trolling motor batteries

[fishing1]

Hello, I fish in an area with a lot of grass and sometimes in runs my trolling batteries down before I am ready to quit for the day. As all good boaters do, I keep a pair of jumper cables with me all the time. If I get into a situation where I need a little more juice out of the trolling batteries would it be ok to jump off of the cranking battery just long enough to get a little charge back into the others. Of course I would make sure to not throttle the boat at all while they are hooked up. The trolling motor system is a 12 / 24 set up.

Thanks

 

[Silvertip]

Re: trolling motor batteries

Unless you want copious amounts of smoke and fire as well as damage to the electrical system on your engine DO NOT jump one 12 volt battery (the starting battery) across a 24 volt system. If you had a 12 volt trolling motor system (a single 12 volt battery), yes, you can do that. OR if you jump one battery at a time making sure you move both cables from one battery to the next then you could also do that. But remember that you would need to pump juice into both batteries separately and it doesn't do much good to just jump one of them. Connecting across the 24 volt system will fry things. Also be aware that any juice you steal from the starting battery (engine idling or not) decreases its ability to start the engine. If you are stealing enough juice to run an extra half hour or so, I guarantee you will be looking at a way to rope start the engine. It would appear you really need deep cycle batteries with more capacity.

 

[fishing1]

Re: trolling motor batteries

Thanks again Silvertip,

Hey I got another question. I was looking at my buddies boat and I noticed on his trolling motor batteries set up (12/24). The hot wire of Bat. #2 was connected at the neg. side of the jumper on Bat.#1 and ever thing works fine and he said it has been that way for years. I noticed it because of the fuse on a wire coming the neg. terminal. I know thats not the way it is supposed to be, but does it make any real difference.

Thanks again

 

[Silvertip]

Re: trolling motor batteries

Make any difference for what? There are several 12/24 system wiring schemes. Without a diagram we have no idea what he has. If you are saying he is using one of the batteries in a 24 volt setup to power a 12 volt accessory, he can certainly do that but he better not have it connected across the +24 red lead on one battery, and negative terminal on the other battery as his accessory would be toast. You can connect accessories across both terminals of EITHER battery to get 12 volts.