technical questions

Post by **fish on!!** » May 1st, 2006, 9:27 am

Ok I was looking for a way to extend the life of my trolling motor battery while on the water. The riptide drains it like crazy. On a previous thread Chalk mentioned a phase charger from Bass Pro. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog. ... rchResults This seemed like a good solution to my problem, allowing the alternator to recharge my trolling battery while running between holes. I found at boaters world an automatic battery isolator http://www.boatersworld.com/product/196830095.htm. Will this work for what I'm trying to do?

Next question, this one may be a dumb one, I only have 2 wires coming from the motor a hot and a ground. I am assuming that the hot is coming from the alternator, is this right? BTW the motor is a 2004 mercury 50hp. Also, does the starter dub as the alternator cuz thats all I can figure looking under the cover?

Thanks for the help.

Post by **Chalk** » May 1st, 2006, 9:28 pm

Yes, the red wire, sometimes there are more than one wire heading to the engine.

What kind of battery do you have, I can run mine pretty hard and have only pulled it down to 65% of a charge.

Post by **fish on!!** » May 2nd, 2006, 8:39 am

chalk, Its just an everstart (i think). I originally thought that it may be a battery problem but every tester I have put on it says its good. Here's something interesting...yesterday I let the trolling motor run for probably 4 hours solid out of the water with barely any change in the battery voltage reading. However when I recharged and put it in the water the motor ran weak. I know that there is a huge difference in the amount of power required running out of the water and in the water due to resistence but do you think this is a battery problem or a trolling motor problem? What is the minimum amps required to run a riptide 55lb thrust?

leonreno · Post by **leonreno** » May 2nd, 2006, 6:42 pm

fish on!! wrote:chalk, Its just an everstart (i think). I originally thought that it may be a battery problem but every tester I have put on it says its good. Here's something interesting...yesterday I let the trolling motor run for probably 4 hours solid out of the water with barely any change in the battery voltage reading. However when I recharged and put it in the water the motor ran weak. I know that there is a huge difference in the amount of power required running out of the water and in the water due to resistence but do you think this is a battery problem or a trolling motor problem? What is the minimum amps required to run a riptide 55lb thrust?

What is the lbs thrust of your trolling motor? It may be too weak for your boat and thus runs down to quick. Also, I would check the output on the 50hp alternator to make sure it can charge your starting battery and trolling battery sufficently.

From the Mercury website:

How do I charge two batteries with my outboard motor?

Using an outboard to charge two batteries is only effective if the outboard charging system is capable of delivering more than 15 to 20 amps. One point to remember: most systems are rated at wide-open throttle and charge substantially lower amounts at slower engine speeds.

Engines equipped with belt driven alternators and some smaller outboards can use a battery isolator to direct current to each battery. The isolator allows one battery to be discharged separately from the other and still allows both to charge from a single source. Carbureted and EFI 2.5L outboards are equipped with a dual regulated charging system. This system can be split, allowing half of the system to charge both batteries.

Other options may be available, contact your local Mercury or Mariner Outboard dealer for additional information.

Post by **Chalk** » May 2nd, 2006, 10:17 pm

I had an everstart on the Lancer, it was bad about cooking the water out of the cells on a recharge, check your water levels?

Post by **tin can** » May 3rd, 2006, 8:07 am

How far apart are the trolling motor and battery. What size wire do you have between the trolling motor and battery? Have you checked all of your connections? What size and type battery are you using, and how old is the battery?What kind of charger are you using. How old is the trolling motor?

If there is any distance between the battery and trolling motor, use at least #6 wire. If you have corroded connections the motor will be sluggish. If you're using a plug setup on the trolling motor end, check all of the connections in the plug assembly, also. A deep cycle battery is a must for a 55# thrust motor. I use a group 24 deep cycle battery with no problems. I read an article on trolling motor battery charging several years ago. Wish I knew where the article is. They reccommended a 15 amp charger for trolling motor batteries. The article stated if you're useing a small charger, such as a 6 amp, the battery will develop a surface charge from the low charge rate, and appear to be charged, when, in fact, it isn't.

If you're using a proper setup, and the battery is still draining, check the amperage draw at the trolling motor. It is possible the motor is bad.

Post by **fish on!!** » May 3rd, 2006, 10:13 am

the motor is a 55lb thrust. It is about 16 feet from the battery away and I am using 6 guage wire. However I am only using a 6 amp charger. Maybe thats the problem. When you say check the output at the trolling motor, how do you go about doing that? The battery is about a year old and the trolling motor is around 2 years. When the motor was newer It would nearly put the boat on plane but it has nowhere near the giddyup that it used to. I hope its just the battery and not the motor.

