Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

ngt · May 26, 2013

Wiring up a trolling motor and new fish finder. Pretty expensive stuff and I don't want to mess it up. See anything wrong with this diagram? Anything I'm missing? The reason I'm using the terminal strips is because the connectors on the trolling motor are too small for the posts on the batter box. I didn't want to strip them and put on new connectors in case I need to return the motor for some reason. So I used the terminal strips to simply change the wire. They are rated at 100a and I have 8 guage wire (overkill?) coming off of the other end and going to the motor. The reason the front light has two positive wires is because it has an extra little light on it in the back for whatever. Should I mount in switches for the trolling motor and fish finder? Or will using their on/off feature be enough?

thanks!

Silvertip · May 26, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

Trolling motor wiring is fine. Light wiring is not for several reasons.
1) Ground wires for the lights do not go to the switch. They go to ground.
2) You cannot control the nav lights properly with that wiring. (A) when under way, both bow and stern lights need to be on. (B) at anchor only the stern light is to be on. You need a three or six terminal (ON/OFF/ON) switch or a Nav light specific push pull (OFF/ON/ON) switch to do this properly. Do a search for Nav light wiring. It is covered many times in this forum.
3) You don't need more switches for lights, locator and the troller. That's why they have their own switches.

ngt · May 26, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

what if I just used 2 switches?

Silvertip · May 26, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

You can use two switches -- but why?. Do you understand the ground issue?

ngt · May 26, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

Silvertip said:
You can use two switches -- but why?. Do you understand the ground issue?

not exactly. what would the issue be if the ground was cut off at the switch? will what i have in the second diagram work as far as ground?

UncleWillie · May 26, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

Also, unless both wires leaving the battery are independently capable of carrying all 60 amps;
The wire from the battery to the fuse box will likely need a separate fuse very near the battery and rated for the wire gauge to the fuse box.

You have 8 gauge from the battery to the terminal strips.
What gauge runs from the battery to the Fuse Panel?

ngt · May 26, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

UncleWillie said:
Also, unless both wires leaving the battery are independently capable of carrying all 60 amps;
The wire from the battery to the fuse box will likely need a separate fuse very near the battery and rated for the wire gauge to the fuse box.

You have 8 gauge from the battery to the terminal strips.
What gauge runs from the battery to the Fuse Panel?

haven't gotten that far yet. what would you suggest? everything running off of that will have it's own fuse though.

Silvertip · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

Everything having it's own fuse is fine but you need to understand that all of those circuits pull current through the single circuit between the battery and the fuse panel. Therefore that circuit must be capable of carrying the total current draw of all accessories. In factory wired boats those two wires are typically 10 gauge or larger and there is a circuit breaker within six inches of the positive terminal of the battery.

The only ground ever connected to a switch would be for the internal light on illuminated switches. You do not switch the ground side of a circuit. You can of course, but it serves no purpose.

ngt · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

ok gotcha. If my battery box has a built in 60amp breaker, will that cover it?

One person told me I shouldn't use the same battery on my TM as I am using on the rest of my electronics because of power spikes my trolling motor may cause. I have a small boat and was trying to stick to one battery, but if I have to use two, and the only thing on the 2nd battery were the lights and FF coming off of the circuit breaker (two lights with 5 amp fuses, and the FF with a 3 amp fuse) what size breaker would I put on the 10 gauge line going from the other battery to the fuse box?

Don S · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

You can try the single battery, your fishfinder may drop out and have to be restarted if you get a spike, if it does, then you need to do something different. It will not damage the unit.

A 30A fuse on your 10ga. wire will work fine. Use a waterproof fuse holder.

Silvertip · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

You will not have voltage spikes. You may have voltage drops which may cause the locator to drop out. That will likely happen only after the battery gets pretty low.

Don S · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

You may have voltage drops which may cause the locator to drop out.

Good point, about it being a drop not a spike. I read spike but was also referring to a voltage drop.

ngt · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

If I'm going with one battery and putting a 30amp fuse going to the fuse box 6 inches from the batter on the +, since I am using the MinnKota Power Center that has a built in 60amp breaker on the outside posts, should I wire the fuse box to the posts directly to the battery inside the POwerCenter box or on the posts that the trolling motor is hooked up to on the outside of the box, which would mean the 10 gauge wire for the fuse box would have a 30amp fuse six inches from the posts that are then wired through a 60amp breaker before hitting the actual battery.

I hope that made sense. lol

Don S · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

Ok, now I know what a power center is.

Just put an inline fuse holder on the end of the fuse panel red wire with a ring terminal on one end and hook it to the terminals on the outside of the box.
The fuse is only there to protect the long run of wire up to the fuse box, nothing else.

What size is your trolling motor?

ngt · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

My trolling motor is a 55lb Riptide SP. So it will look like this?

Also, the guy at west marine, who seemed to not know anything for sure but rambled on about maybe this and maybe that, said that if I hook it up like this, and the trolling motor pulls 20amp, it will go past the 30 amp fuse down that line and blow my 5 and 3 amp fuses over and over. It didn't sound right, but these guys have given me wrong information a few times since this project began.

Silvertip · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

Stop talking with that person. he is giving you bad information.

Don S · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

Don't ask salesmen technical questions!!!!!!!!!

NYBo · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

ngt said:
Also, the guy at west marine, who seemed to not know anything for sure but rambled on about maybe this and maybe that, said that if I hook it up like this, and the trolling motor pulls 20amp, it will go past the 30 amp fuse down that line and blow my 5 and 3 amp fuses over and over. It didn't sound right, but these guys have given me wrong information a few times since this project began.

:facepalm:

ngt · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

Don S said:
Don't ask salesmen technical questions!!!!!!!!!

View attachment 195695

I'm getting really sick of the guys there. I guess I just figured if they worked at a store that sold boat parts, they would know something about them

Oh well. lol.

Thanks for the diagram. Much prettier than mine

That looks like the plan then. Thank you!

Don S · May 27, 2013

Re: Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

ngt said:
I'm getting really sick of the guys there. I guess I just figured if they worked at a store that sold boat parts, they would know something about them Oh well. lol.

They do, the price and how to use the cash register.

Anyone see any problems with this wiring?

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