1985 starcraft ss battery position

jerkoz

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
172
16ft. starcraft ss trolling motor battery positioning

have a ss model (1985) with a bow mount min-kota edge,( I) battery, mounted in the very front under the seats. would like to upgrade to a 24 volt I pilot , 2- 12volt battery 24 volt motor . not sure of where to place batteries close enough in the front of the boat, one on each side and hook up the wiring and still be ok with the voltage drop. can anyone suggest a spot to place them? would like to go as far back under the seats to keep the weight balanced and still be workable?
 

jerkoz

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
172
have a 1985 16ft. starcraft super sport and am running a single 12volt deep cycle battery for my minnkota bow mount. the battery is located at the center extreme front of the boat under the seats. would like to update the trolling motor to a minnkota with the I-pilot using (2)12volt batteries either in-line or 24volt system. would like to move the batteries back as far as possible under the front seats close to the windshield. one battery on each side of the boat, this way I would keep the weight more in the center of the boat and off the trailor tongue. does anyone have a setup like this? what wire size would be ok? this is the alternative to buying a bigger boat.. I love this boat.
 

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,747
I don't recall seeing any of the SS builds where they split the batteries off on either side in front of the consoles. The issue there would be connecting the batteries to each other for a 24v system. Most have added a deck in the center over the walkway between the bow seating and put the batteries there under the deck similar to what I did on my 18' SS with the access hatch and another issue would be connecting an onboard charger if you go that route.

y4mzocwyej90meYIQFw0fTbTnxrZrfSbT_MKjjO5SGjGCkz3eQP9EUyQpZaf9fcFAa1LhFI9LoLjWmY2elKkszMXvo1OQ2Q1SuDY56EZORftKe81HvWUMApNuwaM1RNH39P_NhtG3l7qnGsHroWuB76QOq9zE24C-6rnaDDZ5leJl3epoeyNRtQb6CDHwbanZgnHJUcBdtd8H6CTo9jymY86w


y4mFFzu77vUwd1PtA3eguQDBrbNbdPuBDVSd-YU7SXUyLwzosKnh6R0kw3zm0H2pTLeyWyVajbyKjtZ-WoD5jbvIgkMNYCIF-1ycBF8SM4MwrNBk9Y5o-oOtI-a_aUglavK3K4QGSINsy6N3UWSMNuhUyUy1UlrIsqZukGXJ9E6fQf7DIrJvdvDmHB_wCNXQuXetZF0Pq6aNfWi6kqbeJiCIA
 

g0nef1sshn

Lieutenant
Joined
Feb 24, 2015
Messages
1,291
Longer the battery cable longer the draw/amp/guage? Im no expert but i think closer to the source the less problems. In laymens terms. If you catch my non electrical train of thought.
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,468
Ayuh,.... You can mount the batteries anywhere ya want,....

The further away from the motor ya go, the bigger wire ya need to prevent voltage drop,....
 

roscoe

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
21,657
If you split them, you will end up with a mile of very thick, expensive cable, to overcome the voltage drop.

The difference in tongue weight will be minimal.

Tongue weight can be managed very easily with either load distribution, or moving the axle.

If you want to preserve your floor space, build a battery enclosure that will sit up on the very front seat area.
Or place one battery below, and one up top.
 

jerkoz

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
172
to roscoe, thanks for the reply, don't want to lose the seating area and the walk thru. now thinking 12volt with 2 batteries, one on each side with wires running to the front to a junction and when to the motor. I think the 12volt motor with 2 batteries will give me enough power and running time.
 
Top