Archive for the ‘Trolling Motors’ Category

Crestliner Wiring Upgrade

March 26th, 2013 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin,

Could you please check out my homemade boat wiring diagram? It’s for my 17.5′ Crestliner Fish Hawk.

As you can see, I added and wired the two Attwood battery selector switches and a fourth battery to the system (Battery 2) and wired all the batteries in parallel. I also added the Blue Seas fuse block, all lighting, fishfinder, trolling motor, etc.

Crestliner boat wiring diagram

Click to Enlarge

My goal here is to be able to run the trolling motor off the extra battery if needed and/or to be able to start the motor with the extra battery if the main died. Also, to run all the lights off the extra battery for night fishing. I’ve yet to turn both switches to “both” because I’m not sure if that would be bad for……..everything.

I’m obviously an amateur at this so was wondering if you think it’s a safe setup assuming all the fuses, connections, wire gauge, etc. are kosher? I haven’t had any trouble yet but I’m a little nervous about burning something up.

I’d really appreciate your input if you can decipher the wiring diagram.

Thanks,

S.D.

Hi,

I would make a couple of minor changes:

  • Move the trolling motor circuit protection to the trolling motor side of the switch.
  • Add circuit protection for the Blue Seas fuse panel at its connection location to the boat battery switch.
  • Use the same size boat battery cables for all of your battery link wires. You call out 4/0 for the positive lead (I would assume you mean 4 AWG) but not on any of the other cables.
  • If the trolling motor batteries are near the bow of the boat I would consider adding circuit protection at each end of this wire to help reduce the risk of a catastrophic fault.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Kevin,

Thanks for the help Kevin. I’ll do all of that.

Also, I was wrong about the battery cable being 4/0, its actually 1/0 welding cable.
Thanks again,

S.D.

Hi,

Most people don’t use welding cable on boats or cars because it is not oil resistant.

Kevin

Posted in Batteries, Battery Management, Bilge Pump, Boat Battery Switches, Boat Battery Wiring, Boat Wiring, Bus Bar, Circuit Protection, Corrosion, Marine Electrical, Marine Wiring, Navigation Lights, Power Boats, Trolling Motors, Wire Size | Comments Off

Kayak Power

February 20th, 2013 by Kevin Hannula

Hey Kevin,Motorguide trolling motor

Your site is amazing. Thanks for all the info.

Now here is my boat wiring question:

We have a Native 14.5 ft Kayak. It only weighs 75 pounds and wish to power it with a 12 volt Motorguide trolling motor on some of the quieter lakes for fishing.

What are the battery options? Will a 24 volt with 93 amp hours work? And for how long? From reading your posts I learned we need a better charger than the 25 year old trickle charger we have, any gems you recommend?

Thanks again.

Hi,

Most of the time, you don’t want to discharge a boat battery below 50%, so you are only going to use 46 of the 93 amp hours available in the battery. The small, 30 lb thrust trolling motors draw about 30 amps at full power. At wide open, you can expect the battery to last about 1.5 hours. A 5 amp charger would take about 9 hours to recharge the battery after use.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Batteries, Battery Chargers, Battery Management, Boat Battery Wiring, Trolling Motors | Comments Off

Bigger Better?

September 20th, 2012 by Kevin Hannula

Dear Kevin,

I have a Marinco 12-24/24-36 plug and receptacle installed on my boat for my trolling motor.

I have switched from a 24 volt system to a 36 volt system and noted that two of the four prongs on the male plug are larger than the other two. Marinco trolling motor plug

The trolling motor uses two wires (black and red) for power from the batteries. Should these wires be installed on the two larger prongs, since the 36 volt system will be drawing more current than the 24 volt system. The prongs are labled A+, B+, neg, and NET on the back of the plug.

Thank you for your time.

Arthur

Hi Arthur,

I would use the larger terminals in the plug for your new trolling motor. They have more contact area and will be less likely to get hot during heavy operation.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Thanks Kevin.

That was my thoughts. Nice to have your take.

