Electronics Isolation

[Further North]

Last year I added a 5th battery to my boat, to keep my electronics off my starting battery.

 

I put the battery, and the single bank charger for it, in the back of the boat next to the starting battery...because it seemed like the thing to do.

 

This year, I'm upgrading my 998 SI and 798 SI to Helix G2N units...and as part of that process, I'm going to pull the battery and charger out of the back of the boat and move it up front.  After running the boat all season with the extra battery and charger back there...I just didn't like the way it was affecting how the boat trimmed out and ran.  Seems like a little thing...but I could tell the difference.

 

This will give me the opportunity to keep the wiring completely separate from everything else...Wires won't be running near anything else (except where the cords have to come up through the dash for the console unit).

 

I'm not going to go overboard with shielding or any of that...but I'm wondering if anyone else here has done anything like this, and if so if you've any thoughts you'd share?

[3dees]

sounds good, but do you really need it? the pro's and guides have more electronics than most of us and they seem to do fine with one battery. I just don't like the idea of the extra weight and the room you have to give up if moving it up front.

[eddallen]

3 hours ago, 3dees said:

sounds good, but do you really need it? the pro's and guides have more electronics than most of us and they seem to do fine with one battery. I just don't like the idea of the extra weight and the room you have to give up if moving it up front.

 

Serious Pros and Guides do it like 'Kicker' did.

[Further North]

13 hours ago, 3dees said:

sounds good, but do you really need it? the pro's and guides have more electronics than most of us and they seem to do fine with one battery. I just don't like the idea of the extra weight and the room you have to give up if moving it up front.

I look at it two ways:

1. The space and weight stays the same, I'm just moving it to a different part of the boat.
2. A couple of years ago, I had my starting battery go TU on Lake of the Woods in Canada...about 5 miles from the lodge.  Had the potential to be a cold, uncomfortable night.  Made it back on the trolling motor (36 volt, runs hard all day, never would have made it have made it on a 24 volt).  Separating electronics and starting battery gives me both less chance to run down the starting battery and redundancy if I need it.

Canadian lakes are great for fishing far from others...until they're not...

[3dees]

wait, you added a fifth battery. there's the extra weight. need to move it to where. won't it take up space in a locker? not saying it's wrong. maybe for a situation like you had it would be great, but how many times are you going to be in a spot like that. a good starting battery should be fine for running your electronics and livewell. I just don't see the need for the extra expense just in case your battery goes dead. we can add all kinds of stuff just in case. at what point does it become excessive? you made it back on 36v so what's the problem. again, I'm not saying your wrong in your thinking. it just seems that some get a little too OCD with thier boats.

[iabass8]

A 31g AGM cranking battery like the northstar, x2, deka, etc will solve your issues. Run each of your units on their own 10-12g marine grade wire directly to the cranking battery from the unit /w a 3a fuse on the + lead of each at the battery. This will solve your battery issues. Wayne has instructed a lot of people, including myself 2 years ago, that you should have your units wired like this. If you insist to keep a 5th battery and single charger for it, I would personally find a way to put it on the passenger side for weight distribution and wire the units directly to it but that could be quite the task. I do get your point though but doing it how I explained or simply keeping something like a weego jump starter, jumper cables, or even just wiring a switch that will allow you to jump your cranking battery from one of your TM batteries at the end of the day will be far easier and more efficient. Lots of Rangers come /w that switch but most marine vendors carry them. Very simple install. 

[Further North]

9 hours ago, 3dees said:

wait, you added a fifth battery. there's the extra weight. need to move it to where. won't it take up space in a locker? not saying it's wrong. maybe for a situation like you had it would be great, but how many times are you going to be in a spot like that. a good starting battery should be fine for running your electronics and livewell. I just don't see the need for the extra expense just in case your battery goes dead. we can add all kinds of stuff just in case. at what point does it become excessive? you made it back on 36v so what's the problem. again, I'm not saying your wrong in your thinking. it just seems that some get a little too OCD with thier boats.

I am a little OCD with my boat...it works for me, makes me happy.

 

I already added the battery and extra charger last year, so it's a sunk cost.  All I'm doing this year is moving them.

 

1 hour ago, iabass8 said:

A 31g AGM cranking battery like the northstar, x2, deka, etc will solve your issues. Run each of your units on their own 10-12g marine grade wire directly to the cranking battery from the unit /w a 3a fuse on the + lead of each at the battery. This will solve your battery issues. Wayne has instructed a lot of people, including myself 2 years ago, that you should have your units wired like this. If you insist to keep a 5th battery and single charger for it, I would personally find a way to put it on the passenger side for weight distribution and wire the units directly to it but that could be quite the task. I do get your point though but doing it how I explained or simply keeping something like a weego jump starter, jumper cables, or even just wiring a switch that will allow you to jump your cranking battery from one of your TM batteries at the end of the day will be far easier and more efficient. Lots of Rangers come /w that switch but most marine vendors carry them. Very simple install. 

I will be wiring the electronics (including the 360°) as you describe.  Also will be placing the battery and charger on the port side, in front of the console.

 

A couple of benefits to port side placement:

1. Balances the boat out better, both front to back and side to side.
2. Gets the wiring about as far from other wiring as you can get it in the boat.

...see above and Boat OCD...