered devices, plan where you feed power into the network so you don't see voltage drop at the far end. On the bigger sailboats and cruisers we've wired, feeding power near the middle of the backbone keeps both ends healthy.

Gray PVC holds up well to the marine environment, and it's the standard jacket color for NMEA 2000 Micro cable. One honest note from the field: PVC stiffens in cold weather, so if you're routing through tight conduit or around sharp bilge corners in the winter, take your time and avoid kinking the cable. Keep it clear of engine harnesses and other high-current runs to avoid picking up electrical noise on the data pairs.

Building your own connectors isn't hard, but it does reward a little care. Strip the jacket to the length the connector calls for, seat every pin fully, and make sure the shield stays continuous through the crimp. A shield break at the connector is the most common cause of dropouts on field-built cable, and it's almost always traced back to a rushed crimp or the wrong tool. Snug the connector nuts to spec so nothing works loose underway, and seat the o-rings cleanly for a watertight seal. Label each drop as you go, too. It takes ten seconds now and saves you an hour of tracing wires the next time you add a sensor. When you're done, it's worth powering up the network and confirming every device shows before you button up the panels.

This is the right cable for anyone who wants a tidy, purpose-built NMEA 2000 network instead of a nest of adapters and coiled slack. It carries the full set of approvals you want to see on a marine data backbone: NMEA 2000 approved, UL listed, CSA certified, and IEC-61162-3. Pair it with Maretron field-attachable connectors and terminators, measure twice, cut once, and you'll have a network that just works. If 10 meters isn't the length you need, Maretron makes the same Micro bulk cable in other spool sizes.