KDriskel wrote:
The LED's run with a very low amperage draw, so I'm using fairly small gauge copper paired wire (from Lowes) to run around the boat an illuminate the 6 wells where all the drink holders are and another under the dash.
It's true that LED's require very little power so you don't need a heavy guage wire. If you haven't done so already, there are several websites that can help you find the required guage of wire given load and length. Most of all, I would recommend using marine grade wiring for any boat project. It is usually tinned for better corrosion resistance. When it comes to my big expensive toys, I prefer to take the safe route and not try to save pennies when it may cost dollars down the road. Note I'm not an electrician in any sense of the term, but I have successfully tackled a few auto/boat projects similar to what you are undertaking.
I actually went with heavier guage marine grade wire than I needed on my LED project. This was simply because I wanted to use four-way wire to match the RGB controller for my multi-color LED's and I found a good deal on that particular guage at one of the online marine stores. In my case the heavier guage was cheaper to use than the calculated required guage.