Wiring.....need some help!!!

[Jet1932]

I have a 1980 Bass Tracker lll that I am wiring. I don't have a clue about wiring, but I hope I can figure it out. I am very thankful for this forum because it has really helped me out. However, I can't find anything about wiring the way that I want to set it up. I will have the cranking battery and the motor (already wired) separate from everything else. I want the battery on the left to power my TM (55lb MK) exclusively...then have the battery on the right power everything else and be a backup for TM. I want to have the power to fish electric only lakes so I might need the extra battery. I hope the weight distribution will not be a problem. I push 250lbs and fish solo 95% of the time.

I don't know if that is enough info....but I was hoping to get some feed back on my diagram. I have it set up like I want, but I didn't include the NEG wires that I will run after the "Neg Buss Bar". So....let's just assume that each item has a negative wire running to it. I didn't want to clutter up the diagram.

How does this look? I am looking for honest feedback and don't be afraid to tell me it's crap. I am new to this so I really appreciate any and all feedback. If anyone responds....THANK YOU!!!

 

[kofkorn]

Only things that I can see are that you'll probably want a battery selector switch between the two batteries and going to the trolling motor.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems--Series-Selector/dp/B000K2MCR2/ref=sr_1_1?

The fuse box that you show in your diagram is not rated for the power needed by your trolling motor (max 30A per circuit). Tie the trolling motor directly to the selector switch with a properly sized re-settable circuit breaker. (probably 50A or more). Then run your fuse panel off of battery #2 separately.

You are better keeping the two batteries isolated from each other, as you will be drawing them down at different levels. When you run down battery #1 from trolling, you would switch to battery #2 which will run the other electronics. Additionally, this will allow you to separate the trolling motor from the rest of your electronics normally. There have been issues in the past with running your fish finder on the same battery as your trolling motor, so keeping them separated is a better idea.

Good luck!

 

[Jet1932]

Also.... The battery on the left is an AGM UB121000 12V 100AH. I don't have the battery on the right yet...and I don't want to spend the money to get another AGM. I would like to keep it under $100.

 

[kofkorn]

You'll definitely need to isolate the batteries from each other then. If you are getting two of the same batteries with the same approximate age, you could run them in parallel. But if you want to run two different types and ages, you should keep them separated from each other.

 

[Jet1932]

@kofkorn...thank you! I actually have the battery on the left in a minn kota power center they had a built in breaker @ 60 amps. Would that work? I am glad you caught that...because I didn't.

 

[kofkorn]

The power center will work as the circuit breaker, but only for the 1st battery. In this case, you need either another power center for the new battery, with both leads going to the selector switch, or a separate 60A breaker for the new battery. Also, your diagram doesn't mention how you plan on charging the two batteries. You'll need a three bank charger to charge all three at the same time. Make sure that you NEVER use the 1+2 setting on the selector switch, especially during charging. Again your goal will be to keep the two circuits isolated as much as possible.

 

[Jet1932]

Again...thanks! I have been trying to figure this out....it has been driving me nuts! I think I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

How does this look? Do I have it set up right? I will be adding a 2 bank charger on the front....then using the charger I already have for the battery in the back.

 

[kofkorn]

Yep, looks good. This doesn't show the 60A breaker on the power center, but we know it's there. One other belts & suspenders suggestion would be to put a 30A fuse right off of the battery on your electronics circuit. The idea is to keep any potential shorts in the wiring from causing a fire. I would try to keep any unfused wires less than 6" in length. No special reason, just a number I use.

Also, make sure that your wire gauge is big enough to handle all of your loads. There are a few guides that you can search for that give you wire gauge when compared to the current draw and wire length.

Good luck and don't hesitate to come back with any questions!

 

[Jet1932]

AWESOME!!! Much appreciated!

 

[BigTerp]

Here is a chart that was really helpfull for me when I tackled my boat wiring. Was a complete novice with electric, still am, but got a good grasp on what I needed to do to wire my boat from this forum and the following link.

https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Marine-Wire-Size-And-Ampacity

I would also suggest getting high quality tinned, heat shrink connectors. Will help avoid corrosion issues down the road. I got all my wire and heat shrink connectors from www.tinnedmarinewire.com. Tried to do everything right the first time and so far after more than a year everything is functioning great. I did use some cheap wire I had lying around for my speaker wires, they kept corroding and failing so I finally replaced them all with some 14AWG tinned marine wire, heat shrinked and soldered connection that I had extra from rewiring my trailer lights. Seemed to make a big difference.

 

[Jet1932]

First...thank you for all the replies!! The wiring is going good so far, but I have a question about my trolling motor wiring.
The diagram I am using has two ground wires running to the trolling motor. What is the best way to connect both of them? I will be buying a Minn Kota Powerdrive V2 with 55lb thrust soon, so I don't know how it's wired (I assume it will just have two-hot & ground). I am using 8g marine wire on all the trolling motor wiring.

I have the minn kota plug accessory on my kayak. I remember it having three places to add wire. Can I use the extra slot for the 2nd ground wire?

 

[kofkorn]

I would run wiring similar to the power side, but instead of the battery selector, just use a heavy duty grounding block. There's no need to separate the grounding for each battery from each other. It should save you money instead of running two heavy gauge wires to the motor. This will also make future wiring much easier too.

Good luck!

 

[Jet1932]

Ha!! Perfect! I was having a hell of a time finding that extra wire! Thanks!