Re: What, exactly, is a bus bar? (nm)
A bus bar is simply an electrical terminal strip to which many electrical connections are made. Think of all the electrical devices on a boat. There is a horn, lights, radio, locators, live well pumps, and instruments to name just a few. Each one of those devices has a ground wire. Unlike a car where the frame is ground, ground on a boat is the negative terminal on the battery. Since electrical devices are located all over the boat, without a bus bar, one would have to run long lengths of wire from each accessory all the way back to the negative terminal of the battery. Instead, one larger wire runs from the negative terminal of the battery to the helm which is where the fuse/circuit breaker panel and most of the wiring is located. That ground wire connects to a metal strip with a bunch of screws in it to which all of the ground wires are connected. The same holds true for the +12V circuits. The positive and negative bus bars are typically incorporated into the fuse or circuit breaker panel.
