24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

[winer]

I just purchased a Motorguide Brute 24V trolling motor and would like to know how to wire it for the 4 prong receptacle that is at the bow of my 1999 Starcraft. The boat has 2 trolling batteries that each have a red and black cable running to the receptacle, the batteries are not connected with any jumper wire. The trolling motor has 2 wires coming from it a black and a red. How do I hook it up to the 4-prong receptacle and do I need to put a jumper wire between the batteries?

Thanks,

Jerry

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: 24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

You need to wire the batteries in series. Then just use 2 of the connections on the plug. Make sure the wires going to the batteries are heavy enough. Ideally they would be 6 gauge.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

Let's not be hasty with this. Since the boat has a 4-prong plug up front, check the panel to see if there is a 12V/24V switch and/or a CHARGE/RUN switch up there. If there is, the 12/24 switch takes care of jumpering the two batteries or paralleling them, and the CHARGE/RUN switch takes care of splitting the two batteries so you can charge them through the receptacle. So lets have that information first.

 

[winer]

Re: 24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

So do I just buy a 4 prong plug and only wire it to 2 of the prongs? The boat was pre-wired at the factory for the trolling motor as described above, 2 battery system one red and one black from each battery going to the 4 prong receptacle. What is the idea of the 4 prong plug if you only use 2 of the holes from the receptacle ?

Thanks.
Jerry

 

[winer]

Re: 24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

Sorry didnt see your reply before I posted. I will check the boat tommorrow for a switch, Would the switch be located up near the bow plug?

Jerry

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

I'm just curious here, but if you've owned this boat for awhile, have you not noticed if there are some switches on the same panel that the receptacle is mounted on or very close to it?

A number of boat manufacturers did some really strange things when it came to wiring boats for trolling motors. MotorGuide created most of the problems in that they offered trollers that would operate from 12 volts AND 24 volts. The boat manufacturer then complicated matters by adding a panel with the switches I mentioned. If your Motorguide operates ONLY on 24 volts (which it does because it only has two wires in the harness), you don't need the switches and what Bhile suggested will work. However, if the switches are there, you need to do some checking to see which pins actually have 24 volts on them when the switch is set to 24V. You could of course use one red wire from BAT #1 and the black wire from BAT #2, and then jumper BAT #2 POS to BAT #1 NEG. Then up front you would disconnect the black and red wire that weren't used, and wire the troller cable to the four prong plug so the red and black wires from the troller were on the red and black terminals on the receptacle. So you see, one way you butcher the system and the next guy to own the boat has to figure out why the system was messed with. You can accomplish the same thing without butchering the system but I need to know what you really have up there and pictures are worth a thousand words.

 

[winer]

Re: 24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

I just bought this boat over the winter and have been getting it ready for spring so I do not remember if there are any switches up front I will check today as it is in my warehouse 1/2 hr from home. I think the setup looks pretty simple as I was looking at it the other day. 2 trolling batteries one on one side of the boat the other on the opposite side, each battery has a red and black cable running up to the front of the boat and going into the 4 prong outlet. I guess I was just confused at the fact the new trolling motor only has 2 wires coming from it and it is a 24 volt system. I know the basics of electric but I am no expert, I would rather use the plug up front since it is already there. I dont recall seeing a 12/24 volt switch anywhere but I will check today.

Thanks again,

Jerry

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

The system was wired the way it is to accommodate EITHER a 12V OR 24V motor OR a combo 12/24V motor. Because there are a couple of ways the manufactures wired the panels AND the plugs, it makes a diffence what we tell you. If you don't have any switches up front, that's one matter. If you do that's a totally different issue and I'm only trying to keep you from modifying a system that doesn't need to be modified. While you are there looking at the panel, remove it and check the back of the receptacle to see if there are any jumpers on it. Take a picture of it and the front and back side of the entire panel if you can so we can see what you have.

 

[Tyme2fish]

Re: 24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

I might be wrong here, but I think the 4 prong male end that is wired to the trolling motor has a jumper built in it. Take a look at the male prong to see if you can see the metal jumper between two prongs. Yeh, I know, 4 holes to put two wires into. I believe you place your wires into the holes that have a jumper built in between them.

The Marinco? trolling motor male plug connects to the trolling motor. JUMPERED internally to supply 12V and 24V power to the trolling motor when plugged into the receptacle. Color: Black.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

That is exactly why I DIDN'T want to provide more information which only adds confusion. But since the cat is out of the bag, I will only add that none of us at this point knows for certain how the receptacle is wired. If he did not own the boat since new, prior owners do strange things to boat wiring and this area is one that can bite you. Since we have no idea at this point if this boat has any switches on the troller panel -- and if it does, using a male connector WITH a jumper can make smoke. So lets fiind out what he really has so we don't end up with another book here. As someone here so aptly said -- "because you found it that way does not mean it is supposed to be that way."

 

[winer]

Re: 24 volt Motor guide hookup w/4 prong

I figured it out but thanks for the help. The system is wired to accept either 12 or 24 volt you just need the right male plug. The receptacle converts it to either 12 or 24 volt.

Thanks,

Jerry

 

[Tnaylor1]

Just reading some of these old threads to see if they help me with my problem and I'm blew away with the knowledge and so willing to go above and beyond in detail to help strangers out.it's unreal.supreme marina you are awesome.