Re: 1950 lone*star malibu rebuild
Hi sslorraine. I think a 2 battery set up would be best for a variety of reasons. For one you won't be keeping all your eggs in one basket. It would not be fun to have your accessories drain your starting battery. It will always happen at the worse time possible and will leave you without a motor and lights. Plus, the types of battery you need are different. A starting battery is designed, to deliver a large, quick surge of power to the starter to get the motor going, then basically does nothing as these old motors use a mechanical ignition that does not require outside electricity. You'll often hear it described in terms of "cold cranking amps" (CCA), which is just a measure of how much of a zap it can deliver at once. Some vintage motors up to about 35 hp can be started with a small ATV, or motor cycle battery, but a full car-sized one is probably best. Deep cycle batteries, on the other hand, are designed to provide long continuous current to accessories like lights, trolling motors and radios. They're kind of heavy, but can provide hours and hours of use. You can get on board re-charging systems, but it will probably cheaper/easier to just take the battery(s) out and recharge it after every trip. You'll also want to consider the layout. Adding two batters will also add weight, which isn't always bad. If you have problems with the bow porpoising, placing the battery(s) forward can help counteract this effect. Also, make sure the batteries are easily accessible should you need to replace, repair or remove them for recharging. The wiring itself should be pretty simple. Do a search here for threads and sticky on the wiring as well as how to build a bench seat. I read a recent thread on someone making his own bench, but I can't remember the name of the thread. Probably, something fancy like "Bench Seat Upholstery". Good luck. We love pics.
