The wiring of the Bentz-Craft is the only process that intimidates me in the least. I have a blank canvas, and all new parts, it shouldn’t be difficult…why am I stressing it?
I would like to run a two battery system, with both batteries in the console. A battery switch will be mounted under the console as well.
Am I right in my thinking the following? And some questions…
On-board charger gets wired bank 1 and bank 2 directly to the batteries, and don’t matter about battery switch. Basically, wire both batteries normally to switch, and out to TM and to ignition and 12V buss in console. Then charger gets installed directly to batteries.
4 gauge wire run from console to bow is sufficient for 12V 55# thrust TM? Should there be a circuit breaker in-line? Where? Close to TM or close to battery? How high of amperage CB in this system?
Output from battery switch powers my Blue Sea Systems fuse panel common INPUT. From there I run wire to each switch in my system. Then from switch to component. Right?
Anyone wanna wire this thing for pizza and beer? LOL
Also, is it okay for Simrad to be powered whenever the battery switch is on? Then I can use the power switch on the unit to control it? Or does it need to be on a switch?
And I’m running a bilge pump with a float switch. How does this get wired? There’s so many different ways I find to do it…but ideally I’d like for it to work on the float switch all of the time, and work on the manual switch to force it on if float doesn’t work or if I just want to command it on for whatever reason…
Also, is it okay for Simrad to be powered whenever the battery switch is on? Then I can use the power switch on the unit to control it? Or does it need to be on a switch?
And I’m running a bilge pump with a float switch. How does this get wired? There’s so many different ways I find to do it…but ideally I’d like for it to work on the float switch all of the time, and work on the manual switch to force it on if float doesn’t work or if I just want to command it on for whatever reason…
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
You should run all accessories through switch enabling you to kill all power consumption when boat not in use.
Also, is it okay for Simrad to be powered whenever the battery switch is on? Then I can use the power switch on the unit to control it? Or does it need to be on a switch?
And I’m running a bilge pump with a float switch. How does this get wired? There’s so many different ways I find to do it…but ideally I’d like for it to work on the float switch all of the time, and work on the manual switch to force it on if float doesn’t work or if I just want to command it on for whatever reason…
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
You should run all accessories through switch enabling you to kill all power consumption when boat not in use.
What I mean is powering the Simrad/SonicHub with fused power from fuse block. Fuse block gets power from battery switch, so when boat is not in use, no power consumption is there.
Also, is it okay for Simrad to be powered whenever the battery switch is on? Then I can use the power switch on the unit to control it? Or does it need to be on a switch?
And I’m running a bilge pump with a float switch. How does this get wired? There’s so many different ways I find to do it…but ideally I’d like for it to work on the float switch all of the time, and work on the manual switch to force it on if float doesn’t work or if I just want to command it on for whatever reason…
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
You should run all accessories through switch enabling you to kill all power consumption when boat not in use.
What I mean is powering the Simrad/SonicHub with fused power from fuse block. Fuse block gets power from battery switch, so when boat is not in use, no power consumption is there.
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
Sorry, misunderstood. Yes, you can wire simrad from fuse block and use units on/off button to power up/off.
Wire bilge direct to battery for float switch operation. You can also run a power wire from switch to pump
float switch should be wired directly to battery with a separate inline fuse. turning the perko off does not power off the float switch.
50 amp resettable circuit breaker for trolling motor.
make sure and use tinned copper wire and heat shrink connectors on everything
Make sure the battery switch is easy accesable! I first wired mine in a place where you had to lay down on your back to reach it reach it! Its unreal what you can pack under a console!
Buddy; Can’t attest to this being 100% correct , I remember reading
“somewhere” when I installed my H-bird to use 2 pole sw on power supply to GPS and 2 way marine radio. Switch both pos and neg going to these units to help prevent electrolysis !!! Am I the only one here that has heard of this??? I would really like to know for sure if this is true!!
I am not sure how you would do #6 without a separate positive lead from the switch panel or a by-pass spliced into the positive with a switch in the bilge.
Hey, don’t know if you’ve bought all your wiring needs but, if you haven’t, and you can’t get everything you need locally, I did a minor rewire a couple of years ago and bought stuff from this place.
float switch should be wired directly to battery with a separate inline fuse. turning the perko off does not power off the float switch. 50 amp resettable circuit breaker for trolling motor.
make sure and use tinned copper wire and heat shrink connectors on everything
Put resettable CB within 18in of the battery. Make sure to use the adhesive lined shrink tube if you don’t use the prefabbed connectors, it’s a little more expensive but well worth it in the long run! The boat and console are looking great too btw!
Fishing Nerd
“you win some, you lose some…but nothing beats getting some!”
float switch should be wired directly to battery with a separate inline fuse. turning the perko off does not power off the float switch. 50 amp resettable circuit breaker for trolling motor.
make sure and use tinned copper wire and heat shrink connectors on everything
Put resettable CB within 18in of the battery. Make sure to use the adhesive lined shrink tube if you don’t use the prefabbed connectors, it’s a little more expensive but well worth it in the long run! The boat and console are looking great too btw!
Fishing Nerd
“you win some, you lose some…but nothing beats getting some!”
Pretty sure the ABYC standards say to have the main circuit protection within something like 7" of the power supply. ChrisV, Cracker Larry, or one of you in the industry with the code in hand can confirm or correct that. Basically, you want that CB as close to the switch as feasible. If it were my boat I would be wiring a main house CB between the switch and the fuse panel. As well as a CB as close to the power source as possible for the TM circuit.
Based on what you’ve given, this is my understanding of what you want. You will be doing a lot of battery switching. Every time you start your motor and every time you drop the TM you’ll be messing with the switch. Personally, I would be isolating my TM battery by itself to do away with messing with the battery switch every time you want to use the TM.
whoops, left out the float switch on that diagram.
With a standard 1-2-both battery switch, with the switch in position 1 everything runs off battery 1. Switch in 2, everything runs off of 2. Both, parallels the two batteries so everything runs off of both. While you can switch to both and get a little extra juice to get the OB started should you have a low starting battery, the batteries also equalize each other. Best not to run on both unless you’re just trying to get your OB started. So if you’re on both and running your TM all day, you’re draining both batteries down. In most cases you want your starting battery isolated from your house accessories to ensure that you always have starting juice and nothing else drawing that battery down. Me personally, on a small inshore boat with limited space for batteries and with a TM, I want the TM isolated because it is such a large power draw. That way if I kill the TM battery it doesn’t affect anything else on the boat. It also eliminates power surges to the electronics of your TM turning on and off, as well as eliminates another chance for electrical interference with the fish finder with them running off of separate power supplies. If you pay halfway attention throughout the day, the chances of you killing a battery by running a GPS and radio (assuming you’re not running an amp) are slim compared to killing a TM battery, or both, with running the TM all day.
No CB between switch and Yamaha.
50 amp on the TM circuit.
Need to size the main wire and CB based on the total house loads you’re running off of your fuse panel.
I’m booked through Sunday, would be happy to “help” next week in the evenings if you need me.
