Boats For Sale:
Help on Upgrading Electrical System |
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bfootr 
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Joined: March-04-2019 Location: Benson, NC Status: Offline Points: 138 |
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 Topic: Help on Upgrading Electrical SystemPosted: July-08-2019 at 12:25am |
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Hi - Looking to upgrade the electrical system on my 89' SN. Going to add a second battery and this Blue Sea Systems Add-A-Battery-Kit which includes a true battery isolating switch and an Automatic Charging Relay (ACR). Also, considering an upgrade to a 105 amp alternator versus the original 50 amp one. Doing all of this to provide better and more reliable power for accessories (including a future stereo and amp) while keeping the start battery isolated and always ready to start the engine. A few questions please.
Any experience or tips to share out there with this or a similar set-up? Best location for the second battery? With the increased amperage available from the alternator, what wire(s) and to what AWG do I need to change to? Any other considerations? Thanks in advance for the assist. Great to be able to leverage the expertise on this forum! -Gene |
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baitkiller
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Joined: October-11-2011 Location: SW Florida Status: Offline Points: 1693 |
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Posted: July-08-2019 at 10:23am |
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Start here.
https://www.paneltronics.com/atimo_s/news/E11Excerpts.pdf |
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Jesus was a bare-footer.............
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bfootr
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Joined: March-04-2019 Location: Benson, NC Status: Offline Points: 138 |
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Posted: July-08-2019 at 8:20pm |
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Could anyone tell me which wire(s) need to be a larger gauge if I upgrade the alternator to 105 amps? Thanks.
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Orlando76
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Joined: May-21-2013 Location: Mount Dora, FL Status: Offline Points: 3108 |
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Posted: July-08-2019 at 8:36pm |
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Not to be a jerk but you’re adding extra weight and headaches. We see this all the time, sigh.
1) upgrade hot and neutral going to dash 2) frequently check and clean battery connections 3) small and powerful yet compact jump boxes are the way to go these days 4) a decent Bluetooth radio such as the Altec Lifejacket are way more compact, zero impact to an intact boat, less pieces to troubleshoot, sound almost as good as the average good real radio, and last 18+ hours on a charge Spend more time boating and less time working on the boat. A quality, well charged, bci 24,65 etc will last for hours even with a radio going. |
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1976 Ski Nautique 351 Escort 1993 Ski Nautique purple and black 351 HO PCM |
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bfootr
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Joined: March-04-2019 Location: Benson, NC Status: Offline Points: 138 |
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Posted: July-08-2019 at 9:03pm |
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Thanks Todd. You’ve given me some worthwhile considerations. Will revisit.
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8122pbrainard
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Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41040 |
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Posted: July-08-2019 at 9:06pm |
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William,
Why the dual batteries? Tell us more. I happen to agree with Todd. |
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bfootr
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Joined: March-04-2019 Location: Benson, NC Status: Offline Points: 138 |
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Posted: July-08-2019 at 10:22pm |
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Was planning on putting in a stereo, amp, 4 speakers, and a sub and liked the idea of an accessory battery being completely isolated from the starting battery. Thought that the battery switch and ACR were a good solution for such a setup. However, I am rethinking due to the added weight and placement of the second battery. .
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bfootr
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Joined: March-04-2019 Location: Benson, NC Status: Offline Points: 138 |
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Posted: July-19-2019 at 1:41pm |
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Closing the loop on this. I took the advice here and kept to one battery. Instead, ordered a Bluetooth speaker (JBL charge 4) and already had a small portable jump starter (NOCO 1000 amp) which I’ll use as a backup. Appreciate the advice!
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zwoobah
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Joined: September-13-2018 Location: Providence RI Status: Offline Points: 308 |
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Posted: July-19-2019 at 1:58pm |
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Bluetooth speaker is certainly easier. You can wire in a 12v ignition-switched USB charger plug for it - so it will recharge the speaker when you are running the boat, but won't drain the boat's battery when you are anchored and playing music.
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1968 Mustang 16 - 351W powered
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desertskier
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Joined: December-19-2006 Location: Az Status: Offline Points: 1114 |
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Posted: July-19-2019 at 2:25pm |
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91NaughtyQ
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Joined: July-27-2015 Location: NC Status: Offline Points: 287 |
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Posted: July-19-2019 at 5:03pm |
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I like those. I mounted a small dual USB/12V charger under the dash, but you have to be a yoga expert to get to it. Gonna install these. Any gotchas to watch out for drilling the dash and leather parts?
Gary |
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1991 Ski Nautique
(Previous)1984 Ski Nautique 2001 |
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desertskier
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Joined: December-19-2006 Location: Az Status: Offline Points: 1114 |
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Posted: July-19-2019 at 5:08pm |
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I was a little worried I was going to rip the dash. I used a hole saw and went very slowly. It cut through without any tearing.
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91NaughtyQ
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Joined: July-27-2015 Location: NC Status: Offline Points: 287 |
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Posted: July-19-2019 at 5:16pm |
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Great thanks.
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1991 Ski Nautique
(Previous)1984 Ski Nautique 2001 |
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