Alright so here it goes.   Have a boat that was wired 12/24v   its an old 1988 1660 pro craft.  I believe my club had it in to get the trolling motor put on and wired correctly. But I dont think it was ever installed correctly. In the back of the boat there are 3 main leads. One for the cranking battery, and two for the deep cycles labeled battery 1 and battery 2. I dont believe that these cables are wired in series. The leads come from the front of the boat and into the back and stop at this  switch board/ battery terminal type thing. Then the 3 main leads attach to that board and onto each  battery. Each lead has  2 cables ( positive and negative).  To put these into series what the heck do I need to do?  I think I just have to run a jumper cable from the + on one to the -  on the other. Do I just ignore the lead for battery 2 then? Not sure if its just that simple.

 

Another issue. Just installed the onboard charger and idk if im actually charging these batteries. One was new one was a year old. TM works full blast when plugged in and only 20% unplugged even though Ive got a new battery. Kind of exhausted from cleaning this thing and fooling around with the batteries.

Alright so here it goes.   Have a boat that was wired 12/24v   its an old 1988 1660 pro craft.  I believe my club had it in to get the trolling motor put on and wired correctly. But I dont think it was ever installed correctly. In the back of the boat there are 3 main leads. One for the cranking battery, and two for the deep cycles labeled battery 1 and battery 2. I dont believe that these cables are wired in series. The leads come from the front of the boat and into the back and stop at this  switch board/ battery terminal type thing. Then the 3 main leads attach to that board and onto each  battery. Each lead has  2 cables ( positive and negative).  To put these into series what the heck do I need to do?  I think I just have to run a jumper cable from the + on one to the -  on the other. Do I just ignore the lead for battery 2 then? Not sure if its just that simple.

 

Another issue. Just installed the onboard charger and idk if im actually charging these batteries. One was new one was a year old. TM works full blast when plugged in and only 20% unplugged even though Ive got a new battery. Kind of exhausted from cleaning this thing and fooling around with the batteries.

Is something not working right?

I should be getting more power out of the trolling motor. The batteries were on the charge for some time and I was barely getting anything. Ive got a feeling that they might be wired 12/24.

I should be getting more power out of the trolling motor. The batteries were on the charge for some time and I was barely getting anything. Ive got a feeling that they might be wired 12/24.

Is it a new trolling motor? I have a procraft also and it has the battery 1 battery 2 deal. I had the same problem but it was a trolling motor issue.

3-4 year old Minn Kotta trolling motor. Thanks for the advice , my buddys backup motorguide is in the barn and I can test that. 

Mines a motor guide I had to by pass the 12 to 24 volt switch in the foot control because it had burned out. It still worked but like you it ran as if the batteries were almost dead.  But if that's not the problem make sure all the batteries are good and if they are I'm no use lol. Good luck man

First, you messed up putting one new battery with one used battery. Doing that, and you will never quit chasing battery problems and especially when they are connected in series. The batteries MUST BE of the same type, size, manufacture, and age or with no more than 25 charges difference between them. Mixing and pairing them like you have done causes the battery with the lower internal resistance to go bad fairly quickly.

If you think the charger might be a problem, fully charge each battery by itself, let it rest 24 hours and test it with a volt meter and hydrometer if it has removeable caps, or take them to a parts store and have them tested. Probably will find one of the batteries bad or a big difference between the two.

As for the wiring of the boat. It souns like it's right, but if you are not running a 12/24 TM or try to charge the batteries from that fron plate, then I would redo it. However, you don't want to put them in series, you want to connect them in parallel. Connect the two possitives together on each end and the two negatives together on each end. This will give you the equivalent of the next size larger cable.

To connect them on the batteries for 24 volts. Connect the possitive cable to the possitive post on one battery. Connect the negative cable to the negative post on the other battery. Buy a battery interconnect cable and connect the other two post, the negative and possitive post you did not use, together. The interconnect cable need to be at least 6 guage wire.

The cables might be too short to reach out where that panel is at, plus you will probably find they put a smaller guage wire on them so they could connect them to that funky receptical installed in the panel. If so, you may have to add a little 6 guage to them or locate the plug on the side somewhere. I would not even try to use the plug you have, my prefered connectors are the Anderson SB-50. They are cheap and very good. Other companies make the same type, they will just call it something different. You need two of them, both are the same, they just interlock. I would upgrade to at least a 50 breaker at the battery also.

I tried to give you a link but it wouldn't but a search works.

BPS used to have them, Cabels, Graingers as well as a ton of others. Andersons is as good as they come and you can find a huge difference in price.

First, you messed up putting one new battery with one used battery. Doing that, and you will never quit chasing battery problems and especially when they are connected in series. The batteries MUST BE of the same type, size, manufacture, and age or with no more than 25 charges difference between them. Mixing and pairing them like you have done causes the battery with the lower internal resistance to go bad fairly quickly.

If you think the charger might be a problem, fully charge each battery by itself, let it rest 24 hours and test it with a volt meter and hydrometer if it has removeable caps, or take them to a parts store and have them tested. Probably will find one of the batteries bad or a big difference between the two.

As for the wiring of the boat. It souns like it's right, but if you are not running a 12/24 TM or try to charge the batteries from that fron plate, then I would redo it. However, you don't want to put them in series, you want to connect them in parallel. Connect the two possitives together on each end and the two negatives together on each end. This will give you the equivalent of the next size larger cable.

To connect them on the batteries for 24 volts. Connect the possitive cable to the possitive post on one battery. Connect the negative cable to the negative post on the other battery. Buy a battery interconnect cable and connect the other two post, the negative and possitive post you did not use, together. The interconnect cable need to be at least 6 guage wire.

