Accessories/Battery help

I have two batteries on my bass boat. One battery is a marine starter battery and the other is a deep cycle battery.

On the starter battery the outboard and the trim is attached. On the deep cycle I currently have my trolling motor, guages, fish finders, bilge, live well airator, and now CD player/speakers. My guages, fish finders, bilge, live well airator, and CD player/speakers, are hooked up to the same circuit with one + and one - going to the same battery that the trolling motor is hooked up to.

Today was my first time trying out my new CD player. But with my trolling motor running, fish finders running, and CD player on all day. My battery drained after 5 hours. It is too much for the battery?

After getting home I hooked up the + and - from the circuit to the starter battery. I thought that this would be best because the starter battery only gets fired up about 6 times in the day and the trolling motor can have it's own battery since it is on constantly all day. When I did this none of the accessories that were attached to the circuit worked except for the lights on the guages (which strangely don't work when conected to the deep cycle, not sure why??).

Any thoughts why?? Should I just get a third battery just for the accessories? Why did the guage lights come on with one battery and not another?

 

After reading a little I found out that accessories should not be hooked up to the starter battery. Any thoughts on why the guage lights turn on when I hooked the accessories to the starter battery but the guage lights don't turn on when I hook the accessories up to the deep cycle?

 

Yes you need another battery. What you are talking about here is load. Load is determine by the total power the items you have on the circuit add up to. Adding all that stuff to the deep cycle and then running the trolling motor too is just overloading the battery.
Frankly what I would do is have one battery just for the trolling motor and run the electronics off of a separate battery.

They don't work because even though you are powering from another battery you don't have a complete circuit.

 

I figured that I should get another battery just for the accessories. What is a complete cicuit? How can I make it a complete circuit?

 

Electricity has to be able to flow from the negative terminal of the battery, through the device, and back to the positive terminal of the same battery. Any break in this loop and the current will stop.
That's an awful lot of gadgets to be running off of one deep-cycle battery. I agree you need a third one. The starting battery is best used for starting only, it has very porous plates (to generate the high current the starter needs) and repeatedly draining it fully will destroy the plates. Whether you add a second battery in parallel with your current deep-cycle (the two should be identical) or run the gadgets and the troller off of different batteries, is up to you- but I like Ike's idea of putting the starter, troller and gadgets each on their own battery.

 

So the + needs to be hooked up to the same battery that the - is? This might be why my guage lights turn on when hooked up to one battery and not the other?

 

Parallel and series are 2 different ways to combine batterys.. Plus hooked to plus/neg to neg is parallel and gives the same voltage as 1 battery but twice the time it takes to drain it. Plus to neg, THEN hooking a cable to the empty plus on the 1 battery and hooking a cable to the empty neg post of the other battery will give you 24 volts (if the 2 batts were 12V.). Mixing "types" is not reccomened (for long).
Were it me, I would work towards replacing BOTH batterys with AGM type. Optima "yellow top" for the motor and Optima "blue top" for the trolling motor. They are GREAT. Just 1 caution... they do not like to be overcharged. Read up on AGM batterys. Otherwise limp on with WalMart specials. Good luck.
http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/blue_top_battery.asp
http://www.1st-optima-batteries.com/optima_inverter_applications.asp

 

You need to get a wiring diagram for this . If you can't get one from the manufacturer then try tracing out all the wires and making a diagram. Pay attention to the color of the wires. Those colors mean something. if you look at this link you will see what the colors mean. http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/elect5.html


As some one said above. The plus or positive wire goes to the piece of equipment, then there will be a wire from the equipment to the instrument. There will also be a negative or ground wire. this will be yellow or black. If you find green wires this is a third groundng or bonding wire that acts as ground only when you have a short between positive and negative. This is not very common on older boats with 12 volt systems but is becoming very common on new boats.

I am kind of amazed that some of your equipment runs off the trolling motor battery. This is not a common practice. Usually the only thing connected to that battery is the trolling motor and it's controls.

 

Thanks a lot for the link and also your inputs, Ike. I found both quite informative.


EDIT: I just found this article through Google. I hope you find it helpful:

Top 12 Boat Equipments You Cannot Live Without

There are many different types of boating accessories available; some are exclusively for those who want to go fishing, others for those who would like to sell their boats at a heavy price by increasing its resale value, still there are other accessories which are mainly for sports enthusiasts. There are also certain boat accessories which you MUST buy for the safety and security of your boat. In this article I will tell you about twelve important accessories a boat should have.

In order to choose the right accessories for your boat, it is important to keep in mind the type of boat you have, the things you plan to do with your boat, the size of your boat, etc.

Accessory #1 - GPS System: One of the most important accessories for any boat is a GPS system. In times of trouble, it could prove to be your lifesaver by helping the rescue team save you from any kind of danger you might be in. There are certain things you need to consider when buying a GPS system! A typical GPS system must have the ability to:

a) Highlight the regions in the water where you would find plenty of fishes

b) Be able to pick up satellite signals quite promptly. so that it becomes easy for you to travel through water!

A quality GPS system's LCD screen should be at least 4 inches in size; DO NOT compromise for anything smaller!

