I’m trying to get opinions on the best way to do this. Essentially I have two batteries, (considering a third) deep cycle and starter both on one perko two battery disconnect switch.
So… I’ve heard different theories here, separately wire the amp to the deep cycle, run completely dry, remove from boat and recharge… Leaving the entire boats electronics to run off the starter battery.
Currently I’ve have the amp hard wired into the deep cycle but still tied into the battery switch and whole boat electronic system. When I crank the subwoofer, under throttle, the sound cuts out. It gets worse when I trim the motor or use the trim tabs.
Can anyone offer ideas that work? Not only am I powering an amp, I have the lowrance hds 9 and sonic hub all needing power as that is my stereo. (All huge energy suckers) How can I wire this, pull up to the beach, cut the motor off and not have to worry about my power for 2-3 hours?
First suggestion would be to separate the starting system from the electronics system. Voltage created by an outboard can be erratic. Current draws from starters, what is called locked rotor amperage from motors can be hard on electronics. Keep battery chargers with trickle capacity on the deep cycles to keep them topped up and in good shape.
As far as how to wire it together… Start doing yoga, take aspirin, and make sure no youngster can hear what you are really saying…
Man that’s FUNNY! You’re not kidding, we have all been there…
So the idea is to have house batteries not even tied to the boats power supply? I guess you can buy sometype of trickle charger you mount in the console and simply plug in when you put the boat up after use? Is that what people are doing? Any have experience with this? How many uses can you get out of the deep cycle before having to charge. (I know that’s probably a hard question but I’m thinking just the amp on house?)
(Had this all figured out until I dumped another paycheck into upgrades… What looks good doesn’t sound good)
Don’t hardwire your amp to a battery. Wire it through the perko switch just like all the other electronics on your boat (should be). It would be best to have the stereo on it’s own dash switch or at least the amp.
Install a second deep cell parallel to your current deep cell. This will give you more capacity but wont require you to rewire the boat.
Perko switch stays the same. #1 is starter battery, do not blast the stereo when you are in this position. Just for starting. #2 is the 2 deep cell house batteries in parallel.
Behavior
Switch to #1
Start boat
Switch to #2 via 1,2 position (important)
Drive around, blasting your stereo, visit the sand bar, whatever.
When you turn off the boat, keep it in the #2 position.
If you need to restart, turn off/down stereo, switch back to #1 via the 1,2 position
Start boat, then switch back to #2.
When you are done for the day plug in your newly purchased/installed 30 amp 3 bank charger.
Notes:
Try not to run the tilt/trim below 3000rpm. You motor at idle is not making enough power to run all your electronics and the hydraulic pumps. Same thing with the trim tabs.
Charge after every use. Deep cell batteries can handle deep discharges as long as you recharge them as soon as possible.
FRIO, Awesome! Thanks for the details and best practice, very helpful. As far as the automatic charging relay/sure power, if I am hooking to a trickle charger to reenergize the deep cells would you agree they are not needed?
Couple more questions…
I’m told my Yamaha has a high amperage rectifier/alternator, 4amp. When I click my “new” 2 deep cells over on perko switch # 2, house power, am I destroying these batteries while driving the boat? Motor recharge rate is to high, deep cell needs slow trickle… So should I then remove the deep cells from my perko and boat electrical system?
Now the dumb question… How do I tie the amp into the perko switch?
What I mean on question two is… My amp power wire is 10 gage, can’t put that on a rocker switch… So any other recommendation? Stereo is already on rocker, good suggestion!
I had a bep vsr installed. Only thing on battery 1 is the motor. After start up battery 1 gets all the juice until it reaches 13.7v. Once that occurs the relay opens and charges battery 2 automatically. This way you never run down both at the same time. My cluster also has a parallel switch to combine both if my cranking battery dies.
Your amp will cut on and off through the Remote wire coming from the stereo. No switch needed from the perko switch to the amp, just a big fuse between. Hope that makes sense.
My amp is strait wired with a fuse and it will kill the battery sitting idle without the fuse removed. I’m going to rewire mine through the perko. Just my .02
Hope you don’t pull up next to me one the water. Go there for peace and quiet. Music on my craft is the sound of the water. You want to blast stay home in your house instead of noise pollution for the rest of the world, but I shouldn’t worry, DNR will hear you coming and be ready to check you out really close.
I cant thank everyone enough for the information provided, I’ve got the ship back on course. Its why this site is so important, helping others… Opinions however are not helpful geechee bear. Not all of us are “that boat” pissing off the beach. These are offseason hobbies that keep us around what we love, our boats. Find something better to do with your time.
Swaysea, does your stereo have a “amp turn on” or “remote” wire? Usually blue/white srtipe. Your amp should also have the same, sometimes just blue. If this wire has no voltage, the amp should be off. No draw. I agree with some of the above, don’t wire the amp on the charging cuircut. Add a deep cycle, get an on board charger, at the end of the day plug it in, easy. Folks with troling motors do it after every trip, and some have three batteries. Might want to check your charging voltage at cruising speed, make sure your not dropping much below 13 volts or so while trimming and moving tabs. Amp could be cutting out for lack of voltage.