The cables might be too short to reach out where that panel is at, plus you will probably find they put a smaller guage wire on them so they could connect them to that funky receptical installed in the panel. If so, you may have to add a little 6 guage to them or locate the plug on the side somewhere. I would not even try to use the plug you have, my prefered connectors are the Anderson SB-50. They are cheap and very good. Other companies make the same type, they will just call it something different. You need two of them, both are the same, they just interlock. I would upgrade to at least a 50 breaker at the battery also.

I tried to give you a link but it wouldn't but a search works.

BPS used to have them, Cabels, Graingers as well as a ton of others. Andersons is as good as they come and you can find a huge difference in price.

 

 

So lets run with this.  The cranking battery is old, thats fine because its independent of the trolling motors and I am still getting a good charge out of it. The one trolling motor battery is a year or so old but doesnt have a years worth of use, just say for a couple months uncharged. Charged it last winter. At any rate I need to get 24v, sounds like parallel is the way to go. 

 

Is there a way to use the current wiring to create a 24v system? Just use the battery 1 cable, plus a 50amp breaker, then the batteries linked like you said with some 6 gauge and a 6 gauge ring terminal.  You recommended the anderson connector, I believe this boat just uses ring terminals.  Long day Im going to get some rest and see where this goes. Its a club boat so I dont have the cash on hand to get another new battery. Ill disconnect it and start fresh manana.

Hold on a minute, maybe I'm not understanding things here a jumped to a few conclusions that are not the case.

Are there two or three batteries in the boat? One cranking and one trolling, or one cranking and two trolling?

Is the trolling motor a 12 volt, 24 volt, or 12/24?

What I mentioned doing is only if it has three batteries, one cranking and two TM and if it has a 24 volt only TM.

Also, if the boat belongs to a club and not yours, they may not appreciate modifying the wiring so there would be no way to run a 12/24 TM in the future. After all, that is what most of the cheaper 24 volt TM are

We need to make sure we are on the same page before making any of the changes I posted in my first post.

I was also only talking about paralleling the the two sets of cables going to the batteries, not the batteries, and that was ONLY if it is running three batteries, two TM and one cranking, and ONLY if it's running a straight 24 volt TM and not a 12/24. The batteries themselves, provided there are two TMs would be connected in series.

Hold on a minute, maybe I'm not understanding things here a jumped to a few conclusions that are not the case.

Are there two or three batteries in the boat? One cranking and one trolling, or one cranking and two trolling?

Is the trolling motor a 12 volt, 24 volt, or 12/24?

What I mentioned doing is only if it has three batteries, one cranking and two TM and if it has a 24 volt only TM.

Also, if the boat belongs to a club and not yours, they may not appreciate modifying the wiring so there would be no way to run a 12/24 TM in the future. After all, that is what most of the cheaper 24 volt TM are

We need to make sure we are on the same page before making any of the changes I posted in my first post.

I was also only talking about paralleling the the two sets of cables going to the batteries, not the batteries, and that was ONLY if it is running three batteries, two TM and one cranking, and ONLY if it's running a straight 24 volt TM and not a 12/24. The batteries themselves, provided there are two TMs would be connected in series.

Boat is running 3 batteries. 1 cranking 2 trolling motor. Old trolling motor on there was a 12/24. current one is a 24v 80lb minn kota maxxum.  Currently the boat is rigged for 12/24. ITs my understanding that all I need to do is run them in series and only use the leads from battery one( obviously connected to battery 2) to the front plug panel to make the connection and get 24v only out of the plug. 

Also Im just taking it in tomorrow to get done correctly. If it was my boat I would play around with it. Not going to risk messing something up or blowing myself up for a boat that I wont be using down the road. 

That's probably the best thing to do. When you want to change the electrical configuration of how it's wire, you need to have a basic understanding of how it works and how the changes will affect it.

Just a little FYI, that run/charge bat/toggle switch that's in that front panel you plug the TM into, already connects the cables in series when you have it in the run position.

Now, since you mentioned the TM has been upgrade to a 24V 80#, you have almost doubled what all that wiring up front was ever designed to handle, and should be bypassed. Also, if it does not have at least 6ga cable going from the battery to the TM, that needs to be upgraded, I also think that size motor requires a 60 amp breaker. So, if you are going to have it done right, that's things you need to check on.

That's probably the best thing to do. When you want to change the electrical configuration of how it's wire, you need to have a basic understanding of how it works and how the changes will affect it.

Just a little FYI, that run/charge bat/toggle switch that's in that front panel you plug the TM into, already connects the cables in series when you have it in the run position.

Now, since you mentioned the TM has been upgrade to a 24V 80#, you have almost doubled what all that wiring up front was ever designed to handle, and should be bypassed. Also, if it does not have at least 6ga cable going from the battery to the TM, that needs to be upgraded, I also think that size motor requires a 60 amp breaker. So, if you are going to have it done right, that's things you need to check on.

Yep. Basically going to take some before and after pictures to see what he does. Trolling motor might have an issue who knows.

tbone, there should be someone in the greater Chicago area who knows about repairing trolling motors.

 

Take your boat with the trolling motor attached to a trolling motor repair shop and have them look at it.

 

Nothing can ruin a good day fishing than a malfunctioning trolling motor.

 

Well worth the investment.

tbone, there should be someone in the greater Chicago area who knows about repairing trolling motors.

 

Take your boat with the trolling motor attached to a trolling motor repair shop and have them look at it.

 

Nothing can ruin a good day fishing than a malfunctioning trolling motor.

 

Well worth the investment.

Its way down in central Il getting worked on. Oddly enough a friend in the club has a brand new TM that came off his old boat he is wiling to give away along with the electronics.  His new boat came fully loaded and so the "old" ( yr old hummingbird and minn kota) arent needed.