Accessory #2 - Fishing Rod Holder: Needless to say, this is mainly for the fishing enthusiasts out there; if you are not one of them, then don’t buy it! These holders have the ability to attach themselves to the sides of your boat and hold your fishing rods for you. There are different types of fishing rod holders available, such as front mount, 2-way top mount, dual rod holder, rear mount, etc. When choosing a fishing rod holder, it is important to consider the type of fishing rods you have/want to use, as well as the quality of the material your boat is made of (needless to say, the material of your boat should be of high quality, and the boat itself should be well-constructed).

Accessory #3 - Boat Fenders: Also known as marine fenders, buffers, bumpers, etc., this is one boat accessory you simply cannot live without even if you want to! By saving your vessel from getting damaged, these act like shields for your boat. These are especially necessary when you are docking your boat. There are different types of boat fenders available. The traditional, old school types of fenders were extremely cumbersome, as these lacked the ability to be folded away in a small place; no wonder that boat owners often found these to be a huge hurdle. At the same time, they simply could not afford to be without these fenders - you know why!

Times change, and so do boating equipments and supplies. If you have got super pumps (you should; they are not only essential but also extremely handy), you can instantly inflate these fenders whenever you need them, and once you are done with them, simply unfasten the inflated fenders by opening the screws! Once you unscrew them ,the fenders get deflated to a miniscule size; you can then tuck them away at a safe corner. Can anything possibly be easier than that?

There are many other differences between old and new boat fenders. New boat fenders are usually made up of more durable material so as to ensure that they last for a longer time and can even take in a couple of hits without bothering you too much! Heck, maintaining and repairing these fenders are so easy that you can manage it without requiring any expert help! Hey, old is not always gold, after all!

Boat fenders also protect your boat from harsh weather conditions, such as storms, high tides, huge sea weaves, etc.

Accessory #4 - Electric Winch: Want to increase the speed of your boat? Imagine, sailing in your boat at the speed of breeze! Well, that is exactly where these electric winches come in!

Accessory #5 - Communication Radio: Imagine being lost in the sea, with nobody to help you out, simply because you have no communication system with you! What a terrible thought, right? Well that is exactly where communication radios come in. You can use this piece of equipment to communicate with anyone you expect help from, such as the local authorities or even other members of the crew you are part of!

The other things that can keep you on track when on a sea voyage are a map and compass; these would ensure that you never lose your preferred direction!

Accessory #6 - Flag: Yet another thing that your boat should have is a flag. In case you are abandoned by your crew, this flag would come to your aid. It has been an ancient mode of communication for sailors and is as much important even in the face of modern, high-end technology! You would want to choose a flag whose color can offer a striking contrast to the bluish color of the sea water, so as to help an airliner or a passing boat identify you easily!

Accessory #7 - Storage Cans: When you are on a fun trip, and a long one at that, you certainly don't want to be in a situation when you suddenly run out of gasoline, do you? That is why, depending on the length of your trip, you would want to store plenty of fuel gas in storage cans!

Accessory #8 - Waterproof Binoculars: While a GPS system offers you the basic security you need, you might also consider adding waterproof binoculars as an essential add-on on top of the GPS. There are certain things such as troubles or obstacles at the docking place you are approaching - which cannot be easily detected by a typical GPS system; this is where these cool binoculars come in! Besides, adding these types of equipments can increase the resale value of your boat, and you can confidently charge a premium when selling your boat down the road! There are different types of waterproof binoculars available - each with a different purpose - so please choose your equipment carefully!

Accessory #9 - Seating: First of all, you should buy seats constructed with quality materials. Remember, you are not buying seats for a car, but a boat, and a boat is subject to being damaged by wet environments; you may find it annoying to change your seats too often, so it pays to invest a bit in this area.

Your seats should be arranged in such a way as to offer you the optimum boating experience. You might want to re-upholster the fabric of the seats, and if necessary, add cushions to them to make your seats more comfortable. When buying cushions, make sure that they are waterproof and dew-resistant!

Accessory #10 - A First-Aid Kit: You may or may not know this, but a lot of people suffer from sea-sickness (nausea) when they are out on the sea for a really long period of time. For this reason, you would want to keep a first-aid kit with you that could come to your aid if you start vomiting or nauseatic feeling!

Accessory #11 - Water and Food: Yes, these are among the MUST-haves, but chances are that you already know about it, so I kept this for the last! You should carry enough mineral water/fresh water with you as necessary - to serve you through the period of your sea voyage. If you don't have enough fresh water supplies with you, or if you drink sea water, you can actually suffer from dehydration, thirst, itchy and dry skin, loss of appetite, etc.

Along with water, food is also essential You should keep foods which can be kept for days on end without requiring them to be stored in a cool place; this is because if you are touring during the daylight hours, you can bet your bottom dollars that the food is going to get warm, perhaps even HOT - due to the scorching heat of the sun!

Accessory #12 - Vents: An excessive amount of heat (emanated from sunlight) can damage the color and surface of your boat, while humidity can dampen your boat's surface (which in turn can give off foul odor)! For this reason, you should buy quality vents to protect your boat from heat, humidity, foul odor and dampness!

Article Source: http://totalinfotips.com/boating/top-12-boat-equipments-live.php

 

Thanks. I am glad to be helpful.