Can the trolling motor batteries for a 24v motor be spaced 6 or 7’ apart. They would be connected with #6 wire. Working on weight distribution in the boat and looking at not having them side by side.
Thanks
Can the trolling motor batteries for a 24v motor be spaced 6 or 7’ apart. They would be connected with #6 wire. Working on weight distribution in the boat and looking at not having them side by side.
Thanks
Yes, but you’ll need a breaker in the jumper.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
John Jones and I discussed the best way to add a 2nd tolling motor battery to my 1440 Lund Rebel so I could go from a 12V to 24V trolling motor. The single TM battery was under the front deck, but there was no room there for a 2nd battery. After lots of measuring, the only reasonable solution was to locate the second battery in the rear compartment, beside my cranking battery. This required me to run a 14 foot long jumper between the batteries. This set up has worked great for nearly 5 years without a single problem.
CatFan - John never mentioned adding a breaker to the jumper wire. Can I ask why you recommend adding a breaker.
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Thanks for the reply, same situation here with no room for the second battery up front. Did you use #6 tinned wire as your jumper? Yes the trolling motor will have the 60 amp MK breaker that come with the new boat.Originally Posted by Jeff Hahn
Wondering also about the breaker in the jumper wire!
I bought tinned marine wire for the 6 gauge black wire that runs from the negative of the rear battery to the TM receptacle. That was like $35 for 15 feet of wire.So, I bought regular 6 gauge wire in green for the jumper. Since I don’t store the boat in or near the water, I can’t believe that tinned wire is necessary. The only breaker in my wiring is a 60 amp breaker in the 6 gauge positive red wire that runs from the front battery to the TM receptacle.
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
The concern is that you have a long "hot" lead with no overload/short protection.
But there is a battery at each end of the lead, won't that require two breakers?
So I’m guessing that the breaker should be put on the jumper wire (negative of the bow battery to the positive of the aft battery)up front near the bow battery!
No, close to the battery that doesn’t already have a breaker.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
Thanks, I’ll add another 60 amp breaker.
Get a single 24v lithium. Problem solved
That would be a nice addition!
The breaker should always be as close as practical to the positive terminal of either battery.
The breaker works equally well in either positive or negative. When you have a long jumper, it’s best to have a breaker in the leads of both batteries.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
So if I understand you correctly on a 24v system with batteries 10’ apart, one breaker should be between the TM and the first battery. On the positive lead close to the battery. Then from the second battery, on the negative lead going back to the trolling motor, but close to that second battery. So in summary, the trolling motor Positive & negative wires would each be isolated by a breaker!
Why would you need any breakers to protect a piece of wire?
I can see if the wire ran over the deck on a steel boat where mechanical damage could short it out there should be breakers but a protected wire on a fiberglass boat does not run that kind of risk.
The batteries are all in SERIES so a single breaker at the end of the series connection at the trolling motor will break the circuit for ALL the batteries.
The money you spend on breakers to protect a $8.50 piece of wire would be better spent on some conduit to protect the wire - instead of a breaker to shut the barn door after the amps get out, spend the money on shutting the door in the first place.
Yea, I know about the ABYC stuff but many of their specifications are from their legal department so they don't get sued.
The primary function of a breaker is to protect wire. You short that wire and it almost instantly gets hot enough to set something on fire. For all we know that wire is running in the same raceway as the negative wire from the same battery.
The thought of running conduit in a bass boat makes spending the money on a breaker a bargain.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
I was going to suggest taking it to a Pro, but as of today I am not sure that is the answer! Whenever you have a current carrying wire you need some type of fuse or breaker to protect against a short that could set you, your family and your boat on fire! There is no solution besides that. JMHO Bob
Tell me where has a slow movin' once quick draw outlaw got to go
The sole purpose of a fuse is to protect the wire. If that jumper wire goes to ground the length of wire from the short to the + terminal on the battery will get very hot very quick. I would put a fuse/breaker on that jumper as close as you can to the + terminal of that battery as close as you can.
I have an aluminum boat. The hull is -. My battery is in the back with a troller in front. I have a fuse on the + lead next to the battery.
Where would the second breaker go with a 10’ jumper cable between batteries?
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