battery connection

[atticus3600s]

I just purchased a boat and looking at the battery connections, there seems to be a wire that connects the positive terminal on one battery to the negative terminal on the second battery. Iam wondering if this is normal or weather there has been an error hooking up the batteries.

 

[jlinder]

Re: battery connection

Well, not much in the way of details, but it seems you have 2 batteries connected in series.<br /><br />Either you have 2 12 volt batteries and you are running a 24 volt system (trolling motor?)<br /><br />or<br /><br />You have 2 6 volt batteries and a 12 volt system.<br /><br />Can you give some details? What kind of a boat, what type engine, model, make, etc.<br /><br />That will help lock it down

 

[atticus3600s]

Re: battery connection

Thanks for the reply, the boat's a 1984 Sketter Bass boat with a 75 merc and 2 batteries and a trolling motor just as you speculated. My dad was worried the batteries might explode

 

[Boatist]

Re: battery connection

I agree with Jack. You can usually tell if it is a 6 or 12 volt battery by the number of water fill hole / vents it has. 12 Volt battery will have 6 vent/fill holes. A 6 Volt will only have 3. Harder to tell on a sealed battery unless you have a volt meter. Your starting motor may charge one battery but likely will not charge the second battery at all. You can charge each battery with a battery charger likely 12 volts. You can get a on board 24 volt chargers to charge both battery at once.

 

[jlinder]

Re: battery connection

You can buy voltmeters so cheap now that there is no reason not to get one for yourself. I got one for $10 from the bargin bin at my local ACE hardware.<br /><br />If you carry any tools I consider the meter right up in importance with screwdrivers, pliers, etc. If you're worried about charging and such take a reading and post your questions.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: battery connection

Check the model of the trolling motor. If its a 24 volt model, the batteries need to be connected as you have observed (in series). The outboard probably has its own battery (single 12V). If the boat doesn't have an on-board charger for the trolling motor batteries, there are number of them available (Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, etc). They are fully automatic, won't overcharge, and can be left on continually during long periods of storage.