Arthur

Posted in Batteries, Battery Management, Boat Battery Wiring, Boat Wiring, Jon Boats, Marine Electric, Marine Electrical, Marine Wiring, Panel Rewire, Pontoons, Power Boats, Trolling Motors, Voltage Drop | Comments Off

PVC Conduit

August 30th, 2012 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin,

My father and I have a 1987 Ranger Bass Boat and last summer the wiring traveling from the trolling motor battery to the front panel melted.

We were going to rerun the wire but it appears that the wire runs up into the foam that runs along the side of the boat. We thought we could feed it through but does not move.

Any recommendations?Ranger boat

Thank you,

Joey

Hi Joey,

I have seen several creative solutions, but none seem to work great.

Usually cramming a piece of 3/4″ PVC pipe with some teeth cut on the front edge through the foam is effective. It is not strong enough to cut anything but the foam.

Good luck,

Kevin

Posted in Accessory Harness, Boat Wiring, Marine Electric, Marine Electrical, Marine Wiring, Power Boats, Trolling Motors | Comments Off

Bow to Stern?

July 30th, 2012 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin:

I need some advice on the best battery configuration for my boat.

I have a 19 foot Blue Wave fishing boat with a Yamaha 115 and a 24-volt trolling motor. Currently, I have two dedicated trolling batteries mounted in front; cranking and all other accessories are handled by a single battery mounted in back. I also have an onboard marine battery charger mounted in front for the trolling batteries.Blue Wave 190

This setup works just fine, but I don’t like having the two trolling batteries and the charger in the front (space and weight distribution considerations). There is room for all three batteries in the back with a few minor adjustments.

So here are my questions:

  1. If I mount all three batteries in back, is it possible to set it up so that all three can charge from the alternator? And should I keep the configuration of two batteries for trolling and one for everything else, or do something different?
  2. Is there a simple and reliable way to do this with just two batteries?

Thanks

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Moving the weight aft may not be the best solution. The additional 100+ pounds may cause the boat to be slower on plane and to porpoise at top speed. I would test the weight in the aft before making any wiring changes.

There are devices like the Guest/Marinco Charge PRO plus that allow the engine alternator to charge the 24v system while underway and charge all three while plugged in.

It is common to condense your marine electrical system down to two batteries.

  • Battery 1 is for the engine and all other 12v systems.
  • Battery 2 is connected in series with battery 1 (+ of 1 to – of 2) and the trolling motor 24v connection is made by connecting the negative to to Battery 1 (engine battery) and the positive to Battery 2.
  • You would be able to use your existing battery charge to charge both batteries, but the engine would only charge the starting battery while underway.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Batteries, Battery Chargers, Battery Management, Boat Battery Switches, Boat Battery Wiring, Boat Wiring, Marine Battery Switch, Marine Electric, Marine Electrical, Marine Wiring, Trolling Motors | Comments Off

Conversion Aversion

June 25th, 2012 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin,

My fishing boat wiring question concerns using an inverter to charge trolling motor batteries.

Can I plug my Guest Model 2611 battery charger into an inverter capable of producing at least 10 amps if the inverter is connected to the main motor (1994 Mercury 125 HP Optimax outboard) starting battery only while the main motor is running? Guest marine electrical battery charger

Thank you.

Don

Hi Don,

This will work.

It is not the most efficient way to charge your boat’s trolling motor batteries while underway, but it is the most cost effective.

Kevin

Kevin,

Thank you.

I am open to considering any other “more efficient” suggestions from you.

Please share your ideas.

Don

Hi Don,

There are chargers like this one from Marinco that will charge all three batteries along with charging on the fly.

When charging the marine electrical system using the engine alternator, the DC charge is not converted to AC and then back to DC.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Batteries, Battery Chargers, Battery Management, Boat Battery Wiring, Boat Wiring, Jon Boats, Marine Electrical, Marine Wiring, Pontoons, Power Boats, Trolling Motors | Comments Off

Plug Adaptor?

June 20th, 2012 by Kevin Hannula

Hello Kevin,

Thanks for considering my questions.

My new Mako came pre-wired for a trolling motor with the Marinco ConnectPro receptacle and plug.