Post by **qoutrage** » May 3rd, 2006, 10:15 am

deleted

Post by **tin can** » May 3rd, 2006, 10:48 am

fish on!! wrote:the motor is a 55lb thrust. It is about 16 feet from the battery away and I am using 6 guage wire. However I am only using a 6 amp charger. Maybe thats the problem. When you say check the output at the trolling motor, how do you go about doing that? The battery is about a year old and the trolling motor is around 2 years. When the motor was newer It would nearly put the boat on plane but it has nowhere near the giddyup that it used to. I hope its just the battery and not the motor.

You can check the draw with a multi meter.

I haven't had much success with Everstart batteries. From what you've described, I would suspect you need a battery, and a higher amperage charger. The motor is probably fine. As Chalk mentioned earlier, I couldn't keep water in the everstart batteries. However, if it's less than a year old, Wal-Mart will replace it for free.

If you have the room, my suggestion would be a group 27, deep cycle, Delco Voyager. They're maintenence free, and I've been getting 4 to 5 years of service out of them.

Post by **fish on!!** » May 3rd, 2006, 1:06 pm

Q, its a mercury 2004 50hp 2 stroke.

thanks guys for the help. I will probably nix the isolator idea for right now and try some of the other routes.

chugbug · Post by **chugbug** » May 3rd, 2006, 1:28 pm

tin can wrote:How far apart are the trolling motor and battery. What size wire do you have between the trolling motor and battery? Have you checked all of your connections? What size and type battery are you using, and how old is the battery?What kind of charger are you using. How old is the trolling motor?

If there is any distance between the battery and trolling motor, use at least #6 wire. If you have corroded connections the motor will be sluggish. If you're using a plug setup on the trolling motor end, check all of the connections in the plug assembly, also. A deep cycle battery is a must for a 55# thrust motor. I use a group 24 deep cycle battery with no problems. I read an article on trolling motor battery charging several years ago. Wish I knew where the article is. They reccommended a 15 amp charger for trolling motor batteries. The article stated if you're useing a small charger, such as a 6 amp, the battery will develop a surface charge from the low charge rate, and appear to be charged, when, in fact, it isn't.

If you're using a proper setup, and the battery is still draining, check the amperage draw at the trolling motor. It is possible the motor is bad.

I know this is off the subject..but...If I use a 2 Amp setting instead of a 12 Amp setting I am actually hurting my battery life? I thought it was the other way around. Slow charge = good.

fishful_thinkin · Post by **fishful_thinkin** » May 3rd, 2006, 2:41 pm

Fish on - I am using that same trolling motor granted mine is about six months old. I also have a deep cycle interstate that runs it great. I can usually fish all day and not even worry with it. I would say that a real simple solution is borrow a friends battery and see if the problem continues other than that

Post by **tin can** » May 3rd, 2006, 7:12 pm

chugbug wrote: I know this is off the subject..but...If I use a 2 Amp setting instead of a 12 Amp setting I am actually hurting my battery life? I thought it was the other way around. Slow charge = good.

Chug, I'm just recalling what the article said. I suppose one thing to think about is all batteries are built basically the same. The difference between a standard and deep cycle battery is the thickness and number of plates. A standard battery has thinner plates than a deep cycle. This , so I understand, is what gives a standard battery a higher cranking capacity, for starting. That said, the alternator in your vehicle probably produces at least 80 amps. Years ago, I installed a box under the hood of my old '65 Chevy pickup, and put my trolling battery in there. I ran a lead from the alternator, and a ground, and charged my battery. It worked fine, and I never had a problem.

It was mentioned earlier in this thread that some outboards now have a split charging system. My 200 Merc is that way. It has a 40 amp alternator that can be split into 2 20's. That would be 20 amps to your trolling battery any time the outboard is running.

Also, most of the companies building on board chargers now offer a model with 15 amp output per phase.

Are you hurting your battery by using a lower amperage setting? I don't know. This is just information I have gathered over the years. I offer it as that, and no more, I'll also tell you that several folks on this forum that know me personally will quickly tell you that I have an over abundance of useless information stored in my head.

Post by **qoutrage** » May 3rd, 2006, 8:48 pm

Hey Fish on!!. Sorry I had read your post yesterday and thought I remember what the question was, but after reading it again, realized I was off in left field with all the Yamaha and charging stuff. Sorry if I got off the subject.

Good luck with it.

chugbug · Post by **chugbug** » May 4th, 2006, 9:48 am

Well it kinda makes sense now that I think about it. My friend just replaced his TM batteries after 2 years and he uses a "trickle charge" setting. Maybe it's better to use the 12 Amp (highest I have) and get it over with rather than dragging it on.