If you use your trolling motor a lot, and you are not a couple hour
cruise from your favorite trolling spot you MUST have a batt charger.

If weight is a concern.... use 2 batteries.
One starting BACKUP battery and One DEEP cycle battery.

Wire the trolling motor DIRECT to the DEEP CYCLE (Through whatever size
breaker they suggest).

Wire a selector switch to both batteries

Wire everything else to the common on the selector switch.

Add a 2 battery charger

ALWAYS leave the battery switch on the DEEP CYCLE battery (unless your
engine won't start... THEN use the backup starting battery and then
ALWAYS switch right back to the DEEP CYCLE after the engine starts)

This gives you a starting battery that is always ready.... a deep cycle
battery that is always charging and a house system that is tied to the
alternator.


Ed



HiTech Redneck wrote:
Wieght is a concern. 3 batteries would be to much wieght.

What amperage would nav lights, horn, aerator, etc use?

Basskisser - Does your motor have its own charging system? Is there a way to
set up daul batteries and not use on board charger and have both batteries
charge?

Thanks guys

wrote in message
ups.com...

I'd go with three batteries.

One deep cycle for the trolling motor. Make that a stand-alone circuit.
If you're going to troll for long periods, make sure you have plenty of
amphours. If you can avoid discharging the battery to less than 50% of
capacity, even a deep cycle, it will provide longer and more reliable
service.

A dedicated starting battery for your electric start. Don't put
anything else on this circuit, (IMO), it's just too important to share
with less critical applications like horns, aerators, etc.

A deep cycle battery for the aerator, nav lights, bilge pump, etc.

Connect the starting battery and accessory deep cycle batteries through
a make before break selector switch, ("1,2, both, off"). That will
allow you to draw some juice from the accessory battery, if needed,
when starting your motor.

That may sound like a lot of batteries, but you don't want to go
cheapie with your electrical system. The batteries may not need to be
all that big- and in a 17-footer you don't want to use extra space for
anything, but what should be a two battery setup becomes three with the
trolling motor.