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Depends on the length of the wire. The West Marine catalog has a great chart that shows wire gauges and current loss. Your current wire should have the gauge printed on the outer insulation. Look that up and see how long it can be before there is significant loss. When I moved my battery box to the console of my Whaler 15, it was 13 feet of wire to the engine.
RH
When I did this project on my 1987, I used 4 gauge marine tinned battery cable. It is sold by the ft. in both black and red. You will need to size the end terminals for your posts on the engine. For the battery side, use automotive type connectors.
Lloyd, stop your whining and start acting like a Montanan for crying out loud. Go out to the barn and get some electric fencing wire and plastic standoffs!
Seriously, I use welding cable for all my battery leads. It has finer strands so it's current carrying capacity is higher than standard battery cable for the same gauge. It's way more flexible than standard cable. The insulation is pretty tough since it's designed to stand up to abuse. And it isn't too expensive from a decent welding supply house. Valley Welders in Missoula is a good place. Not sure what Kalispel has. Wouldn't be surprised if Whitefish was priced too high! (No offense.) Doesn't take much current to start an outboard so 4 guage should be plenty good. I used 2 gauge because that's what I had lying around.
You shouldn't need marine grade wire in Montana. But you should use good quality crimped terminals and seal the ends with shrink wrap or equivalant.