All of the boat wiring is 6AWG, so I assume that the manufacturer included the 6 gauge adapter with the receptacle. My problem is that the Motor Guide 75 Varimax trolling motor I am installing comes with 6 gauge lead wires which will not fit the plug. The plug looks like it accepts 10 gauge maybe 8 gauge wires from a trolling motor. Marinco 2018 trolling motor plug

Does Marinco make any sort of adapter that I could use with the 6 gauge trolling motor lead wires for the Connect Pro plug or will this require an entirely new plug and receptacle? If that is the case, please specify what Marinco products would work for a 24 Volt system. Mako appears to have engineered this poorly.

Thanks again.

Jerry

Hi James,

Marinco makes the 2018 series plug and receptacle that has screw terminals. With the correct ring terminal installed on the end of your trolling motor wiring, you will be able to make a good quality connection to the plug.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Boat Wiring, Jon Boats, Marine Electric, Marine Electrical, Marine Wire, Marine Wiring, Pontoons, Power Boats, Trolling Motors, Wire Size | Comments Off

Close Call. Go Small.

May 29th, 2012 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin,

I have a 12 volt 55 pound thrust trolling motor on my boat’s marine electrical system.

What gauge of boat wiring is recommended to run 25 feet of wire from the motor to the boat battery?

Thanks,Chalkboard math

Keith

Hi Kurt,

Your boat’s trolling motor will draw 15-20 amps.

To maintain a 3% or less voltage drop at 20 amps and a 50 foot total run, you would need to run 4 AWG marine wiring. If you run 6 AWG, your voltage drop will be 4% or less and the wire will weigh and cost 2/3 as much as the 4 AWG. It is common practice to run 6 AWG with your application.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Batteries, Battery Management, Boat Battery Wiring, Boat Wire, Boat Wiring, Jon Boats, Marine Electrical, Marine Wire, Marine Wiring, Power Boats, Trolling Motors, Voltage Drop, Wire Size | Comments Off

Bow battery? Stern Switch?

May 15th, 2012 by Kevin Hannula

Hi Kevin,

I want to add a second battery at the front of my 18 foot pontoon boat to run a trolling motor that will mounted on the front.

I would like the main motor, a 70 hp Evinrude, to charge the trolling motor battery. Battery switch

What gauge of tinned marine wire would you suggest? I assume stranded wire would be best.

Thanks.

Artie

Hi Artie,

If you want your 70 hp Evinrude to charge both batteries, it may be easier put the second battery at the stern of the boat and connect them together with a boat battery switch system, which you can find our on sister marine electrical site.

This will allow you to select which battery the engine is starting from and also help prevent a dead battery after too much trolling motor use.

Run the trolling motor leads to the rear of the boat and use circuit protection as close as possible to the battery for the trolling motor.

The cables that connect the batteries are short and there is no requirement to have circuit protection on them since that can be used as part of the starting circuit.

Never use the frame of the boat as the path to ground. It will cause SEVERE galvanic corrosion.

Good luck,

kevin

Posted in Batteries, Battery Management, Boat Battery Switches, Boat Battery Wiring, Boat Wiring, Corrosion, Galvanic Corrosion, Ground issues, Marine Electric, Marine Electrical, Marine Wire, Marine Wiring, Outboard Engines, Pontoons, Power Boats, Trolling Motors, Wire Size | Comments Off

VSR for 24V System?

May 7th, 2012 by Kevin Hannula

Hello Kevin,

The wiring on my fishing boat has a single 12v marine battery to start my boat and run electronics and two 12v batteries connected together creating a 24v system for my trolling motor.

I’ve been thinking of getting a Smart Marine Battery Switch system from one of your retail sites. Will this product charge all three batteries, or is it designed for just two?

Thank you.Boat battery wiring

Kyle

Hi Kyle,

These VSR based smart battery switches are designed to charge a 12 volt marine electrical system. All of the batteries need to have a common ground for the system to work.

Your 24v boat battery wiring connects the positive of one trolling motor battery to the negative of the other. The smart system would have the ability to charge one of your trolling motor batteries, but not both.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Kevin

Posted in Batteries, Battery Management, Boat Battery Switches, Boat Battery Wiring, Boat Wiring, Jon Boats, Marine Battery Switch, Marine Electric, Marine Electrical, Marine Wiring, Pontoons, Power Boats, Smart Battery Switch, Trolling Motors | Comments Off
« Older Entries