Use a minimum of 8 gauge or thicker tinned wire between the battery and receptacle with a 30 amp resettable breaker or 50 amp slow blow fuse on the positive side as close to the battery as possible. A Hi-Amp Buss swing arm breaker with a manual trip push button is available from you local marine store or from Lindgren-Pitman. The red wire is the positive, the black is the negative. PLEASE NOTE: do not shorten the length of the reels cord – it will void the warranty. The reel will work with a standard lead acid marine duty deep cycle battery. To ensure you do not deplete the battery used to start your boat, the S-1200 should be powered from a separate accessory battery that can be switched via a battery switch.