Bow mount wiring question

[Gammtka]

I am going to install a bow mount Motorguide trolling motor in my boat. This trolling motor will have a dedicated battery in the bow, not connected to anything but the trolling motor. The instruction manual says to connect a ground wire between the two batteries in the boat with a common ground. While I certainly can run a wire from the front battery to the rear starting battery, I am wondering why this is needed. What if I don't do this- what are the ramifications

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Bow mount wiring question

It is not necessary to interconnect the troller battery to the start battery.

 

[Gammtka]

Re: Bow mount wiring question

It is not necessary to interconnect the troller battery to the start battery.

Thanks for quick reply. One more question. The supplied wire from the motor is going to be a couple of feet short I think. I know I need to install a 50 amp circuit breaker on the positive wire, no problem. The user manual says any extentions of the supplied cable should be 6 gauge. That seems a little big. Can't I use the same gauge as the supplied wire. Honestly, I dont know what gauge the supplied wire is, but it seems thinner than 6 gauge

 

[Grandad]

Re: Bow mount wiring question

Thanks for quick reply. One more question. The supplied wire from the motor is going to be a couple of feet short I think. I know I need to install a 50 amp circuit breaker on the positive wire, no problem. The user manual says any extentions of the supplied cable should be 6 gauge. That seems a little big. Can't I use the same gauge as the supplied wire. Honestly, I dont know what gauge the supplied wire is, but it seems thinner than 6 gauge

I doubt that you'll see any performance difference. The smaller and longer the wire, the more resistance it will have, so there'll be a drop in voltage. For a couple of feet, using a similar gauge to what was supplied shouldn't be a problem. - Grandad

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Bow mount wiring question

If you are looking a foot or two, the same size is fine. Anything longer than that, go with the 6 ga.

 

[Gammtka]

Re: Bow mount wiring question

Thanks for the feedback. I dont yet know how much longer wire I will need. I picked up a deep cycle battery today at Interstate batteries. He told me they sold 6 gauge wire, but it was 33 cents per inch. Unbelievable.