1998 Avenger Bass Boat wiring diagram???

[PickyBiker]

I am about to put a separate trolling motor battery in this boat. It has a trolling motor panel with switches for Bat 1, Bat 2, Run/Charge and up/down trim. I need to know how the battery stuff is wired.

My goal is to drain only the trolling motor battery with the trolling motor but charge both batteries when operating the 1997 90 HP Johnson engine that powers the boat.

Can this be done? Can this be done automatically so I don't have to remember to put switches in the proper position?

Ideally, when the engine is running, a relay would put the starting and trolling batteries in parallel for charging and keep them separate when the engine is stopped. Is there anything like that in the built in switch panel?

A wiring diagram would answer all my questions and allow me to set this up manually or automatically.

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: 1998 Avenger Bass Boat wiring diagram???

welcome

The way you are planning to do this will not work. The trolling batteries want to be kept separate from the engine battery. If the trolling motor is a 12v then you will only need one trolling battery.
The engine has a small alternator which is rated under 15 amps and most trolling motors are going to pull at least 30 amps at high speed so for every hour you troll you would have to run the engine for 2 hours as high rpm to make up the energy used.

The run/charge switch is designed so a battery charger can back feed the trolling motor plug as its easier then trying to get to the batteries on some boats. it was a old school system that was designed before multi-bank built in chargers were being made for under $150
There is a auto relay (acr) that will transfer charge when the engine is running and it is designed for boats but like I said before the engine alternator is to small. (most multi-bank chargers will also act as a acr when the engine is running but that's just a sale gimmick really as most outboards could not charge a starting battery and 2 trolling batteries at the same time unless you was planning to run the boat for hours).

we can link you or post a basic trolling motor battery/wire set up but you will have to tell us how many cables you have in the rear of the boat for the trolling motor, how many pins on the receptacle at the bow of the boat and what voltage trolling motor you have

 

[blackhawk180]

Re: 1998 Avenger Bass Boat wiring diagram???

Don S, we miss you.

 

[PickyBiker]

Re: 1998 Avenger Bass Boat wiring diagram???

welcome

The engine has a small alternator which is rated under 15 amps and most trolling motors are going to pull at least 30 amps at high speed so for every hour you troll you would have to run the engine for 2 hours as high rpm to make up the energy used.

Wow, I had no idea the charger was so small. To answer some of the questions, it is a 12v trolling motor and the plug has 3 contacts.

It looks like I need a plan B, but it is complicated by the fact the boat is permanently in the water by the dock. There is no way I will run 115 VAC to the boat to power a separate battery charger, People have died doing that.

I am open to suggestion on how to safely do this.

One possibility might be to plug a charger into an isolation transformer on the dock and then run just the 12 V charging cable to the boat. I could plug that into the trolling motor outlet. That way there is only 12v involved at the boat and the 115 VAC is isolated from the boat. A GFI AC outlet would also be a good idea.

Again, I am open to suggestions

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 1998 Avenger Bass Boat wiring diagram???

So you now have a transformer and a couple cords laying on the dock that people can trip over or knock into the water. Golly, install an on-board charger. The cord goes INTO the boat to a recessed receptacle. The cord outside the boat can be hanging in the water and not cause a problem unless you are using a $4.95 lamp cord style cord and it is cracked/split. The dock receptacle should be a GFI anyway.