short term electrical help

mike4

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
32
the wiring in my newly purchased boat is a mess.. i am wondering short term can i run the fish/depth finder directly to the battery that starts the motor? it's a 75hp merc, 1985. it's hooked directly to the battery.... nothing else hooked up to anything..
thanks
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Re: short term electrical help

Sure you can. Just put an inline fuse as close to the battery as you can. Make a twisted pair that feeds the sounder. Easiest way to make one is to chuck two wires into a drill and have the other end of the two wires held in a vise. Turn on the drill until you have a nice tight twisted wire pair.
 

mike4

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
32
Re: short term electrical help

thanks.... but can you simplify that for me?. there are two wires coming from the fish finder.. one to the fuse panel, one to the stern where the second part of the unit is.... the fuse panel is disconnected from anything/everything.. so with the one wire not going to the stern ... what do i do with that to the battery?? doesn't there have to be a pos & neg?
 

Splat

Lieutenant
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
1,366
Re: short term electrical help

You will have 2 cables coming from the fishfinder, one for the transducer(prolly the one that is headed back to the stearn)

And a power cable. The power cable will contain both the posative and negative wires within that single cable.

Bill
 

mike4

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
32
Re: short term electrical help

thanks... now i got it!! much appreciated!
 

mike4

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
32
Re: short term electrical help

You will have 2 cables coming from the fishfinder, one for the transducer(prolly the one that is headed back to the stearn)

And a power cable. The power cable will contain both the posative and negative wires within that single cable.

Bill


thanks... what size amp wd i use on the in line fuse>>

thanks!
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Re: short term electrical help

Fuse depends on the size wire you run. For a 16 gauge wire you can have a 20 amp fuse. Usually, there is an inline fuse also at the input of the sounder. It may be smaller so make sure you keep that one as well since it protects the sounder itself.

Basically, the 20 amp fuse protects the wire from the battery to your small inline fuse. The small fuse protects the sounder. Make sense?
 

mike4

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
32
Re: short term electrical help

Fuse depends on the size wire you run. For a 16 gauge wire you can have a 20 amp fuse. Usually, there is an inline fuse also at the input of the sounder. It may be smaller so make sure you keep that one as well since it protects the sounder itself.

Basically, the 20 amp fuse protects the wire from the battery to your small inline fuse. The small fuse protects the sounder. Make sense?

thanks.. know anything about streering??? does the motor turn while not running?? if i turn the wheel without the mtr running it doesn't turn.. does it have to be running for the streering to work??
 
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